New York Knicks coach Mike Brown finally has a top assistant for his new staff. Charlotte Hornets assistant Chris Jent is finalizing an agreement to become Brown’s associate head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
Jent, fresh off winning the NBA Summer League championship by coaching the Hornets to a 6-0 record, joins Brown’s staff after one season as an assistant with Charles Lee in Charlotte. He has been an NBA assistant coach with eight teams over 17 seasons, mixing in stints as a head coach for the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam and an assistant with Ohio State, his alma mater.
Advertisement
Following a four-year playing career with the Buckeyes, Jent played in the CBA and overseas in Italy, Spain and Greece, in addition to brief stops with the Houston Rockets and Knicks.
Previously, Brown pursued New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego for his No. 1 assistant, but the Pelicans would not let him out of his contract to make a lateral move. Brown’s next choice was Indiana Pacers assistant Mike Weinar, but he chose to stay on Rick Carlisle’s staff and keep his family in Indianapolis.
Brown reportedly quickly moved on to Jent, who will fill an “offensive coordinator” role as associate head coach on the Knicks’ staff. Brendan O’Connor will be the “defensive coordinator,” leaving Tyronn Lue’s staff with the Los Angeles Clippers to join Brown.
Advertisement
The Knicks hired Brown as their head coach last month after firing Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau was fired following his fifth season despite coaching the team to the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. New York was then prevented from interviewing several established coaches including Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka, Quin Snyder, Chris Finch and Billy Donovan.
Rick Brunson, Jordan Brink, Mark Bryant, Maurice Cheeks and Darren Erman remain from Thibodeau’s staff, while Brown has added Charles Allen and Riccardo Fois from his former staff with the Sacramento Kings, in addition to O’Connor and Jent.
