Donnie Walsh
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Donald Walsh Jr. | |
| birthday | March 1, 1941 | |
| place of birth | New York City , United States | |
| college | North Carolina | |
| Clubs as coaches | ||
1964–1965 University of North Carolina ( AC ) 1965–1977 University of South Carolina ( AC ) 1977–1979 Denver Nuggets ( AC ) 1979–1980 Denver Nuggets 1981–1982 Denver Nuggets ( AC ) 1984–1986 Indiana Pacers ( AC )
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Joseph Donald Walsh Jr. , better known as Donnie Walsh (born March 1, 1941 in New York City ) is a former basketball coach and general manager.
biography
Walsh attended Fordham Preparatory School in The Bronx in New York City. He then played in college for the University of North Carolina for legendary coaches Frank McGuire and Dean Smith . Although he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers , he never played in the NBA . After graduating from college, he decided to become a basketball coach.
Walsh worked for a number of college teams as an assistant coach, including 7 years for the University of South Carolina , where he worked with McGuire. Then Walsh was hired by Larry Brown as assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets . In 1979 he became head coach of the Nuggets, which he stayed for 1.5 years. Then he was replaced by Doug Moe in 1980 . In 1984 Donnie Walsh became an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers .
He later took the position of general manager in Indiana, where in 1987 he made the controversial decision to draft Reggie Miller instead of drafting local hero Steve Alford . This decision later turned out to be brilliant, as Reggie Miller had a strong NBA career (92/93 season 31.5 points on average and 20.6 points in career average) while Alford was not NBA suitable and after 3 years there was not played more. He later became CEO and President of the Pacers, which he remained until shortly before the end of the 2007/2008 season.
Although Walsh was never named General Manager of the Year, he is among the best when it comes to draft picks and other managerial acts. The Pacers reached the play-offs 16 of 17 times under him .
On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh became General Manager of the New York Knicks.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Walsh, Donnie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Walsh, Joseph Donald Jr. (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American basketball player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 1, 1941 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |