Matt Guokas
Matthew George Guokas Jr. (/ΛΙ‘uΛkΙs/; born February 25, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. His father, Matt Sr. and uncle, Al, have also played in the NBA.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | February 25, 1944
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Saint Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
College | Saint Joseph's (1964β1966) |
NBA draft | 1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall |
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers | |
Playing career | 1966β1976 |
Position | Shooting guard / Small forward |
Number | 14, 24, 11, 4, 10 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1966β1970 | Philadelphia 76ers |
1970β1971 | Chicago Bulls |
1971β1973 | Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha Kings |
1973β1974 | Houston Rockets |
1974 | Buffalo Braves |
1974β1975 | Chicago Bulls |
1975β1976 | Kansas City Kings |
As coach: | |
1982β1985 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
1985β1988 | Philadelphia 76ers |
1989β1993 | Orlando Magic |
Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As assistant coach:
| |
Career statistics | |
Points | 4,285 (5.8 ppg) |
Rebounds | 1,446 (2.0 rpg) |
Assists | 2,174 (3.0 apg) |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Guokas and his father, Matt Sr., were the first father-son duo to both win NBA championships as players; this feat has since been repeated by the Barrys (Rick and Brent), the Waltons (Bill and Luke) and the Thompsons (Mychal and Klay).
Biography
Playing career
Guokas played college basketball for hometown Saint Joseph's University, where he set many school records in assists and steals. He was an All-American as a junior in 1966, and graduated in 1967.[1] After SJU, Guokas was selected in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers team and played for the team featuring Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham that ended the eight-year championship streak of the Boston Celtics. He also played with the Buffalo Braves, Chicago Bulls, Cincinnati Royals, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City Kings, all of the NBA. In the 1972β73 season, Guokas finished second (to Chamberlain) in the NBA in field goal percentage with a .570 clip during that season.
Coaching and broadcasting
Guokas later returned to the Sixers as an assistant coach under Billy Cunningham, and was named head coach when Cunningham retired in 1985. He led the Sixers to two second-place finishes, but was fired after a slow start to the 1987β88 season.
After a year away from the game, he served as the first coach of the Orlando Magic, steering the team through its first four years, the last of which saw the Magic come within one game of making the playoffs in Shaquille O'Neal's rookie year. He compiled a combined 230β305 career record in parts of seven seasons.
He formerly worked as a TV color commentator and sports analyst for the Magic on Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports cable channels, teaming with veteran NBA and college sportscaster David Steele. He also served as a color commentator for NBA on NBC broadcasts during the 1990s and was a color commentator for the Cleveland Cavaliers for Fox Sports Ohio cable channel for a number of years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Head coaching record
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | WβL % | Winβloss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PWβL % | Playoff winβloss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | WβL% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PWβL% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia | 1985β86 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 2nd in Atlantic | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
Philadelphia | 1986β87 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 2nd in Atlantic | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First Round |
Philadelphia | 1987β88 | 43 | 20 | 23 | .465 | (fired) | β | β | β | β | β |
Orlando | 1989β90 | 82 | 18 | 64 | .220 | 7th in Central | β | β | β | β | Missed playoffs |
Orlando | 1990β91 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 4th in Midwest | β | β | β | β | Missed playoffs |
Orlando | 1991β92 | 82 | 21 | 61 | .256 | 7th in Atlantic | β | β | β | β | Missed playoffs |
Orlando | 1992β93 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 4th in Atlantic | β | β | β | β | Missed playoffs |
Career | 535 | 230 | 305 | .430 | 17 | 8 | 9 | .471 |
Personal life
Guokas's father (Matt Sr.), uncle (Al) and son (Matt III) have all played for Saint Joseph's University.[2][3]
References
- "Bio: Matt Guokas, Jr". St. Joseph's University. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- McKinney, Jack; Gordon, Robert (2005). Jack McKinney's Tales from Saint Joseph's Hardwood: The Hawk Will Never Die. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 85. ISBN 9781582619293. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- "Saint Joseph's men's basketball 2018β19 media guide" (PDF). sjuhawks.com. p. 91. Retrieved November 24, 2018.