Orlando Magic: 5 candidates to replace Frank Vogel as head coach
5. Igor Kokoskov
The Orlando Magic are vowing to do a thorough search for their next head coach. Plenty of names are being bandied about across the blogosphere and social media landscape. One name that is in the running likely isn’t the first to roll off of casual fans’ tongues. However, he is just as qualified as some of the other names on this list.
In light of Vogel’s firing, Yahoo! Sports‘ Chris Mannix threw out the name of Utah Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoskov. The Serbian coach has been an assistant for 18 years on a number of NBA teams. He joined the Jazz and head coach Quin Snyder in 2015, and has broken several barriers for foreign coaches on American sidelines.
Darkhorse candidate for the Magic: Jazz assistant Igor Kokoškov. Kokoškov has deep ties to Orlando GM John Hammond, who helped bring Kokoškov to the NBA.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 12, 2018
Kokoskov became the first European to be a full-time assistant at the Division I level when he joined Missouri for the 1999-00 season. He then went on to become the first non-American NBA assistant coach when he joined the Los Angeles Clippers‘ staff in 2000. As a member of the Detroit Pistons staff, he was the first non-American to win a NBA title (2004) and the first to be on an All-Star Game coaching staff (2006).
Even with his accomplishments as a assistant, Kokoskov also has head coaching experience. He helmed the Georgian men’s national team from 2008-15, leading them for three FIBA European championships. He then moved on to coach Slovenia in 2016. Kokoskov led the squad to the 2017 EuroBasket title, stepping down shortly thereafter.
Kokoskov has a connection to both the Magic organization and current GM John Hammond. Hammond helped bring Kokoskov to the NBA, as both became assistant coaches with the Clippers in 2000. Kokoskov was also an assistant coach in Orlando under interim coach James Borrego for the post-All-Star break stretch of the 2014-15 season.
Igor Kokoskov is not a household name when it comes to potential coaching hires. However, his 18 seasons of NBA assistant coaching experience show he understands the pro game and how it has changed over the last two decades. Most people may not know him, but he could be a diamond in the rough.