Chris Finch (basketball)
Chris Finch ( born November 6, 1969 in Cambridge, Ohio) is an American basketball coach. After studying in his native country, he played professionally in the British Basketball League before he continued his career as a trainer and finally returned on stations in Europe, including the German first division casting 46ers, in his home country. As coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers won the championship of the Finch 2010 NBA Development League (D - League) and was the coach of the year in the NBA Development League the " Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award". In 2011 he became assistant coach Kevin McHale of the coaching staff of the Houston Rockets in the most highly endowed professional league NBA. In addition, Finch was the first coach since the re- establishment of the British national team, which was formed in 2006 on the occasion of the awarding of the 2012 Olympics to London from the three national teams in Britain. After the Olympic tournament in 2012 Finch resigned from this office.
Career
Players ( 1988-1998 )
Finch was educated at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster (Pennsylvania). There he played for the college team Diplomats in the NCAA Division III, which represents a minimalist Division for individuals who aspire to a professional sports career. Within these sporty but more inferior division Finch was one of the best players was elected twice in 1991 and 1992 among the best players in the country as " All-American ". Finch won in his time four Conference titles and reached with the team in 1991, the final match of the national NCAA Division III finals. He was in the " Athletic Hall of Fame" ( German Athlete Hall of Fame ) recorded his " alma mater " in 2002.
Although Finch had played in only one Division III college, he began in 1992, then a career as a professional, which led him to the Sharks from Sheffield in the British Basketball League (BBL ). With the Sharks, he won the 1995 regular season and the cup competition BBL Cup. His teammate Roger Huggins was named " Most Valuable Player " of the league. In 1996 he also took over the post of coach and acted as player-coach. He won in his last season as a player in 1998 the League Cup " BBL Trophy".
Coaches in Europe (1996 to 2012)
Finch, who also acts as coach of the Sharks since 1996, changed after the 1998 League Cup final win on the sidelines and ended his career as a player. In the season 1998/99 they were again first table after the regular season, but lost the semi-final match in the play- offs to eventual champions London Towers. The " small final " for the third place they won against trained by Nick Nurse Manchester Giants, against which one had the semifinal series in the League Cup competition BBL Trophy yet lost. Finch was honored in 1999 as coach of the year the BBL. The cup competition you could win 1999 and 2000. 2001 and 2002, lost the team, who was among others Finch compatriot Nate Reinking, the final match of the play-offs on the one against the Leicester Riders and the following year against the Chester Jets. In the season 2002/ 03 they finished the regular season again as a table first, but lost the semifinals of the playoffs against the eventual champion Scottish Rocks. Finch was again honored as Trainer of the Year of the BBL.
For the 2003/ 04 season, Finch moved to Germany to the 46ers from pouring into the Basketball Bundesliga. In the enlarged two teams Basketball League 2003/ 04 caught the team that had missed in the preseason rather just the play-offs for the championship, a poor start to the season, winning only five of the first 18 season games. Finch was replaced as manager by Armin Andres and the Giessen club benefited the league at the end of the season by the bankruptcy of two other teams. For the season 2004 /05 Finch joined the club " Euphony " from Bree in the Belgian Ethias League. For the team he signed Brian Lynch, who had already played under him in casting, and immediately won the first and only championship of the club in 2005. This success could not connect in the following two years, although players like the later two times Basketball League MVP Julius Jenkins were committed.
After Finch had lost with Bree 2007, the final series of the championship against Telindus Oostende just in five games, he moved to league rivals Dexia Mons. Since he had also taken over the fate of the re-established British national team, which was formed in 2006 on the occasion of the awarding of the 2012 Olympic Games in the British capital London from the three selected teams of three associations of Great Britain excluding Northern Ireland, he concentrated here some British national player in the team of the association. In addition to his former teammates Roger Huggins and Nate Reinking, he had already taken care of in Sheffield, he took another Mike Lenzly and Andrew Sullivan. While in the national championship lost the semifinal series against Spirou Charleroi BC, was reached in European club competition FIBA EuroCup 2007/ 08 the final match against the Latvian club BK Barons Riga. This one lost, however, almost to a point whereby the first Belgian title success in European club competition was prevented. In the following season they reached the play-off final series in the national championship, which was closed lost the defending champions Spirou BC.
As coach of the British selection Finch took his former competitor from the BBL Nick Nurse as assistant coach. Finch was able to lead the team into the circle of the best European national teams to the European Championship finals in 2009 and 2011. In both finals but it was eliminated in the preliminary round. The same happened in the Olympic tournament in 2012, for which they were qualified automatically as hosts. After four defeats prelude they won the final group match against China significantly and was eliminated in the first round.
Coach in the United States (since 2009)
After losing championship finals series in Belgium 2009 Finch joined as a club coach back to his home country and took over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League (D - League). Right away he was the team founded in 2007, leading to their first play-off participation in the D- League, which successfully ended the team by winning the championship. Finch was in his debut season in the D -League Award as coach of the year with the " Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award" in 2010. In the following season they reached as defending again the final series for the championship, which was, however, lost to the trained by Nick Nurse Iowa Energy. Finch had to leave his National Assistant Nurse award as Coach of the Year. Following Finch joined the coaching staff of the 2011 NBA Houston Rockets Association and became an assistant to Kevin McHale. His successor as coach of the Vipers was Nick Nurse.