According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Brooklyn Nets announced on Monday that assistant coach Kevin Ollie has been named the team’s interim head coach.
ESPN Sources: The Brooklyn Nets are promoting assistant Kevin Ollie to interim head coach. He’ll run practice on Tuesday and start coaching on Thursday vs. the Toronto Raptors. pic.twitter.com/oNb0YLwFF2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2024
Ollie replaced Jacque Vaughn, who had been holding the role for less than two years. He was fired after All-Star Weekend when he coached the team to a 21-33 record this year, with an overall record of 64-65.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Ollie “emerged as the leader” to fill in the position and the two sides had begun discussions and didn’t take long to seal the deal
Ollie had joined Vaughn’s staff as an assistant for the 2023-24 season. Before, he had coached Overtime Elite from 2021 to 2023 and also served as head coach of UConn from 2012 to 2018, leading the Huskies to a national championship in 2014.
He was fired from Connecticut in 2018 after an NCAA investigation accused the Huskies of numerous violations under Ollie’s watch. Ollie did not coach again until 2021 when he was hired to lead the Overtime Elite developmental program.
He will head Nets practice on Tuesday and start his head-coaching duties on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors. The Nets’ interim head coach will take a roster filled with young talent.
Brooklyn has the same core that went 43-32 after Vaughn replaced Steve Nash as head coach seven games into the 2022-23 season and earned a playoff berth.
The franchise hopes he can re-energize a roster that has dropped into the bottom 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency since mid-December.
Ollie had played 13 seasons in the NBA, won a national championship as UConn’s coach in 2014, and joined the Nets as an assistant coach this season.
