Pacers promote Nate McMillan to head coach
Nate McMillan speaks during a news conference after being named the new coach of the Indiana Pacers on May 16.
The Indiana Pacers promoted assistant Nate McMillan to head coach, ending the search for Frank Vogel’s replacement after less than two weeks.
McMillan spent 12 seasons as head coach in Seattle and Portland, going 478-452 in the regular season and 14-20 in the playoffs. He was hired by Vogel in 2013.
Team executive Larry Bird announced May 5 that Vogel would not be retained.
ETC.
Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns was a unanimous winner of the NBA rookie-of-the-year award, giving the Timberwolves consecutive winners. Andrew Wiggins won last season. Towns, first pick in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky, received all 130 first-place votes from a panel of media members, joining Damian Lillard (2013), Clippers forward Blake Griffin (2011), David Robinson (1990) and Ralph Sampson (1984) as recent unanimous winners.
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In college basketball, North Carolina forward Justin Jackson pulled his name out of the NBA draft and will return to the Tar Heels for his junior season, the school said. Jackson has averaged 11.5 points and started 75 of 78 games in two seasons. . . . Former Michigan guard Spike Albrecht will finish his basketball career at Purdue as a graduate transfer who will be eligible to compete immediately. . . . Jalen Hudson, a 6-5 guard, has transferred from Virginia Tech to Florida.
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