Jeff Hornacek has been tapped by team president Phil Jackson to be the 28th head coach of the Knicks.
[WATCH: Hornacek Formally Introduced at Press Confernce, Talks Vision and Goals]
Not too familiar with Hornacek? That’s all right, we’ve got you covered:
- Hornacek coached the Phoenix Suns for two-and-a-half seasons from 2013 to midway through last season, compiling a 101-112 record.
- He was the runner-up for Coach of the Year for the 2013-14 campaign after guiding the Suns to a 48-34 record.
- With Phoenix, Hornacek was known for innovative and fluid offensive sets that used certain elements of the triangle offense.
- Hornacek was an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz from February 2011-2013.
- During the 2007-08 season, Utah brought in Hornacek as a special assistant with the team.
- Hornacek is 53 years old and is from Elmhurst, IL, a suburb of Chicago.
- He attended Iowa State University from 1982 to 1986. His time with the Cyclones was memorable as he led them to the Sweet Sixteen in 1986 and still holds the school record with 665 career assists.
- Hornacek was selected by the Suns in the second round (46th overall) of the 1986 NBA Draft.
- He made the NBA All-Star Team with Phoenix in 1992.
- A renowned three-point shooter, Hornacek won the NBA Three-Point Shootout twice (1998, 2000). He also set a then-NBA record with eight consecutive three-pointers made without a miss on Nov. 23, 1994.
- With the Jazz, Hornacek went to the NBA Finals twice (1997, 1998), both times losing to Phil Jackson’s Bulls.
- He finished his career with 15,659 career points and averaged 14.5 points per game.
- In 2000, the Jazz retired Hornacek’s No. 14 jersey.
WHAT THEY’VE SAID ABOUT HORNACEK
“Jeff and I are pretty similar personalities. There’s a lot of fire inside, but pretty calm and laid-back at the same time. I think players appreciate that. You don’t want a huge emotional ride every single day, but you’ve got to have some direction and some fire. So I looked at Jeff and the job he did last year and the success he had, and I drew inspiration from that. I still watch him and watch his team with a lot of respect. They do a lot of really innovative things offensively, and they play hard.” — Warriors Coach Steve Kerr on Hornacek
“[Hornacek] played a fundamental game both in Phoenix and Utah. He understands what it takes at the highest level to win, and he’ll demand it. He’ll be disciplined, and he’ll do it fairly and that engenders respect … and you can tell they don’t disrespect him and they’re having fun playing.” — Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich in 2013
“Happy for my guy Jeff Hornacek, one of my favorite coaches I’ve had. Knicks players will enjoy playing for him.” — Marcus Morris, former Suns forward currently with the Pistons.