Raptors 905’s Jerry Stackhouse was named the NBA Development League Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year in a vote by his fellow NBA D-League head coaches.
Stackhouse, in his first season as a head coach, led Raptors 905 (39-11) to its first Central Division title and the top overall seed in the 2017 NBA D-League Playoffs. Raptors 905 opened the season 10-2 and posted winning streaks of 10 games (Jan. 6 – 31) and nine games (Feb. 9 – March 4). The team also set an NBA D-League record with 21 road victories.
Raptors 905 boasted the NBA D-League’s top defense, holding opponents to league lows of 98.8 points per game, 100.1 points per 100 possessions and 42.8 percent shooting from the field. Stackhouse’s team finished with the league’s highest point differential (8.0).
Under Stackhouse’s direction, 2016-17 NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year Edy Tavares and 2017 NBA D-League All-Star Axel Toupane earned GATORADE Call-Ups – Tavares to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toupane to the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks.
Stackhouse was named head coach of Raptors 905 after serving as an assistant coach last season with the Toronto Raptors, the team’s NBA parent club. Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the third pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, the two-time NBA All-Star averaged at least 20 points five times over 18 NBA seasons.
The NBA D-League Coach of the Year award is named for the late Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson, a star NBA guard and NBA D-League coach. During his playing career with the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson won three NBA titles, played in five NBA All-Star Games and was named to the All-Defensive First Team six times. He was in his third season coaching in the NBA D-League when he passed away in 2007.
Stackhouse will be presented with the award tonight before Raptors 905 hosts the Maine Red Claws in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Hershey Centre (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU).
All-Time Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award Recipients
2016-17: Jerry Stackhouse, Raptors 905
2015-16: Dan Craig, Sioux Falls Skyforce
2014-15: Scott Morrison, Maine Red Claws
2013-14: Conner Henry, Fort Wane Mad Ants
2012-13: Alex Jensen, Canton Charge
2011-12: Eric Musselman, Los Angeles D-Fenders
2010-11: Nick Nurse, Iowa Energy
2009-10: Chris Finch, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2008-09: Quin Snyder, Austin Toros
2007-08: Bryan Gates, Idaho Stampede
2006-07: Bryan Gates, Idaho Stampede
