The Charlotte Bobcats have hired longtime NBA assistant coach Steve Clifford as their new head coach.Clifford was introduced at a press conference Wednesday.
An assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Clifford becomes the Bobcats' sixth different coach since the 2006-07 season.
He spent the previous five seasons (2007-12) as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. During his time on Stan Van Gundy’s staff, Clifford helped the Magic to a 259-135 (.657) record, highlighted by a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals.
Prior to his time in Orlando, Clifford spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets (2003-07) after working with the New York Knicks for three seasons, two as an assistant coach (2001-03) and one as an advance scout (2000-01).
Entering the NBA with more than a decade of college coaching experience, Clifford served as an assistant coach at East Carolina University for one season following four years as head coach at Adelphi University, where he compiled a record of 86-36 (.705). Leading Adelphi to four straight 20-win seasons, he became the first coach in school history to record consecutive 20- plus win campaigns while guiding the Panthers to four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
He coached for two seasons at Woodland High School in Maine before beginning his college coaching career as an assistant at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire for four seasons. Following his time with the Hawks, he served one season as an assistant at Fairfield University, spent the next four seasons at Boston University and one season after that at Siena College before accepting the head coaching position at Adelphi.
Clifford played four years at the University of Maine at Farmington and was named Best Defensive Player in his final two seasons while serving as team captain. He graduated with a degree in special education.
This will be his first NBA head coaching job.
Clifford has a monumental task ahead of him. He'll try to turn the Bobcats into a winner, but Charlotte is a combined 28-120 over the past two seasons.
He replaces Mike Dunlap, who was fired after just one season.
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