Avery Johnson has made a verbal agreement to coach at the University of Alabama, sources tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Johnson, a longtime NBA coach, was said to be among the possible candidates for the Nuggets’ head coaching job not long ago and could have been a leading candidate for other vacancies this summer.
Johnson has been out of the NBA since the Nets replaced him with assistant P.J. Carlesimo in the middle of the season. Of course, even though things didn’t work out as planned in New Jersey/Brooklyn, Johnson boasts an impressive resume which includes a Coach of the Year award in 2005/06 while with the Mavericks. That year, he led Dallas to a Western Conference Championship before succumbing to the Heat in 2006.
Johnson, who turned 50 last month, has never coached before at the college level. Across parts of seven seasons as an NBA head coach, Johnson led his teams to a combined 254-186 record. While he never guided the Nets to the postseason, his Mavs teams went to the playoffs in each of his four seasons there. Of course, in their quest for a title, simply making the playoffs was not enough.