Wildfire Name John Starks Head Coach
March 17, 2003 - United States Basketball League (USBL)
Westchester Wildfire News Release
MILFORD, CT - The United States Basketball League, Inc. (USBL) is pleased to announce the hiring of former NBA All-Star and New York Knicks standout John Starks as the inaugural head coach of the Westchester Wildfire. He takes the helm of the Wildfire immediately in preparation for the team's inaugural season, which runs from April 19 through June 21.
Starks began his career in basketball's minor leagues and rose to become an All-Star guard for the Knicks, playing for eight years during the team's playoff runs in the 1990s. In 1997 he was awarded the NBA's "Sixth Man Award."
Starks retired from playing in the NBA after the 2001-02 season with the Utah Jazz. "As my playing career wound down, it was clear to me that my future interest was in coaching basketball on the professional level," said Starks. "As a player and fan, I love this sport and know that I have a lot of basketball insight to offer rookies and veteran players alike. Coaching the Westchester Wildfire, in the backyard of my basketball hometown, New York, is both an honor and an exceptional opportunity for me."
Starks will begin to field his team on March 29-30 when the Wildfire holds free agent tryouts (visit www.westchesterwildfire.com) on the campus of SUNY Purchase College in Purchase, NY, the same site where Starks practiced during his days as a Knick.
Wildfire team owner and president Gary Lieberman evaluated more than a dozen applicants for the coaching position. "John's special combination of basketball smarts and talent, New York experience, leadership qualities, strong sense of community and widespread popularity is hard to match," said Lieberman. "As a former minor league player who became an NBA All-Star, our players will relate well to him. He's clearly the right coach for this team, and we're hoping our fans get to cheer on the next John Starks this season."
USBL Founder and Commissioner Daniel T. Meisenheimer III feels that, "This is a great hire for the Westchester Wildfire. John Starks is a great player who knows the game very well and has exhibited this throughout his playing career. I see no reason why this knowledge will not transfer over into the arena of coaching. We are excited to have John on board with the USBL and wish him the best of luck."
John Starks joins 5 other former NBA stars Darryl Dawkins, Robert Reid, Ken Charles, Cliff Levingston, and Mike Sanders) who will patrol the sidelines this season in the USBL.
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