The Charlotte Hornets are adding three more candidates to their head coach search.
According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets will be interviewing former Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse and Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jordan Ott. In addition, the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen reports that Houston Rockets assistant coach Royal Ivey will be interviewing for the role.
Hornets Add 3 More Candidates to Expansive Head Coach Search
Jerry Stackhouse
Of the aforementioned candidates, Stackhouse is the most popular.
Selected third overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, Stackhouse is a former UNC standout who went 56-13 in his two seasons with the Tar Heels. He’s also a Kinston, NC native. In effect, Stackhouse is as close to a hometown hero hire as Charlotte can get.
In 2015, the two-time All-Star was hired as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. The next season, he was named the head coach of their G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. In his first season with the 905, he won a championship with an headlined by Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. Stackhouse was subsequently named the G League Coach of the Year.
In 2018, he moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies before being hired as Vanderbilt’s head coach in 2019.
A fierce competitor since his playing days, Stackhouse brings the same intensity as a coach. A strategist who’s highly regarded for his basketball knowledge and coaching acumen, he’d bring the best out of the Hornets.
Royal Ivey
Ivey is also a former NBA guard. A 10-year veteran who played for four teams, the New York native began coaching in 2014. Getting his start as an assistant coach with the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, Ivey was elevated to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s bench in 2016. He held the same role for the Rockets, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets.
The 42-year-old also has head coaching experience. Named the head coach of South Sudan’s men’s national basketball team in 2021, Ivey led the Bright Stars to their first-ever World Cup and Olympic berths.
A humble player’s coach, Ivey’s personalized touch is a major reason why Jalen Green was able to turn his season around. He’s an intriguing dark horse candidate.
Jordan Ott
Ott is the least known of the aforementioned candidates but respected in league circles.
He began his coaching career as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks under Mike Budenholzer in 2013. In 2016, he was hired as an assistant coach by the Nets, where he would remain until 2022. With Brooklyn, Ott had the opportunity to learn from a Hall of Fame basketball mind in Steve Nash and a culture-builder in Kenny Atkinson. In 2022, he was hired by the Los Angeles Lakers. There, he’s learned what its liking coaching a franchise with championship expectations and arguably the best player in NBA history.
A hard-worker with an eye for scouting, Ott may exceed expectations if hired as head coach.
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