Thunderbirds Name New Assistant
August 16, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
New Mexico Thunderbirds News Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., August 16, 2006 - The defending NBA Development League Champion Albuquerque Thunderbirds announced today that Albuquerque native Joe Harge has been named as assistant coach. Harge replaces Larry Smith, who accepted the head coaching position with the Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.) on July 17.
Harge is a 1989 graduate of Oregon State University, where he played for four years. During his time at OSU, the Beavers received invitations to the NCAA tournament twice and twice for the NIT. At St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, Harge was named to the McDonald's, Converse and USA Today All-America teams.
After completing his college eligibility, Harge spent nine years playing professionally in Europe for teams in France, Greece, Finland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Iceland. He was named the Arkansas RimRockers first head coach and led them to a 32-5 season in 2004-05, which included an ABA Championship. Harge was 46-21 overall with the RimRockers.
He spent four seasons at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock as an assistant coach prior to accepting the position with the RimRockers. Before coaching at UALR, Harge spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Idaho.
"Coach Harge will definitely make an impact for the Thunderbirds. He is a great coach and really knows the players in this league," T-Birds head coach Michael Cooper said. "Any time you can add a person with head coaching success, you have to consider that a victory."
The Thunderbirds season kicks off at home on November 24 against Dennis Johnson and his Austin Toros with a 7:00 p.m. tip off. Thunderbirds 2006-07 season tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at abqtbirds.com or at the Thunderbirds front office. For premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK.
The D-League continues to develop talent from across all disciplines for the NBA's 30 teams and the entire NBA umbrella. This season, 19 NBA teams assigned 29 players to D-League affiliates. There were also 18 GATORADE Call-Ups from the D-League to the NBA. Additionally, every referee hired by the NBA since 2002 has worked in the D-League, while coaches, athletic trainers and front office executives are also being developed.
The NBA D-League is composed of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles, Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com.
For more information about the Albuquerque Thunderbirds call (505) 265-DUNK or log on to www.abqtbirds.com.
NBA G League Stories from August 16, 2006
- Flyers Host Auditions for 2006-07 Dance Team - Fort Worth Flyers
- Thunderbirds Name New Assistant - New Mexico Thunderbirds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
