Ex-Nets Coach Jacque Vaughn Linked to Role on Bill Self’s Staff at Kansas

Over the last week, former Brooklyn Nets head coaches can't seem to stay out of the news.

Kenny Atkinson was just named the NBA's coach of the year after leading his Cleveland Cavaliers to an Eastern Conference-best 64-18 record. Steve Nash was announced as one of four (Nash, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Candace Parker) analysts on "NBA on Prime."

And current head coach Jordi Fernandez's predacessor, Jacque Vaughn, may soon enter the college hoops landscape as an assistant for the school he starred with back in the 1990s.

Per "The Kansas City Star," Vaughn visited with Jayhawks head coach Bill Self on Tuesday about potentially filling an open role on the Hall of Famer's staff.

After a four-year career at Kansas, the two-time Academic All-American at Kansas and 1997 GTE Academic All-American of the Year would be drafted 27th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Draft. Vaughn played 12 years of professional basketball—including two seasons with the then-New Jersey Nets—before enterring the coaching world.

Vaughn joined Brooklyn's coaching staff in 2016, serving as an assistant for six years while being named interim head coach in wake of the Nets split with Atkinson in 2020. Once Nash stepped down in 2022, Vaughn again was named interim—this time holding the title of Brooklyn's lead man until 2024.

Self and Kansas—fresh off a dissapointing NCAA round of 64 loss to Arkansas—look to re-tool in an attempt to advance past the round of 32 for the first time since winning the 2022 NCAA championship title. Dealing with the departure of Hunter Dickinson, the former Nets head coach could be brought in to help re-establish the Jayhawks' winning culture, which has been absent since they ruled the college basketball world just two seasons ago.

While Vaughn didn't stick as Brooklyn's head coach, his impact on players—both past and present—is undeniable.

"I know the work that he puts in every day. I know how much he cares about the development of each player and this team as a whole. All the guys have responded to how he wants us to play," former Nets star Kevin Durant said in November of 2022.

As Brooklyn navigates its rebuild, familiar faces look to continue their careers at a high level.