P.J. Carlesimo

PJ Carlesimo was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania and played his prep basketball at Scranton Prep before heading to Fordham University to play ball from 1968 to 1971.  After earning his degree from Fordham he joined their coaching staff as an assistant from 1971 to 1975.  After the 1975 season he was hired as the head coach at New Hampshire College, and remained in that position until being hired as the head coach at Wagner in 1976.  In 1982, Seton Hall brought him on as their new head coach.  Over the next 12 seasons he led the once struggling Pirates to unprecedented success, making six NCAA Tournament appearances, and finishing as the national runner-up in 1989.  After the 1992 season he was named an assistant coach on the famed Dream Team and helped the USA to a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic games.  Two years later he made the leap to the NBA as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and went on to lead the Golden State Warriors from 1997 to 1999.  In 2002 the Spurs hired him as an assistant, which proved to be a great move, as he helped bring three NBA Championships to San Antonio in 2003, 2005 and 2007.  Since that time he has served as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2007-08, an assistant with the Toronto Raptors in 2010-11, an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets in 2011-2012, and interim head coach of the Nets in 2012-13.  Coach Carlesimo’s career honors include being named the Seton Hall “Coach of the Century”, which is a testament to his unbelievable leadership qualities and longevity in the sport of basketball.