Less than two weeks ago, Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach McMillan told Blazersedge that he was open to the idea of continuing in his role as an Assistant Coach with the United States Men's National Team but that formal talks with Team USA staff that would determine his future had not yet taken place.
Today, USA Basketball announced on its website that Coach McMillan will continue on with Team USA through the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.
They're back! The 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's National Team coaching staff of head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University), and assistants Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University), Mike D'Antoni (New York Knicks) and Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers), a staff that led the American men to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a three year record of 36-1, will return intact to lead the USA Basketball Men's National Team program in 2010-2012.
USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo officially announced today that Basketball Hall of Fame mentor Krzyzewski will return as head coach of the USA Basketball Men's National Team program for 2010-2012, and that Boeheim, D'Antoni and McMillan were returning as USA assistant coaches. The coaching selections were approved by USA Basketball's Board of Directors and are pending final approval by the USOC Board of Directors.
Congratulations to Coach McMillan for this well-deserved honor.
Click through for more information on Nate McMillan from Team USA.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
Nate McMillan
"I'm honored to come back and be a part of our nation's basketball team for a second time," said McMillan. "Mr. Colangelo and Coach K have put together a great coaching staff, and I know those guys are just as hungry as I am to grow the U.S. program and work towards winning the World Championship and another gold medal. Working with USA Basketball has been a terrific experience for me."
In completing his ninth season overall as a NBA head coach and his fourth as the head man for Portland, McMillan has now compiled a 360-363 regular season win-loss record, while advancing teams to the NBA playoffs three times, where he has compiled an 10-12 mark.
McMillan was named head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers on July 7, 2005, after serving as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics for five seasons and compiling a record of 212-183 and a 53.7 winning percentage.
McMillan, 44, led the second youngest team in the NBA to the playoffs with a 54-28 record last season, which ranks as the sixth best mark in franchise history. McMillan's squad recorded a 13 game improvement on the Trail Blazers' 2007-08 season and an amazing 33 game improvement over his inaugural 2005-06 campaign. He became just the second coach in NBA history to improve a team by at least nine or more wins in three consecutive seasons.
McMillan stands as the third-youngest coach ever in NBA history to reach the 300 win mark. McMillan gained his 300th win as a head coach on March 15, 2008, becoming just the 50th coach in NBA history to do so. Currently ranked 11th among active head coaches for wins, no coach recorded more wins than McMillan in eight years of coaching experience or less.
He has been named the NBA's Western Conference Coach of the Month twice, April 2009 and December 2007. McMillan won the April '09 award after leading the Trail Blazers to a 7-1 mark which included victories over the Lakers, Nuggets and Spurs. He was named the recipient in December 2007 after leading the team to a 13-game winning streak and a 13-2 month. The streak was the second best in the NBA that season and the second longest in Trail Blazers history. The team's winning percentage in December was the franchise's third highest, all-time.
Having spent his entire 12-year playing career with Seattle, McMillan was named the Sonics interim head coach on Nov. 27, 2000, after serving as assistant coach to Paul Westphal for the previous two seasons.
McMillan retired from his NBA playing days after the 1997-98 season and left as Seattle's all-time leader in assists (4893) and steals (1544). He now ranks second in both categories and ranks in the Sonics all-time top-10 in eight other statistical columns.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)