| Sam Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Position(s) | Small forward |
| Jersey #(s) | 5, 42 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Born | September 2, 1963 Columbus, Georgia |
| Career information | |
| Year(s) | 1985–2002 |
| NBA Draft | 1985 / Round: 3 / Pick: 7
Selected by Houston Rockets |
| College | Mercer |
| Professional team(s) | |
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| Career stats | |
| Points | 8,636 |
| Rebounds | 3,711 |
| Assists | 1,089 |
| Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Coaching | |
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Samuel (Sam) E. Mitchell, Jr. (born September 2, 1963 in Columbus, Georgia) is a retired American professional basketball player and a former head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contents |
Basketball career
A Columbus (Georgia) High School graduate, the 6'6", 210 lb (95 kg) small forward was drafted out of Mercer University with the seventh pick of the third round (54th overall) by the Houston Rockets in the 1985 NBA Draft. Mitchell scored nearly 2000 points at Mercer, becoming the leading scorer in team history. He led the Bears to both the regular-season and postseason Trans-American Atlantic Conference championships in 1985. As a result, the team made the NCAA tournament that year.
Mitchell did not commence play in the NBA after being drafted and until joining 1989 expansion team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, in their inaugural season. Prior to his NBA career, he spent three seasons in the Continental Basketball Association and in the French basketball league team of Montpellier (coached by Pierre Galle) for an additional two seasons. After that, Mitchell spent three seasons with the Wolves until September 8, 1992 when he was traded along with point guard Pooh Richardson to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for small forward Chuck Person and point guard Micheal Williams. During his playing days in Minneapolis, he scored a career-high 37 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 3, 1991. After spending three years with the Pacers, he returned to the Timberwolves for the rest of his career, before retiring in 2002. Mitchell's leadership is considered instrumental in the development of Kevin Garnett. Mitchell currently is second on the Wolves' all-time scoring and rebounding list.
Mitchell returned to the NBA almost immediately after his retirement as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons until 2004. He then briefly became a part of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats as their top assistant coach, until moving on to the Toronto Raptors when he was named as the sixth head coach in Raptors history after incumbent Kevin O'Neill was fired.
Mitchell was named the coach of the month in January 2007 for his effort bringing the Toronto Raptors back to .500 and leading the Atlantic Division. On March 30, 2007, Mitchell got his 100th win as NBA coach when the Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.[1]
Mitchell, who saw his team struggle with rebuilding in his first years as coach, also led the Raptors to their first division title in franchise history as the team won the Atlantic Division in the NBA's Eastern Conference in the 2006-07 NBA season. On April 24, 2007, he was named 2006–07 NBA Coach of the Year.[2] On May 22, 2007 after leading the Raptors to their first playoffs appearance since 2002, and after much speculation, Mitchell was signed to a four year contract with the Raptors.[3]
On November 25, 2007 Mitchell surpassed Lenny Wilkens for the most wins in team history. Mitchell was the longest reigning head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
On December 3, 2008, after leading the Raptors to a disappointing 8-9 start to the 2008-2009 season, Mitchell was relieved of his duties as the team's head coach. Assistant coach Jay Triano took over the position of interim head coach of the Raptors.[4] The firing was ridiculed by the TNT Overtime crew because the Raptors were just under .500 at 8-9 at the time of the firing. Chris Webber predicted that they would not be "as good under another coach."[5] Since being fired, the Raptors only won 15 more games out of the next 48 (as of March 11, 2009).
Coaching record
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | |
| Post season | PG | Games coached | PW | Games won | PL | Games lost | |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 2004–05 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| TOR | 2005–06 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| TOR | 2006–07 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 1st in Atlantic | 6 | 2 | 4 | Lost in First Round |
| TOR | 2007–08 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 2nd in Atlantic | 5 | 1 | 4 | Lost in First Round |
| TOR | 2008–09 | 17 | 8 | 9 | .471 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 345 | 156 | 189 | .452 | 11 | 3 | 8 |
Personal life
Mitchell lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and four daughters.[6]
References
- ^ Feschuck, Dave, "Mitchell turns millstone into personal milestone", thestar.com, April 1, 2007, accessed April 1, 2007.
- ^ "Sam Mitchell Named 2006-07 Coach of the Year", nba.com/raptors, April 24, 2007, accessed April 24, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Award Mitchell with New Contract, nba.com/raptors, May 21, 2007, accessed May 23, 2007.
- ^ Mitchell Fired, The Fan 590, December 3, 2008, accessed December 3, 2008.
- ^ Dismissal of Sam Mitchell, TNT Overtime crew, Accessed March 11, 2009.
- ^ Atlanta, Obama and Mitchell, Toronto Sun, December 4, 2008, accessed December 4, 2008.
External links
| Preceded by Kevin O'Neill |
Toronto Raptors Head Coach 2004–2008 |
Succeeded by Jay Triano |
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