The New Orleans Pelicans have hired Alvin Gentry to be the team’s next head coach, entrusting him to guide and develop the career of emerging superstar big man Anthony Davis. The move was announced by General Manager Dell Demps, as Gentry will become the sixth head coach in franchise history.
Gentry, who currently serves as the associate head coach for the Golden State Warriors, will begin his duties with the Pelicans immediately following the 2015 NBA Finals.
“I’m truly honored for the opportunity to lead the Pelicans as their head coach and am anxious to get started,” said Gentry. “However, my responsibilities with the Pelicans will begin immediately after the NBA Finals are completed. Until then, my complete focus for the next two-plus weeks will be with the Warriors and the NBA Finals. We’ve had an incredible season under Steve Kerr’s leadership in the Bay Area, but still have a lot of work to do as we prepare for the Cavaliers and a tough series.”
Gentry has previously served as the head coach of the Miami Heat (1994-95), Detroit Pistons (1997-00), Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03), and Phoenix Suns (2008-13). In 705 regular season games, Gentry has amassed a career record of 335-370 (.475). In 21 career postseason games as a head coach, Gentry has a record of 12-9 (.571).
During the 2009-10 season, Gentry led the Suns to a 56-28 record while advancing to the Western Conference Finals. That season, the Suns led the league in scoring at 110.2 points per game while ranking fourth in pace of play (95.3), and was the only team in the NBA to connect on over 40-percent of their three-point field goal attempts (.412).
“We are excited to announce that Alvin Gentry is the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. We warmly welcome Alvin and his family to the Pelicans organization,” said Demps. “After assessing our team, along with the core values of the Pelicans, we created a list of characteristics and qualities we wanted in our head coach. We conducted an extensive coaching search that identified Alvin Gentry as the right person to lead our team.”
Gentry began his coaching career after a four-year collegiate career at Appalachian State, serving as an assistant coach at Baylor University (1980-81), the University of Colorado (1981-86), and the University of Kansas (1986-89) before moving up to the NBA ranks as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs.
“I’m extremely happy for Alvin and wish him the best of luck in this new challenge," said Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr. "He’s had a tremendous impact on the success of our team this season and, personally, has been instrumental in my development as a coach. His experience as a head coach in the NBA has been invaluable during my first season and will, likewise, serve the Pelicans well as they move forward. Our loss is New Orleans’ gain and I know he’ll do an outstanding job with the Pelicans once the NBA Finals are completed.”
This will mark Gentry’s second stint in the Crescent City, having served as an assistant coach during the 2003-04 season.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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