Damon Stoudamire was on the short list of candidates for the men’s basketball coaching job before Arizona ultimately went with Tommy Lloyd. Now the former Wildcat star is in the running for another notable gig.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that the Boston Celtics and new head coach Ime Udoka are interested in bringing on Stoudamire as an assistant coach.
Stoudamire, 47, has spent the past five seasons as head coach at Pacific, where he was named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2019-20. Before that he spent time on the staffs at Memphis and Arizona, serving as an assistant under Sean Miller from 2013-15.
A 13-year NBA veteran, Stoudamire was the No. 7 pick of the Toronto Raptors in 1995 and went on to become NBA Rookie of the Year. After his playing career ended in 2008 he director of player development at Rice for one season and an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-11, his only pro coaching experience.
Stoudamire played point guard at the UA from 1991-95, helping the Wildcats reach the 1994 Final Four, and as a senior in 1995 was named Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year with UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon.