Avery Johnson accepts Alabama men’s basketball coaching position
Tue., April 7, 2015
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama announced that former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson has accepted its offer to lead its men’s basketball program.
Crimson Tide athletic director Bill Battle announced the hire Monday night in a statement. Terms of his contract won’t be released until it’s approved by the board of trustees’ compensation committee.
Battle cited Johnson’s record as a professional player and coach and said “he has shown fortitude and skill in every opportunity.”
Johnson had stints as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, but this is his first college coaching job.
Johnson led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 2006. He was fired by the Nets in December 2012 and had been working as an ESPN analyst.
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