Houston Rockets • 2003-2004 Media Guide - NBA Media Central

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COACHES Tom Thibodeau Assistant Head Coach BASKETBALL STAFF Tom Thibodeau begins his first season as assistant head coach of the Rockets after 13 seasons of coaching in the NBA. Thibodeau spent the last seven years as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. “In assembling my staff with the Rockets, Tom stood at the top of my wish list,” Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “He is an expert in the areas of game preparation and player development. I feel lucky to have him by my side, as he's one of the finest coaches in the NBA today.” In his final seasons with the Knicks, he assumed increased duties in the fields of individual player development and game preparation. During his tenure with the Knicks, New York held 33 consecutive opponents to under 100 points from Nov. 11, 2000 to Jan. 21, 2001, which stands as the longest stretch in the NBA since the shot clock was introduced in the 1954-55 season. Thibodeau and the Knicks coaching staff also helped Van Gundy guide the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star Game. In each of his final four seasons in New York, Thibodeau served as head coach for the Knicks entry in the Shaw’s Boston Summer League. Prior to this, he and current Knicks Assistant General Manager Jeff Nix coached New York’s Summer League entries in Rye Brook, New York and Los Angeles, California. Thibodeau entered the NBA in 1989 as an assistant coach with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves under the late Bill Musselman. After two seasons with the Timberwolves, he joined the Seattle SuperSonics in 1991 as an advance scout. The following year, Thibodeau moved to San Antonio, where he worked with Jerry Tarkanian and John Lucas as a Spurs assistant coach for two seasons. He left San Antonio to become an assistant coach under Lucas with the Philadelphia 76ers. Thibodeau’s stay in Philadelphia lasted two seasons, at which point he joined the Knicks. With the Knicks, Thibodeau worked with Van Gundy for five years and Don Chaney for two seasons. In 13 NBA seasons, Thibodeau has helped his team finish in the NBA's Top Ten in team defense 10 times. He has also coached in 75 NBA playoff games in his career, including New York's appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals. Thibodeau’s coaching career began in 1981 as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Salem State College. After three years as an assistant, he became head coach in 1984. The following season, Thibodeau became an assistant coach at Harvard. He coached at Harvard for four years before leaving for the NBA. A native of New Britain, Connecticut, Thibodeau graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and a master’s in counseling from Salem State College. He lettered in four seasons at Salem State. 12
Patrick Ewing Assistant Coach BASKETBALL STAFF Patrick Ewing comes to Houston after spending last season as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. Last year marked Ewing's first coaching experience following a celebrated 17-year NBA career with New York, Seattle and Orlando. “I am thrilled to have Patrick join our coaching staff,” said Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy, who coached Ewing for five seasons in New York. “I admired his loyalty, dedication and work ethic as a player, and I look forward to watching him pass along these qualities as a coach.” Ewing averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.45 blocks in 1,183 career games with the Knicks, Sonics and Magic. Ewing stands as one of 13 players in NBA history with 20,000 career points and 10,000 career rebounds. In NBA history, he ranks 13th all-time with 24,815 points, 20th all-time with 11,607 rebounds and fifth all-time with 2,894 blocks. A member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, Ewing earned selection to 11 NBA All-Star teams. Taken by New York with the first overall selection of the 1985 NBA Draft, Ewing averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 15 seasons with the Knicks. He earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1986, marking the first of 13 consecutive seasons in which he scored 20 points per game. Ewing received All-NBA First Team recognition in 1990 after averaging career highs of 28.6 points and 3.99 blocks with 10.9 rebounds. He also garnered All-NBA Second Team honors six times and NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors three times while playing with the Knicks. Ewing holds Knicks franchise records with 23,665 points, 10,579 rebounds, 2,758 blocks, 1,061 steals, 1,039 games played, 37,586 minutes, 9,260 field goals made, 18,224 field goals attempted, 5,126 free throws made and 6,904 free throws attempted. Beginning with the 1989-90 season, Ewing started an eight-year stretch in which he stood as the only player to rank among the NBA's Top Ten in both scoring average and rebounding average each year. He also ranked among the NBA's Top Ten in blocked shots in each of these seasons, holding this distinction throughout his first 12 seasons. Ewing guided the Knicks to 13 consecutive playoff appearances, including four Atlantic Division titles. He helped the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999. In 139 career postseason games, he averaged 20.2 points with 10.3 rebounds. His 303 blocked shots rank sixth all-time in NBA playoff history. Ewing won Olympic gold medals with the United States as a collegian in 1984 and as a member of the “Dream Team” in 1992. In college, Ewing led Georgetown University to the 1984 NCAA Championship and three Final Fours, earning College Player of the Year honors in 1985. 13 COACHES
Page 1 and 2: Houston Rockets • 2003-2004 Media
Page 3 and 4: Houston Rockets Toyota Center 1510
Page 5 and 6: ROCKETS DIRECTORY Finance & Adminis
Page 7 and 8: When Leslie Alexander purchased the
Page 9 and 10: Carroll Dawson GENERAL MANAGER Carr
Page 11: .403 shooting, marking the team’s
Page 15 and 16: Andy Greer Assistant Coach BASKETBA
Page 17 and 18: BASKETBALL STAFF Dennis Lindsey Vic
Page 19 and 20: Mike Wells Video Coordinator Mike W
Page 21 and 22: Brent Johnson Personnel Scout BASKE
Page 23: Sally Martin Manager of Basketball

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