Getty Damon Stoudamire of the Portland Trail Blazers runs the point during a 2004 game against the Boston Celtics.
Ime Udoka’s run as head coach of the Boston Celtics has officially begun after the team formally introduced him at a press conference on Monday. Now, the longtime assistant and former NBA player must round out the staff that will support him during the 2021-22 campaign and beyond.
To that end, the first domino appears to have fallen. According to a report from The Athletic’s Jay King, San Antonio Spurs assistant Will Hardy is finalizing a deal with the Celtics to become one of Udoka’s assistants
Although the addition of Hardy is unlikely to make waves with fans outside of Beantown and the Alamo City, the latest name linked to Udoka and the Cs staff is sure to garner recognition.
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Woj: Damon Stoudamire in Play for Celtics Staff
As reported via Twitter by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday, Pacific head coach Damon Stoudamire is a target to join Udoka’s staff.
Stoudamire, 47, would have instant credibility with Boston’s players as a 13-year veteran who starred as a point guard for the Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers. However, he also has extensive experience as a coach.
After a two-year stint on the staff of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-11, Stoudamire moved to the University of Memphis in 2011, where he made an immediate impact on the team as an assistant coach and recruiter. In 2013, he joined his alma mater in the Arizona Wildcats as an assistant to then-coach Sean Miller.
Following a second go-round with Memphis two years later, his first bite at the head coaching apple came in 2016 with the Pacific Tigers. Four years later, he was the WCC Coach of the Year after leading the school to a 23-10 record during the 2019-20 season.
Last year, he coached Pacific to a 9-9 record and a fifth-place finish in the WCC.
Before the Wildcats landed on Tommy Lloyd in April, Stoudamire was said to be a candidate to take over for Miller in Tuscon.
Stoudamire Made Waves as a Player
Although Stoudamire has made an impact in multiple spots as a coach, he’s still best-known for his exploits as a player. The diminutive floor general’s “Mighty Mouse” moniker was well-earned.
As a collegiate, he was one of the best ballers of the early 1990s, leading the Wildcats to a Final Four berth during his junior season in ’94. The following year, he shared the Pac-10 Player of the Year award with UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon and was a consensus All-American, as well as a Wooden Award finalist.
Consequently, he was picked No. 7 overall by the expansion Raptors in ’95 NBA Draft. He went on to have a historically good rookie season, averaging 19.0 points, 9.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest and hitting on 39.5% of his three-point shots. For his efforts, he brought home the league’s Rookie of the Year trophy.
Midway through his third season, Stoudamire was dealt to his hometown Blazers, with whom he would spend the next eight seasons. During his stint in PDX, he unwittingly contributed to Portland’s “Jail Blazers” image by running afoul of the NBA’s policy on marijuana. However, he continued to be one of the better point guards in the Association.
After short runs with the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs in later years, his playing career ended in 2008. By then, he had played in 878 games (793 starts) and averaged 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also made 1,236 career three-pointers.
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