Lowgators Head Coach Accepts Call-Up From NBA
August 21, 2002 - NBA G League (G League)
Charleston Lowgators News Release
North Charleston, SC (August 20, 2002) - North Charleston Lowgators head coach Alex English, a 15-year NBA veteran and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has been named Director of Player Development for the NBA Atlanta Hawks.
"We are pleased for Alex's opportunity with the Hawks," commented NBDL Executive Director Karl Hicks. "In his short time in the NBDL he established himself as one of our brightest coaches and teachers. His presence will be missed; however, his move is in keeping with our mission of developing talent for the next level."
According to Atlanta Hawks' VP/General Manager Pete Babcock, English's duties will consist of assisting the players in their on- and off-court development, as well as assisting the coaching staff in all facets of game preparation, decisions and planning.
"I'm really excited about the addition of Alex to our staff," said Hawks head coach Lon Kruger. "Alex is a highly respected ex-player and is interested in continuing his coaching career, and I believe this opportunity will provide him with an excellent chance to do just that."
English is the second of eight NBDL coaches to get called up to an NBA team since the end of the 2001-02 season - former Huntsville Flight Head Coach Bob Thornton was added to the Chicago Bulls coaching staff on July 8. Eight players were called up to the NBA during the NBDL's inaugural season and five executives have moved from NBDL teams to positions with major league organizations.
"I want to say thanks to the basketball fans in the Lowcountry and all the people in the NBDL," said English. "It's gratifying to see the NBDL concept continue to work like it was designed to do. I might have been the first, but it's a certainty I won't be the last from Lowgators to move up in the ranks."
English's career determination to venture into the coaching profession after 15 years led to his appointment as the first head coach of the NBDL's North Charleston Lowgators. He coached the Lowgators to a 36-20 record in his first season and led the team to the finals of the league's first championship where they were beaten by the Greenville Groove. His teams' progress was chronicled throughout the 2001-02 year on ESPN's "Down Low: Life in the D-League," 13 episodes of the inaugural season of the NBDL and the Lowgators.
"I truly enjoyed my time as head coach of the Lowgators and this is another piece of the puzzle toward realizing my goals," said English. "I am really grateful to Coach Kruger for this opportunity and am excited about working with some talented young players. The Hawks have some good young players who I believe I can help."
Following an NBA career in which he became the Denver Nuggets' all-time leader in scoring (21,645) and assists (3,679), English was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997 in his first year of eligibility. The eight-time NBA All-Star was also honored for his dedication to community service throughout his career with the league's J. Walter Citizenship Award in 1988.
After a four-year collegiate career at the University of South Carolina, in which he averaged 17.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, English earned his undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies and was selected in the second round (23rd overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1976 NBA Draft.
English went on to average 21.5 points, with 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game over 15 seasons with four teams (Milwaukee, 1976-78; Indiana, 1978-80; Denver, 1979-90; Dallas 1990-91). He shot over 50-percent from the floor over his 15 seasons in the NBA.
Prior to joining the Lowgators, English served as a basketball analyst for Fox Sports, CNNSI's This Week in the NBA and NBA.com TV, the league's 24-hour television network. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Boys Harbor Youth Group and is a Board of Trustees Governor's Appointee at the University of South Carolina.
The NBDL, the NBA's minor league includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), North Charleston Lowgators (S.C.), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Mobile Revelers (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.), Greenville Groove (S.C.), and Asheville Altitude (N.C.). The league offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella.
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the NBDL serves as a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 29 teams and as a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions in each NBDL city.
NBA G League Stories from August 21, 2002
- Lowgators Head Coach Accepts Call-Up From NBA - Charleston Lowgators
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