Jeff Van Gundy

Jeff Van Gundy (right) was the coach for the Rockets from 2003 to 2007.
Point Guard
Personal information
Born	(1962-01-19) January 19, 1962 (age 50) Hemet, California
High school	Brockport Central
Listed height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Career information
College	Nazareth College
Pro career	1989–2007
Career history
As coach:
McQuaid Jesuit High School (1985-1986) Providence Friars (assistant) (1986–1988) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (assistant) (1988–1989) New York Knicks (assistant) (1989–1996) New York Knicks (1996–2001) Houston Rockets (2003–2007)
Career highlights and awards
2000 NBA All-Star Game head coach

Jeffrey William "Jeff" Van Gundy^[1] (born January 19, 1962) is a former American basketball head coach. He has coached two teams in the National Basketball Association: the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets. Van Gundy attended Yale University before transferring to Menlo College and ultimately graduated from New York's Nazareth College in 1985.

His older brother Stan Van Gundy has served as head coach of the NBA's Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

Early life[link]

Van Gundy was born in Hemet, California. He grew up in the town of Brockport N.Y. He was the son of a basketball coach, Bill Van Gundy, the former head coach at Brockport State University in Western New York. As a high-school point guard, he was a two-time All Greater Rochester selection in 1979 and 1980, leading Brockport Central to the Class AA finals. He continued his career at Nazareth College where he earned All American honors while leading the Golden Flyers to an NCAA Tournament berth in 1984. He remains the Nazareth career leader in free throw percentage at 87%.

Career[link]

Van Gundy began his basketball coaching career during the 1985-86 season at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York. The following year he became a graduate assistant under Rick Pitino at Providence College, helping the Providence Friars advance to the Final Four. In his second season with the Friars he was promoted to assistant coach under Gordon Chiesa. The next season, Van Gundy became an assistant coach under Bob Wenzel at Rutgers. Van Gundy now calls many basketball games with co-analyst Mike Breen.

On July 28, 1989, Jeff Van Gundy became assistant coach for the New York Knicks. The next six-and-a-half seasons were spent providing support to Knicks coaches Stu Jackson (1989-1990), John MacLeod (1990-1991), Pat Riley (1991-1995) and Don Nelson (1995-1996). During his tenure as an assistant coach the Knicks won three Atlantic Division titles, never finished lower than third in the division, and qualified for the playoffs in every year. The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1993 and the NBA Finals versus the Houston Rockets in 1994.^[2]

Van Gundy was the head coach of the New York Knicks from March 8, 1996 until his resignation on December 8, 2001. He led the team to the playoffs six times, including their Cinderella run to the 1999 NBA Finals. At the time of his resignation the Knicks had a winning record; under his successor Don Chaney the team collapsed, losing 43 of their remaining 63 games, and failed to make the playoffs.

Van Gundy was hired as head coach of the Houston Rockets in 2003. On May 18, 2007, Van Gundy was fired from that position after the team's seven-game, first-round playoff loss to the Utah Jazz. Later that night, Van Gundy was a guest analyst for ESPN's broadcast of the Phoenix Suns-San Antonio Spurs game in San Antonio, Texas and has since helped cover the playoffs for ESPN.^[3]

On May 12, 2009, on ESPN writer Bill Simmons' podcast, Van Gundy expressed his desire to eventually return to coaching, stating he would consider being an assistant coach.

Coaching record[link]

Noteworthy incidents[link]

Van Gundy created a memorable scene in the 1998 NBA Playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. When the Heat's 6'10", 240-pound center Alonzo Mourning^[4] and the Knicks' 6'6", 250-pound forward Larry Johnson^[5] engaged in a violent, bench-clearing brawl, Van Gundy unsuccessfully tried to break the fight up. Most memorably, the 5'9", 150-pound Van Gundy^[6] fell to the floor and clung to Mourning's leg.^[7]

In a 2001 game between the Spurs and Knicks, Danny Ferry elbowed Marcus Camby. While talking to the referee, Camby lost control and tried to punch Ferry. He missed and hit Van Gundy instead.^[8]

In May 2005, Van Gundy was fined $100,000 by the NBA for accusing referees of targeting Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. Van Gundy blamed Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for causing the referees' alleged bias. This is the largest fine handed down to a coach in NBA history.^[9]

Life outside basketball[link]

Jeff Van Gundy is an executive board member of Pro-Vision, a non-profit organization in Houston that provides educational, job-training, and mentoring services to boys aged 10–18.

On May 8, 2011, Van Gundy received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Nazareth College during the colleges 84th Annual Commencement Ceremony.^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

• BasketballReference.com: Jeff Van Gundy
• Why Houston Rockets Coach Jeff Van Gundy Is a More Fitting Free Speech Hero Than New York Times Reporter Judith Miller - Michael C. Dorf, FindLaw, May 11, 2005
• Van Gundy’s Inner Comedian New York Times article by Richard Sandomir

Gundy New South Wales
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Population:	188[1]
Postcode:	2337
Coordinates:	32°00′54″S 151°00′54″E / 32.015°S 151.015°E / -32.015; 151.015Coordinates: 32°00′54″S 151°00′54″E / 32.015°S 151.015°E / -32.015; 151.015{{#coordinates:32|00|54|S|151|00|54|E|type:city_region:AU-NSW	primary	name= }}
Time zone:  • Summer (DST)	AEST (UTC+10) AEDT (UTC+11)
Location:	269 km (167 mi) N of Sydney 165 km (103 mi) NW of Newcastle 38 km (24 mi) NNE of Muswellbrook 19 km (12 mi) ENE of Scone
LGA:	Upper Hunter Shire[2]
Region:	Hunter[2]
County:	Brisbane[3]
Parish:	Alma[3]
State/territory electorate(s):	Upper Hunter[4]
Federal Division(s):	Hunter[5]

Gundy is a locality in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.^[3] The locality is in the Upper Hunter Shire local government area and on the Pages River, 269 km (167 mi) north of the state capital, Sydney.^[6] At the 2011 census, Gundy had a population of 188.^[1]

European settlement in Gundy started in 1826 with a land grant to John Stewart who surveyed the Upper Hunter River in the early 1800s. The village was originally known as Bellevue, the name of a nearby property. It acquired its current name from a Mrs. Gundy who ran an inn further along the road. The town "initially served as a stopover for teams travelling from Scone to stations located further up the Pages and Isis Rivers".^[7]

The discovery of gold nearby saw Gundy develop as a service centre for miners with an inn and church constructed. By 1881 the village had a population of 60 and facilities included a school, post office and stores.^[7]

The local pub—the Linga Longa Hotel—and the Gundy General Store are the only retail businesses in the village. The general store faced closure in September 2012 before being bought by new owners.^[8] A annual rodeo is held on New Years Eve.^[7]

References[link]