Phoenix to Announce Gaines as New Head Coach
USA Today
Oscar Dixon
11/07/07
Corey Gaines will be introduced Wednesday as the new coach of the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury.
The team has scheduled a press conference to announce the replacement for Paul Westhead, now an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Gaines is not new to Mercury fans or Phoenix's uptempo style. He was an assistant for two seasons on Westhead's Mercury staff and played for him with the Denver Nuggets and at Loyola Marymount.
"This is the progression of coach Westhead leaving and keeping the same system and kind of the same philosophy," said Mercury All-Star Diana Taurasi.
"He played for him at LMU and at Denver, so he is very familiar with what coach did the last two years. His greatest strength is we relate well to him, we already know him and he knows the personnel that we have and that we need to be successful.
"I definitely think it was a great choice by (general manager) Ann (Myers Drysdale) and all the Phoenix organization."
Gaines, 43, also served as a Westhead assistant with the Long Beach Jam of the ABA and eventually became the Jam's head coach in 2005.
The 6-3 Gaines averaged 17.4 points his senior season at Loyola Marymount while playing with Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers after transferring from UCLA. Gaines was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics and played with the Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.
USA Today
Oscar Dixon
11/07/07
Corey Gaines will be introduced Wednesday as the new coach of the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury.
The team has scheduled a press conference to announce the replacement for Paul Westhead, now an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Gaines is not new to Mercury fans or Phoenix's uptempo style. He was an assistant for two seasons on Westhead's Mercury staff and played for him with the Denver Nuggets and at Loyola Marymount.
"This is the progression of coach Westhead leaving and keeping the same system and kind of the same philosophy," said Mercury All-Star Diana Taurasi.
"He played for him at LMU and at Denver, so he is very familiar with what coach did the last two years. His greatest strength is we relate well to him, we already know him and he knows the personnel that we have and that we need to be successful.
"I definitely think it was a great choice by (general manager) Ann (Myers Drysdale) and all the Phoenix organization."
Gaines, 43, also served as a Westhead assistant with the Long Beach Jam of the ABA and eventually became the Jam's head coach in 2005.
The 6-3 Gaines averaged 17.4 points his senior season at Loyola Marymount while playing with Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers after transferring from UCLA. Gaines was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics and played with the Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.
