The Nets are hiring former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie as an assistant coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Ollie joins the staff of Jacque Vaughn, who will enter his first full season as the Nets head coach after taking over for Steve Nash midseason last year.
Ollie is best-known for succeeding Jim Calhoun at UConn and leading the Huskies to a national championship in 2014 as a No. 7 seed. In six seasons, though, UConn missed the NCAA tournament four times under Ollie, and the school ultimately fired him in 2018.
Following his dismissal, Ollie sued UConn, alleging discrimination over the firing. The case was settled last year, with the school paying Ollie an additional $3.9 million in the settlement.
Since 2021, Ollie had been the Head of Coaching and Basketball Recruitment for the Overtime Elite program, but he stepped down from the position in March. This offseason, Ollie also interviewed for the Pistons head coaching job, but Detroit reportedly hired Monty Williams for the position.
A point guard in the NBA for 11 seasons, Ollie averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 assists per game while playing just 15.6 minutes a game in his career for a variety of teams. After he retired, Ollie began his coaching career as an assistant coach for UConn, his alma mater.
