UPDATE (11:20 AM CT): Vanderbilt Athletics officially announced Jerry Stackhouse as the next Men’s Basketball head coach Friday morning.
“I am extremely excited to join the Vanderbilt family and build on the incredible accomplishments of its athletics program and men’s basketball program,” said Stackhouse in a press release. “I look forward to furthering Vanderbilt’s unique approach to athletics — blending a powerhouse competitive spirit with elite academics to holistically develop talented student-athletes and celebrate victories on and off the court.
“I would like to thank Malcolm Turner and Chancellor Zeppos for giving me this fantastic opportunity to direct the Vanderbilt men’s basketball program into its next great era.”
Vanderbilt will officially introduce Stackhouse as head coach at a press conference on Monday in Memorial Gym.
“The future is bright for the men’s basketball team with such an accomplished individual at the helm,” said AD Malcolm Turner. “Jerry brings a unique mix of experience as a legendary player and successful coach, and I fully expect he’ll take the program to new heights. I’ve spoken with people inside and outside both college and professional basketball, and there is unanimous agreement that Jerry’s competitiveness, grit and tireless focus on player development are a perfect fit to advance the ‘Vanderbilt Way’ in college athletics. This is an incredibly exciting moment for Vanderbilt.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball program has found its next leader, and he came straight from Athletic Director Malcolm Turner’s Rolodex.
Vanderbilt has hired former NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse as head coach of the Men’s Basketball team, The Vanderbilt Hustler has learned Friday morning.
Stackhouse, 44, worked most recently as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA. Prior to that, he was the coach of the Toronto Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate, Raptors 905, for two seasons. He led Raptors 905 to a G League title in 2017 and was named G League Coach of the Year.
At that time, Turner was working as the president of the G League.
Before coaching Raptors 905, he was an assistant coach for the Raptors in the NBA for the 2015-16 season, helping coach Toronto to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Stackhouse had a 18-year career in the NBA that saw him get selected to two NBA All-Star games and average 16.9 points per game. He started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers after being drafted third overall in the 1995 NBA Draft and played alongside Allen Iverson in Philadelphia. Stackhouse was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in 1996.
He went on to play for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets. He made an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Mavericks in 2006, losing in six games to the Miami Heat.
In his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, Stackhouse led the Tar Heels to the Final Four in 1995 alongside future NBA players Rasheed Wallace, Jeff McInnis and Shammond Williams. He was named Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year in 1995 and also earned first-team All-America honors.
In addition to his NBA coaching responsibilities, Stackhouse is also the founder and executive director of the Stackhouse Elite AAU basketball program that has produced star players such as Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The decision to hire Stackhouse comes two weeks after Vanderbilt fired Bryce Drew after three seasons as head coach. Stackhouse will inherit a Vanderbilt team that went winless in conference play in 2019 and could see a few players transfer out, including Matt Ryan and Yanni Wetzell.
More to come as this story develops.
