We spoke with Jerry Stackhouse earlier this summer in Treviso, Italy, where he was in attendance at adidas Eurocamp as the head coach of the under-18 USA team that will likely see more than one of its players land in the NBA once they are age-eligible.
Stackhouse has a strong desire to get into coaching, and isn’t picky about where he gets his start. He’s open to taking a job at any level to show what he can do, although given his 18 years of NBA experience, a spot with a professional team would seem like a natural fit.
Stackhouse last played for the Nets in the 2013 season, and has reached out to the team’s new head coach, Lionel Hollins, to see about getting on as a part of his staff.
From Christian Red of the New York Daily News:Stackhouse said he has emailed new Nets coach Lionel Hollins -- who was hired after Jason Kidd’s abrupt departure and subsequent hiring in Milwaukee -- but Stackhouse also acknowledged that he is likely part of “a long list” of people and coaches looking for a spot on Hollins’ staff. There has been speculation that Stackhouse could land in Wisconsin with Kidd, too.
“Probably not with Brooklyn,” Stackhouse said of his future job prospects. “I like Lionel Hollins, and I like Jason Kidd, too. That came about really quickly. But sometimes you need a change of scenery.” ...
(Hollins) knows that my passion is to get into (coaching). But when you’ve fielded so many calls, and everybody wants to get in, I know it’s tough on him. I didn’t really press the issue. Just try to figure out the best fit for me.” Stackhouse said he hopes to have a coaching gig before the start of this season.
Stackhouse coached against Hollins at Eurocamp, and while he had the players who may one day become NBA stars (like Thon Maker and Jaylen Brown), the size and strength of the European players was too much for the under-18 USA team, and the game itself wasn’t all that close.
Stackhouse is likely to get a shot at some point, given his tenure in the league and the positive relationships he seems to have built during that time. The list is long of guys who want to be associated with Hollins and the Nets, however, so that particular fit, as Stackhouse mentioned, seems to be a bit of a long shot.