Cavaliers hire John Beilein as head coach

In a surprise hire, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that University of Michigan Head Coach John Beilein and the team have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract for Beilein to become the new Head Coach.

The innovative Beilein has compiled a career record of 829-468 (.639) as a collegiate head coach. He has recorded 20-plus win seasons on 23 occasions, and has finished with a winning record in 35 seasons.

His teams were known for using a successful 1-3-1 zone defense, and for regularly shooting a large volume of three-point shots on offense.

"I want to thank the University of Michigan for what has been a truly special home and remarkable place for my family and I for the last 12 years. We have achieved great success together and we could not have done it without the incredible support of our administration, coaches, players, staff, students, fans and the entire university community. We shared some of the best moments of my life together and I will always be grateful for that, ” said Beilein. “At the same time, I felt very strongly about this new and exciting opportunity with the Cavaliers."

Beilein inherits a young roster with limited talent.  Fortunately, he has two promising building blocks in second-year guard Collin Sexton and veteran power forward Kevin Love.

Beilein has 20 career postseason appearances -- 13 in the NCAA Division I Tournament, six in the NIT, and one in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Beilein is also one of 14 coaches to have taken four different Division I schools to the NCAA Tournament -- Canisius (1996), Richmond (1998), West Virginia (2005, '06), and Michigan (2009, '11, '12, '13, '14, '16, '17, '18, ‘19).

Under Beilein, Michigan made nine NCAA Tournament appearances while also winning two Big Ten regular season and two Big Ten Tournament titles. In 12 seasons at Michigan, Beilein became the winningest coach in school history.  Beilein took Michigan to the Final Four and a pair of National Championship Game appearances in 2013 and 2018, with the trip to the title game in 2013 being the first in 20 years for the school.

Prior to his tenure at Michigan, Beilein brought great success to the West Virginia University men's basketball program for five seasons. Under his direction, the Mountaineers compiled a record of 104-60 and earned four consecutive postseason berths, including two straight Sweet 16 appearances in 2005 and 2006. During the Mountaineers' 2005 NCAA Tournament run, West Virginia advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 42 years.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com