Former Kansas basketball standout Jacque Vaughn fired by Brooklyn Nets in second season
Former Kansas basketball standout, two-time All-America selection and Big Eight Player of the Year Jacque Vaughn was fired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, the franchise announced.
"The Brooklyn Nets have relieved Jacque Vaughn of his head coaching duties. An interim head coach will be named in the near future," the franchise said on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Vaughn, who played for the Jayhawks under Roy Williams from 1993-97, was fired after the NBA's All-Star break ended on Sunday. He finishes his Nets tenure with a 71-68 record, despite not coaching a full season for the NBA franchise. He served an interim stint in 2019-20 and took over as fulltime head coach partway through the 2022-23 season.
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Here's all you need to know of the Nets' decision to fire Vaughn midway through his second season in Brooklyn:
Jacque Vaughn coaching record
Vaughn finished his coaching stop with the Nets with a 71-68 overall record, which includes an interim stint in 2019-20. The 2023-24 season was his first as the fulltime head coach, though he ultimately lasted only through the All-Star break as Brooklyn struggled to a 21-33 record and 11th-place ranking in the Eastern Conference standings.
Vaughn began his stint with the Nets prior to the 2016-17 season, when Kenny Atkinson hired him as his top assistant. He was promoted to interim coach in March 2020 after Atkinson left the team, leading the team to a 7-3 record and finishing with a berth in the 2020 NBA playoffs. The 7-seed Nets were swept by the 2-seed Toronto Raptors in the first round.
Vaughn returned to an assistant coaching position with the Nets in September 2020, following the Nets' hiring of Steve Nash. He once again was elevated to interim coach in November 2022 after Nash likewise left the franchise. Eight days later, he was named permanent coach of the Nets, coaching the team to a 43-32 record. Brooklyn, a 6 seed in the 2023 NBA playoffs, lost in the first round vs. the 3-seed Philadelphia 76ers.
Here is a year-by-year look at Vaughn's coaching career with the Nets:
2019-20: 7-3*
2022-23: 43-32**
2023-24: 21-33***
* Interim coach
** Took over seven games into the season
*** Fired after All-Star break
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Jacque Vaughn Kansas basketball stats
Vaughn was a four-year starter under Williams from 1993-97 and was a part of a Kansas team that went a combined 115-21 in four seasons. Vaughn averaged 9.6 points, 6.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game throughout his Jayhawks career.
Kansas won the regular-season Big Eight Conference championship in 1994-95 and 1995-96 before winning the regular-season title for the inaugural Big 12 basketball season in 1996-97. Vaughn and Co. also won the inaugural Big 12 Tournament in 1997.
Vaughn was also named the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year, the same season he earned consensus second-team All-America status (a status he earned again in 1996-97). Yet despite his team's success, the Jayhawks were never able to advance past the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, despite being no lower than a 4 seed and finishing as a 2 seed or higher in three straight March Madness berths.
Vaughn's best finish in the NCAA Tournament came in 1995-96, his junior year, when the 2-seed Jayhawks lost in the Elite Eight to eventual national runner-up Syracuse. Following his playing career at Kansas — he left with a then-conference record 804 career assists — Vaughn went 27th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft to the Utah Jazz.
Vaughn played for numerous NBA franchises from 1997 through 2009, including the Jazz, Atlanta Hawks (twice), Orlando Magic, Nets and San Antonio Spurs, with whom he won his only NBA championship in 2007. Following his final season as a player in 2009, Vaughn began his coaching career as an assistant with the Magic in 2010.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Jacque Vaughn, Kansas basketball standout, fired by Brooklyn Nets
