Jeff Van Gundy

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Jeff Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962 in Hemet, California) is a basketball head coach in the National Basketball Association since 1996. Van Gundy attended Nazareth College (1985) and is the current head coach of the Houston Rockets.

[edit] Career

Van Gundy began his basketball coaching career at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, N.Y. After one season at McQuaid (1985-86), he served in several Assistant Coach positions at the college and professional level.

From March 8, 1996 to his resignation on December 8, 2001, Van Gundy was the head coach of the New York Knicks. He led the Knicks to the playoffs six times, including an appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals. He is the brother of former Miami Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy.

He is currently in his fourth season as the head coach of the NBA's Houston Rockets. While achieving some past success, he has not matched the level of success of other elite coaches such as Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley.

[edit] Trivia

"JVG", as he is called in Internet fandom, created a memorable scene in the 1998 NBA playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. When the Heat's Alonzo Mourning and the Knicks' Larry Johnson engaged in a violent, bench-clearing brawl, Van Gundy unsuccessfully tried to break up the fight. He was knocked down, hung on Mourning's leg and held on for his life while Mourning dragged him across the floor. This has become a hallmark scene in the intense Knicks-Heat rivalry.

In May, 2005, he was fined $100,000 by the NBA for accusing referees for investigating the on-court actions of Rockets' center Yao Ming on the recommendation of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. This is the largest fine ever handed down to a coach in NBA history.

[edit] External links

Preceded by Don Nelson	New York Knicks Head Coach 1996–2001	Succeeded by Don Chaney
Preceded by Rudy Tomjanovich	Houston Rockets Head Coach 2003–	Succeeded by Current Coach