SEATTLE SONICS NAME GORDON CHIESA ASSISTANT COACH
SEATTLE – The Seattle SuperSonics today named Gordon Chiesa (pronounced Chee-A-zuh) as an assistant coach on head coach Bob Hill’s staff, Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced. Chiesa will join Sund and other members of Sonics basketball personnel in Orlando this week for the NBA Pre-Draft Camp.
A veteran of the NBA assistant coaching ranks, Chiesa spent 16 seasons with the Utah Jazz (1989-90 through 2004-05). He served part of last season as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets.
“I wanted a coach with extensive bench experience and Gordon has that,†said Hill. “After we re-signed Detlef Schrempf, I felt confident with my assistant coaches, then Wally Walker and Rick Sund gave me the opportunity to add one more. He completes a great staff.â€
Chiesa’s career began on the collegiate level at his alma mater as the athletic director and head basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Sparkill, N.Y. Chiesa joined the Dartmouth College basketball staff as an assistant coach from 1979 through 1981. He then accepted the head coaching position at Manhattan College, where he coached from 1981 through 1985 and was named the Metro Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1983. Chiesa joined Rick Pitino’s staff at Providence College as an assistant coach from 1985 through 1987, before succeeding Pitino as head coach for the 1987-88 season.
Chiesa has the distinction of serving as an assistant coach in the NBA Finals (Utah vs. Chicago in 1997 and 1998) and in the NCAA Final Four (Providence vs. Syracuse in 1987).
The Seattle Sonics & Storm manages the Puget Sound region’s professional basketball franchises – the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. The organization oversees all sales, marketing, finance, public relations and basketball operations for the teams. The Basketball Club of Seattle LLC owns both teams.