Nick Nurse
Nick Nurse ( born July 24, 1967 in Carroll, Iowa) is an American basketball coach. Nurse worked particularly successful in the British Basketball League, where he won two championships, as well as a coach in the NBA Development League, where he also won two championships, the last in 2013 with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Nurse was also assistant coach Chris Finch to the British national team, with whom he also took part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Career
Nurse graduated from the University of Northern Iowa, for their high school team Panthers to 1989 he was active in the former Mid-Continent Conference NCAA Basketball 1985. In this high school team, he is one of the " All- Time Best " at Ball profits and the three- point shot. After the end of his four-year player time he remained the team for another year in the advanced trainer and coaching staff loyal to achieve his degree before leaving for the 1990/91 season as player-coach for the Rams from Derby in the British Basketball League (BBL ) acted. After a year he returned after Iowa and was coach of the Vikings of Grand View University in Des Moines, whose sports team are organized in the NAIA. After two years he was assistant coach at the high school team, the University of South Dakota Coyotes in the more significant NCAA college league. This activity over he also has two years from.
In 1995, Nurse again to England and was coach of the Bullets from Birmingham, with whom in 1996 he won the championship of the BBL with the help of " Most Valuable Player " ( MVP ) Tony Dorsey. After you do not defend the championship the following year, Nurse was in the 1997 Season / 98 coach of the Belgian Cup winner Sunair from Ostend. Although one could defend the Cup victory, but Master Spirou Charleroi BC not " dethrone ". Then Nurse went again to the British Isles and trained there in the BBL the Giants from Manchester. The Giants won the 1999 League Cup "uni -ball trophy " with Tony Dorsey as top scorer in the final game and were as runner-up the regular season in the play- offs for the championship in fourth after the " small final " for third place against the winners Sheffield Sharks coach Chris Finch lost. In the following season, although they lost the League Cup final against the London Towers, but won against Nurse ' former club Birmingham Bullets the final game for the championship. Tony Dorsey was once again awarded MVP of BBL and Nurse, succeeding Chris Finch as Coach of the Year of the BBL.
The following season, 2000/ 01 Nurse trained then the former League Cup winners London Towers, competed in the newly created ULEB Euro League. In the season premiere ULEB Euro League 2000 /01 but they won in ten qualifying matches just a game against the German representatives Opel Skyliners, which could be due to better direct comparison in the group behind him. In the BBL would retire in the semifinals to eventual champion Leicester Riders from. The same things happened Nurse as coach of the Bears from Brighton in the following season 2001 /02 when he lost the semifinals to eventual champion Chester Jets. A year later, they reached the final match, which was lost against the Scottish Rocks. In the following season 2003/ 04 they went as First Place in the play-offs, but lost the final of the League Cup BBL Trophy with two points against the Chester Jets and the play-off semi-final with a point against the same opponent. Nurse was again recognized as the successor to Chris Finch for the second time as a coach of the year the BBL. In the following two seasons, the Bears eliminated both just in the first round of the play -offs. For this one could win the 2005 independent of the League Cup Cup competition BBL Cup for the second time after 2003.
After the award of the 2012 Olympic Games in the British capital London is formed for the second time a British National Basketball Team from the previously separate national teams of England, Scotland and Wales without Northern Ireland. The team was already established in 2006 and Chris Finch appointed as national coach, who then took his longtime rival and friend, Nick Nurse as an assistant to the coaching staff. After Nurse had worked in previous years in the European summer break again and again in the NBA Summer League on the coaching staff of NBA clubs such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls, as well as in the United States Basketball League for the Oklahoma Storm, he was Moreover, in 2007 in his native U.S. state coach of the newly established " franchise " Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League (D - League). With the Energy 2009 he won the " Central Division " and in the following two years, 2010 and 2011, the " Eastern Conference ". At the beginning of the season 2010/11 Nurse had already pledged as assistant coach of the Cyclones at Iowa State University, but after the dismissal of the former head coach of the contract was canceled after a short time and returned to the nurse as coach of the Iowa Energy. After being excreted in the seasons before in the play-offs in each case before the final series, they won the 2011 championship of the D -League in the final series against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who were trained by Nurse ' friend Chris Finch. Nurse was again recognized as the successor to Chris Finch, as coach of the year, the D -League with the " Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award" in 2011. Then Finch was appointed as assistant coach Kevin McHale in the coaching staff of the NBA clubs Houston Rockets and Nurse, his successor as head coach of Vipers.Nach a season with a nearly balanced balance they won in 2013 the Central Division and without defeat in the play- offs in a team with, among others, the German international Tim Ohlbrecht the championship of the D- League. Previously Nurse had under coach Chris Finch left early with the British National Team at the Olympic basketball tournament in 2012, where the British selection in five preliminary games but only one win against China reached and as with the EM- finals in 2009 and 2011.