Bronco Alum Steve Nash Named Head Coach of NBA's Brooklyn Nets

Posted: Sep 03, 2020

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Steve Nash, an NBA Hall of Famer and one of the greatest student-athletes in Santa Clara Athletics history, was named the head coach of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets on Thursday morning.

It will be the first coaching job for the former Bronco, who had been pursued in several capacities since his retirement from playing in 2015. Nash's previous experience included serving as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors during their record-breaking 2016 and title-winning 2017 and 2018 seasons.

OFFICIAL: The Brooklyn Nets have named Steve Nash as the 23rd head coach in the franchise's NBA history. pic.twitter.com/SG8OoN3a8g
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) September 3, 2020

With Nash's appointment, Santa Clara becomes one of just three schools with multiple former players as current head coaches in the association; Nash's former teammate Lloyd Pierce just completed his second season as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. The other schools are Minnesota (J.B. Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ryan Saunders of the Minnesota Timberwolves) and Arizona (Steve Kerr of Golden State and Luke Walton of the Sacramento Kings).

Welcome my brother, lifelong brother, @SteveNash to the coaching fraternity! @SCUBroncos with 2 of the 30 Head Coaches! Nashty in the building! https://t.co/9GRJ67UyZQ
— LP (@LloydPierceLP) September 3, 2020

"I am honored to have this opportunity with such a first-class organization and would like to thank Sean, Joe and his wife, Clara, for having faith in my ability to lead this team forward," Nash said in Brooklyn's announcement. "Coaching is something I knew I wanted to pursue when the time was right, and I am humbled to be able to work with the outstanding group of players and staff we have here in Brooklyn. I am as excited about the prospects of the team on the court as I am about moving to Brooklyn with my family and becoming impactful members of this community."

Nash was inducted into the Santa Clara Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. He was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, and spearheaded some of the best teams in school history.

During Nash's career, the Broncos posted a 73-42 record, won WCC regular-season titles in 1995 and 1996, and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. Nash, who earned honorable mention All-America honors as a senior in 1995-96, helped Santa Clara claim its first national ranking since 1972-73 when the Broncos reached No. 25 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls on Dec. 4, 1995.

The 1992-93 men's basketball team (19-12, 9-5 WCC) closed that season with a flourish to earn the school's ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament, including first since 1987.

Santa Clara then pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The 15th-seeded Broncos knocked off No. 2 seed and fifth-ranked Arizona, 64-61, in Salt Lake City. It marked only the second time a No. 15 seed had defeated a No. 2 in the NCAAs.

In 1995-96, Santa Clara finished 20-9 overall (10-4 WCC) and shared the conference's regular-season title with Gonzaga. Nash's 17.0 points per game helped the team make its third trip in a four-year span, including second straight, to the NCAAs. Santa Clara earned an at-large berth as a No. 10 seed, again in the West Regional, and upset seventh-seeded Maryland 91-79 in Tempe, Arizona.

During his 18-year NBA career, Nash was an eight-time All-Star and won back-to-back MVP awards with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.