Portland basketball icon Terry Porter has been named head men’s basketball coach at the University of Portland, according to Scott Laykam, athletic director. Porter, a 17-year NBA veteran player and former NBA head coach, becomes the 21st basketball head coach in Pilot history.
The University has planned an introductory press conference for Tuesday at noon at the Chiles Center to officially introduce Porter. The event will be open to the public and season ticket packages will be available for sale.
Porter was a standout for the Portland Trail Blazers and had his jersey retired by the franchise in 2009. During his 17-year NBA career, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals, made two All-Star appearances (1991, 1993), two trips to the NBA Finals (1990, 1992) and scored 15,586 career points. He currently ranks 14th on the NBA’s all-time assist leaderboard (7,160).
Porter brings extensive NBA coaching experience to the Pilots. He was the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons (2003-05), including leading the team to the 2004 NBA Playoffs. He served one season as head coach of the Phoenix Suns (2008-09) and was also an assistant coach at Minnesota, Sacramento and Detroit.
A long-time team ambassador for the Trail Blazers since his retirement, Porter has not only been a fan favorite from his playing days, but also one of the biggest community contributors of any Portland-area sports personality. He is a Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame member and still actively participates in many other community ventures.
For more information contact athletics at 7117 or portlandpilots.com.