Theus to Become Kings Coach

Jun 20, 01:10 AM

Current Headlines: SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ At least the Kings provided a surprise finish to the longest of coaching races.

Nearly two months to the day they fired former coach Eric Musselman and after five other teams had filled vacancies, the Kings named Reggie Theus as their new head coach Tuesday evening.

The former New Mexico State coach and former Kings star during the mid-80s was shocked by the announcement, having been given no indication that he was leading the finalists pack that included Kings assistant Scott Brooks and Lakers assistant Brian Shaw.

Reached at a Home Depot in Las Cruces, N.M., the man known not only for his 13-year playing career and three All-Star appearances but for his flamboyant persona praised Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie for showing faith in him. Theus _ who came West with the Kansas City Kings to play in Sacramento from 1985 to 1988 _ confirmed that his contract is for three years and approximately $6 million.

"We had a conversation (Monday) on the phone," Theus said. "As time went on, I think he became more comfortable with me and understanding what I do bring to the table and who I am as a person.

"I've seen my name under the lights of being high profile and all that, but I'm a nuts and bolts guy when you get to know me," Theus said. "I'm just happy that he made the decision."

The "nuts and bolts guy" was, fittingly, buying lights for his new home in New Mexico when reached. By Wednesday afternoon, his introduction at Arco Arena will make his impressive ascension through the coaching ranks official.

Theus _ whose Hollywood career included a starring role in the show "Hang Time" _ spent the past two seasons winning over all of Las Cruces. In Theus' first season, the Aggies went 16-14 and matched the fifth best turnaround in Division I men's college basketball history. New Mexico State had gone 6-24 the year prior.

Last season, the Aggies went a step further, winning the Western Athletic Conference title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. He previously was an assistant under Rick Pitino at Louisville, and has been an NBA television analyst as well.

His next task will be to find a coaching staff with which to support him, and Theus said he already has an idea of the kind of coach he covets for his lead assistant position.

"The first person I'm going to be looking for is an individual with a lot of head coaching experience, one that's not necessarily interested in being a head coach anymore but has been in the game for 30 years," Theus said. "A Del Harris-type. Definitely a veteran."

In the past few days, the discussion surrounding the Kings' vacant position was pointed to Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who expressed an interest to The Sacramento Bee last week. Petrie said he called Brown "a couple of times" in the past two days but, clearly, opted for another direction.

While the Kings' coaching list was lengthy and filled with inexperienced candidates, Theus was perceived as a handpicked candidate of team co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof. They loved his energy and flair, not to mention the Las Vegas connection as Theus starred from 1976-78 at UNLV.

And for a while, that all seemed irrelevant. Upon firing Musselman, both Petrie and the Maloofs said the hiring would be Petrie's decision to make. The emphasis was placed on his close working relationship with the new coach, a clear indication of how sour the situation had been during Musselman's one-year tenure.

But as the weeks passed _ through the near-signing and quick exodus of now Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy to the Maloof ravings about Brooks after his second interview _ it became clear that the decision would be a mutual one. And with every conversation between Petrie and Theus, they both said, the comfort level rose. Before being told the job was his, Theus last spoke with Petrie late Monday morning, when the Kings executive returned his call.

"I let him know that I would lean on him very hard because I have great faith in his ability to assess talent, to guide me, push me in the right direction," Theus said. "My enthusiasm level and my energy and my passion for the game will take care of itself. With him, I think it's going to help that learning curve be very short."

It wasn't, however, the beginning of their relationship. Before the Kings drafted swingman and former Louisville product Francisco Garcia in 2005, Petrie met with Theus during a Louisville road trip to get the assistant coach's view on the possible draft pick. During Petrie's research for a new coach just two years later, he leaned on Theus' former boss at Louisville _ coach Rick Pitino _ to learn more about the man who is back in Sacramento.

"I had a long conversation with Pitino about the time (Theus) spent there, how he got there," Petrie said. "Rick was very, very positive and complimentary about the job Reggie did there without getting into all the `ra ra' kind of stuff. ... There's a lot of qualities there to like. He's got a lot of confidence, and I think that grows on you. He was somebody that we all felt comfortable with."

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