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Will Casey Hill Have Shot at Assistant Coaching Gig With Golden State Next Season?
With a new staff to be filled out in Golden State, will there be a seat on the bench for Santa Cruz Warriors' coach Casey Hill?
By Keith Schlosser May 9, 2014, 2:00pm EDT
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The Golden State Warriors' game of musical chairs amongst its coaches finally came to a head on Tuesday, when the team opted to show head coach Mark Jackson the door.
Following a 51-31 record this past season, Coach Jackson was fired after a first round exit for the Warriors to the Clippers.
Jackson is a stern, strong-willed, and passionate individual. His personality was reportedly not the best fit for the organization. Now, it's time for a fresh start. According to Yahoo! Sports, Steve Kerr and Fred Hoiberg stand to be amongst some of Golden State's preferred candidates moving forward.
When a team hires a first-year NBA head coach, an older veteran with past coaching experience to serve as the former's right hand man is usually brought in to help. From there on out, the organization may have a tad bit more leeway with regard to filling out such a potential rookie head coach's staff.
With that in mind, could next season stand to be Santa Cruz Warriors' coach Casey Hill's best shot at securing an assistant coaching post of some sort with Golden State?
Coach Hill has spent the past two seasons immersing himself in the organization, learning some of the preferred schemes on both ends of the court. What's more, he has realized success en route to two trips to the D-League Finals --- one as an assistant, and another as a head coach. With the game on the line, he's as intense as they come. Off the court, he's a great motivator who has strong relationships with the likes of Splash Bros. relatives Seth Curry and Mychel Thompson, as well as current Warrior Hilton Armstrong, and some of the team's more frequent D-League assignees.
In a sense, Coach Hill could have more head coaching experience (on other levels, of course), than the given coach Golden State goes on to hire as the next man with the plan. Thus, he could prove to be a major asset on an NBA bench for a rookie coach.
That said, next season could be the year during which the son of longtime NBA coach Bob Hill breaks into The Association. He's certainly formed great relationships and made quite a nice impression, based on his team's subsequent success since coming to town.
With a fresh slate on the coaching front, Coach Hill could stand to reap the benefits of the new direction in Golden State. He's certainly done enough to prove he deserves a seat on that bench.