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Former NBA point guard Rod Strickland is the new men’s basketball coach at Long Island University.
Strickland was hired Thursday to replace Derek Kellogg, who led the Sharks to a 16-14 record last season. He had been serving as the program director for the NBA G League Ignite, evaluating and mentoring top high school prospects to prepare them for a professional career.
The Sharks are hoping he can transition to getting those types of players into their program.
“Developing young players on and off the court has always aligned with my passion while I was playing and after retiring from the NBA,” Strickland said in a statement. “I am appreciative to Long Island University for the opportunity to become a head coach at home, in New York City. The Sharks are going to be a competing program for top athletes who not only want to take their game to the next level but prepare for success.”
A New York native, Strickland played 17 years in the NBA after being picked by the Knicks in the first round of the 1988 draft. He led the league in assists in the 1997-98 season and is 13th on the career list in that category.
Since retiring in 2005, Strickland was an assistant at South Florida and also worked at Memphis and Kentucky.
Top: Miami Heat’s Rory Sparrow (2) races alongside New York Knicks Rod Strickland on Feb. 5, 1990 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. (AP Photo/ Ron Frehm)
