Bombs and champions among former Detroit Pistons who became coaches
Jerry Stackhouse made a bit of news recently when he was relieved of his duties after serving six seasons as the head coach of Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball team. Stackhouse, who averaged 29.8 ppg for the Detroit Pistons during the 2000-'01 season, is hardly the only former Piston to try his hand at coaching. Here’s a quick rundown of the most notable examples.
Former Detroit Pistons who became coaches
Jerry Stackhouse
Stackhouse’s NBA coaching resume is comprised of brief stints as an assistant with both the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies, as well as a season serving as head coach of the Raptors 905, Toronto’s developmental squad, which Stack guided to a D-League championship in 2017. Stack took over the Vanderbilt Commodores in spring of 2019 where he served until he was let go on March 14, 2024. His last season in charge of the Commodores was a poor one, with the team going a brutal 9-23. The school’s overall record during Stackhouse’s five seasons at the helm was just 70-92 and they never reached the NCAA tournament.
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Michael Curry
Michael Curry was seen as the consummate professional during his playing days with the Detroit Pistons, so it should be of little surprise that he would someday get the chance to be their head coach. Curry called the plays for the Pistons for just one season, going 39-43 in a relatively quiet tenure at the helm. What is impressive about Curry's coaching career is how long it has lasted. Most recently, he served as an assistant to Stackhouse at Vanderbilt, but whether he was an assistant or the man in charge, in college or the pros, Curry has been in the coaching game for about fifteen years now.
Lindsey Hunter
One of my all-time favorite players to lace 'em up for the Detroit Pistons is Lindsey Hunter. Perhaps my fandom stems from the fact that the Jackson State alum and I have both lived in Mississippi. Perhaps getting to meet him when I was a teenager and witnessing a glimpse of his characteristic humility (he laughed about a dunk he had missed the night before while signing an autograph for me) is the reason. Chances are, it's both of those things and more, as he was part of the 2004 championship team in the Motor City.
Hunter actually served as the Phoenix Suns interim head coach in 2013. He went 12-29, which was a sterling accomplishment in comparison to his most recent head coaching gig. In three seasons at Mississippi Valley State University, Hunter led the Delta Devils to 7 wins in 81 games before, "stepping down," in March of 2022.