Former Maverick Jerry Stackhouse Named D-League Coach of the Year
By Blake Heckel
The NBA announced the recipient of the 2016-2017 D-League Coach of the Year, and it is awarded to Dallas Mavericks’ alum Jerry Stackhouse.
In his first year as head coach of the Toronto Raptors’ affiliate, Raptors 905, Jerry Stackhouse was honored as Coach of the Year after leading his team to a league-best 39-11.
This is a very impressive feat considering Stackhouse played his last game only four years ago with the Brooklyn Nets.
Last season, Jerry Stackhouse was on the Toronto coaching staff as an assistant coach and went on to be at the helm of the Raptors’ Summer League team. After an impressive tenure in those two roles, Stackhouse was given the job as head coach of Raptors 905.
"“Stackhouse, in his first season as a head coach, led the Raptors 905 (39-11) to its first Central Division title and the top overall seed in the 2017 NBA D-League Playoffs. Raptors 905 opened the season 10-2 and posted winning streaks of 10 games (Jan. 6 – 31) and nine games (Feb. 9 – March 4). The team also set an NBA D-League record with 21 road victories.” –According to a press release sent out by the D-League"
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Currently, Stackhouse just led the Raptors 905 to the D-League Championship title after defeating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in a best of three games series. After losing the first game of the series, Stackhouse led his team to two straight victories and the D-League title.
Stackhouse was a member of the Dallas Mavericks for 5 seasons in his 18 season career and was a big part in the Mavericks’ 2006 Finals run.
The 2-time All-Star mainly came off the bench for the Mavericks but played in 246 games for Dallas. Stackhouse averaged 12.2 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 points per game in an average of 25.7 minutes per game.
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Stackhouse’s numbers may not have been superstar material while he was in Dallas, but he was definitely a fan-favorite and great locker room guy during his time in the Big D.