AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has hired Brian Hill as an assistant coach. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to welcome Brian Hill as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons,” said Dumars. “Brian has vast NBA experience as both a head coach and assistant coach and he will help our coaching staff and players in a variety of ways.”
Hill’s coaching career has spanned over 36 years, including head coaching positions with Orlando (twice) and Vancouver and assistant coaching positions with New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando and New Jersey. He most recently served as an assistant coach with the Nets for the last two seasons (2007-2009).
The East Orange, New Jersey native spent three and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic during his first head coaching appointment, 1993-96, guiding the club to a 191-104 (.647) record. He led the team to three playoff appearances, back-to-back Atlantic Division titles, consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals (1994-95 and 1995-96) and the 1995 NBA Finals. He posted a home record of 122-26 (.824) while with the Magic, including 40 consecutive wins spanning from March 12, 1995, through March 19, 1996. His record over his first three seasons as a head coach (167-79, .679) ranks third in NBA history behind Pat Riley and Phil Jackson and he ranks as the ninth fastest head coach to reach 100 victories, accomplishing the feat in 149 games. Hill coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars at the NBA All-Star Game in 1995.
Hill was named as head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1997-98, becoming the franchise’s third head coach, and compiled a record of 31-123 in two-plus seasons. After serving on Lawrence Frank’s New Jersey Nets staff in 2004-05, he returned to Orlando for his second head coaching stint. Hill led the Magic to a 76-88 record during his second tenure with the club, guiding the team to a playoff berth in 2006-07.
Hill’s coaching career includes high school as well as 17 years at the collegiate level. He was the head coach at Lehigh for eight seasons and held assistant coaching positions at Montclair State, Lehigh and Penn State. He got his NBA coaching start in 1986, serving as an assistant to Mike Fratello with the Atlanta Hawks.
In Play! Magazine
