Memphis Grizzlies assistant basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse, left, participates in a team huddle in his team’s Feb. 26 game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Bryan Hanks / Neuse News

By Bryan Hanks

Kinston native Jerry Stackhouse is the new head coach of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. The Commodores, a member of the Southeastern Conference, are coming off a 9-23 overall record, 0-18 in the SEC.

The move was confirmed by Vanderbilt Associate Athletic Director Alan George to Neuse News shortly before noon on Friday. George said there is no news conference planned for today; in an early afternoon press release from the school, Stackhouse stated he is “extremely excited to join the Vanderbilt family.”

“I look forward to furthering Vanderbilt's unique approach to athletics — blending a powerhouse competitive spirit with elite academics to holistically develop talented student-athletes and celebrate victories on and off the court,” Stackhouse said.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos praised Stackhouse’s career in the press release.

“He embodies Vanderbilt's commitment to excellence, on and off the court," Zeppos said. “Jerry is a true competitor who will carry on Vanderbilt's legacy of comprehensively developing student-athletes to excel in everything they do — on the court, in the classroom, and in their lives. I am thrilled to welcome him to Vanderbilt.”

The 44-year-old Stackhouse was an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies this season before Friday’s announcement. The previous two years, the UNC alum was the head coach of the Toronto Raptors’ developmental league team — Raptors 905 — where he led the squad to the NBDL title in 2017 and a runner-up finish in 2018. He was named the league’s coach of the year in 2017.

The 6-foot, 6-inch Stackhouse was one of the nation’s most highly-recruited prep basketball stars when he played for Hall of Fame coach Paul Jones in the early 1990s at Kinston High School. He transferred from KHS to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., for his senior season and earned the MVP award in the 1993 McDonald’s All-American Game.

He signed with UNC and Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith; in his second and final season in Chapel Hill, he was a consensus All-American, named the national player of the year and led the Tar Heels to an ACC championship and the Final Four.

After being selected third overall in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Stackhouse embarked on an 18-year career in which he played for eight teams and scored 16,409 points. He was an NBA All-Star for the Detroit Pistons in 2000 and 2001 and was inducted into the Kinston/Lenoir County Sports Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 2004.

UPDATED 12:40 p.m.:

Jerry Stackhouse, unquestionably the greatest basketball player to ever come from Lenoir County, is the new head coach of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

The move was confirmed by Vanderbilt Associate Athletic Director Alan George to Neuse News shortly before noon on Friday. George said there is no news conference planned for today but the school would be making a formal announcement later Friday afternoon.

ORIGINAL BRIEF:

Kinston basketball legend Jerry Stackhouse, currently an assistant with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, will be named the new head coach of Vanderbilt University later today. Vanderbilt Associate Athletic Director Alan George confirmed the action to Neuse News at 11:40 a.m., Friday.

This is a breaking news story: Please come back for more details later.