P. J. Carlesimo facts for kids
Carlesimo in 2015
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | May 30, 1949 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| High school | Scranton Prep (Scranton, Pennsylvania) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Fordham (1968–1971) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1971 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1971–2013 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1971–1975 | Fordham (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1975–1976 | New Hampshire College | |||||||||||||
| 1976–1982 | Wagner | |||||||||||||
| 1982–1994 | Seton Hall | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2007 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Toronto Raptors (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Brooklyn Nets (interim) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
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Medals
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P. J. Carlesimo (born May 30, 1949) is an American basketball coach. He has coached basketball for almost 40 years. He worked in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college basketball. P. J. Carlesimo has also been a sports announcer for TV and radio. He worked for channels like ESPN and TNT.
Carlesimo was the main coach for four NBA teams. He was also a temporary head coach for another NBA team. Seton Hall University even called him their "Coach of the Century." He helped coach the famous "Dream Team" in the 1992 Summer Olympics. This team won the gold medal in basketball. He also helped the San Antonio Spurs win three NBA championships between 2003 and 2007.
Early Coaching Days
P. J. Carlesimo went to Fordham University. He played basketball there and graduated in 1971. After college, he started coaching at Fordham as an assistant. His first job as a head coach was at New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University) in 1975. His team, the New Hampshire Penmen, won the Mayflower Conference championship that year.
He also coached at Wagner College for six years, from 1976 to 1982. Wagner is a Division I school, which means it's a top level for college sports. During his time there, his team made it to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) once. Carlesimo also coached basketball in Puerto Rico during the summer months.
Coaching at Seton Hall University
Carlesimo became the coach for Seton Hall University in 1982. He helped turn their basketball program around. It had been struggling, but he made it successful. In 1988, the Pirates played in their first-ever NCAA tournament. Carlesimo was named the Big East coach of the year.
In 1989, Carlesimo led the Pirates to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. This was the first time in the school's history. They even beat the #2 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. Seton Hall made it to the championship game against the Michigan Wolverines. They lost a very close game in overtime, 80–79. After this amazing season, Carlesimo was again named Big East coach of the year.
During his time at Seton Hall, the Pirates went to the NCAA tournament six times. Four of those times were in a row, from 1991 to 1994. He took the team from a tough 6–23 record in his first year to a top team. He had an overall record of 212 wins and 166 losses at Seton Hall. Because of his success, he was called Seton Hall's "Coach of the Century."
Carlesimo also helped coach the U.S. national team. He was an assistant coach for the team that won a bronze medal in the 1990 FIBA World Championship. He was also an assistant coach for the famous 1992 Olympic "Dream Team" that won a gold medal.
NBA Coaching Career
In 1994, P. J. Carlesimo became the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Even after the team traded a star player, Clyde Drexler, Carlesimo led them to a winning record. They also made it to the playoffs in his first year. He led the Blazers to the playoffs for all three years he was their head coach. However, they couldn't get past the first round of the playoffs. He left the team after the 1996–97 season.
In 1997, Carlesimo moved to the Golden State Warriors as their head coach. He coached there until December 1999. During his time with the Warriors, there was a difficult incident involving a player. This led to the player being suspended by the NBA.
After leaving the Warriors, Carlesimo worked as a TV analyst. Then, in 2002, he became an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. He worked with the Spurs until 2007. During this time, the Spurs won three NBA championships (in 2003, 2005, and 2007).
In 2007, Carlesimo became the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics. The team moved to Oklahoma City a year later and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. This made him the first head coach in Thunder history. He coached young players like Kevin Durant. Carlesimo was the coach for the Sonics and Thunder until November 2008.
Later, in 2010, Carlesimo joined the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach. After one season, he became an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets). In December 2012, he became the temporary head coach for the Nets. He helped the team improve their record and make it to the playoffs. The Nets earned home-court advantage in the first round. However, after losing in the first round of the playoffs, Carlesimo was not kept on as head coach.
Personal Life
P. J. Carlesimo is married and has two sons. His father, Peter A. Carlesimo, was also a college basketball coach and athletic director.
