Indiana Pacers assistant coach Jim Boylen has been named the USA Basketball Coach of the Year for 2023.
Boylen guided a constantly-changing roster through the FIBA World Cup qualifying games and led the team to a 9-3 record. He also worked on the staff of the World Cup team itself, and that roster featured Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. Boylen had his fingerprints all over Team USA's fourth-place finish in the 2023 World Cup.
"Coach Boylen had the huge task of leading USA Basketball in all six windows of 2023 Men's World Cup Qualifying and winning nine impressive games to earn a berth into the 2023 FIBA Men's World Cup. It was a tremendous commitment and effort from Jim and all the athletes and assistant coaches. Jim further assisted the 2023 Men's World Cup preparations by coaching the USA Select Team. USA Basketball is thrilled to recognize Coach Boylen with this award," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a statement.
Boylen was a consultant for the Pacers in 2022-23 and formally joined Indiana's staff as an assistant this season. Head coach Rick Carlisle was very excited about adding Boylen to the staff in the summer.
On Wednesday, Carlisle took a moment after practice to praise his assistant for the honor he received from Team USA. "I just want to recognize Jim Boylen for being USA Basketball Coach of the Year, which is very significant," he said. Carlisle was impressed with Boylen's coaching of the World Cup qualifying teams, which at times featured former Pacers guard Langston Galloway. "Congratulations to him."
Boylen has been an assistant coach for six different NBA franchises and was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 2018-2020. His resume in coaching dates back to the 1980s, and he has three NBA Championship rings as an assistant (two with Houston, one with San Antonio).
"Well, very beneficial. Headed into the summer, Jim was a resource for Tyrese to talk about FIBA," Carlisle said of Boylen's value to the Pacers. "He's terrific. He's been terrific for us. He's been committed to this city."
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