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Tuesday, 13 December 2005 |
Miami basketball coach Pat Riley replaces Stan van Gundy
Pat Riley became coach of the Miami Heat for a second time after he replaced Stan van Gundy on Monday.
Stan Van Gundy - who had replaced Pat Riley at the start of the 2003 season - stood down from the job for family reasons.
Pat Riley has won 1,110 games in 21 seasons as a coach, leading Magic
Johnson and the "showtime" LA Lakers to four NBA titles in the 1980s.
"I will get back into this quickly," Pat Riley said while admitting that he had not studied a Heat playbook for two years.
Seen as title contenders, Miami Heat have struggled so far this season, going 11-10 in their first 21 games.
And Stan van Gundy's job status had been the subject of rumours in
South Florida for several months but the departing coach said he was
leaving due to personal reasons.
"I made this decision for one reason and one reason only: I love my
family," Stan van Gundy said, reasoning that he had seen his children
at home on only 49 days out of 170 this season.
"It's not a lack of passion for coaching. I still have it. Just not with the sacrifices you have to make.
"I'll help the Heat out any way I can after I spend some time with my family."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 December 2005 )
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