 Sichting in 2013 asWashington Wizards assistant coach | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1956-11-29)November 29, 1956 (age 68) Martinsville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 168 lb (76 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Martinsville (Martinsville, Indiana) |
| College | Purdue (1975–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979: 4th round, 82nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Golden State Warriors |
| Playing career | 1980–1990 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 14, 12 |
| Coaching career | 1995–2019 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1979-1980 | Maine Lumberjacks |
| 1980–1985 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1985–1988 | Boston Celtics |
| 1988–1989 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1989–1990 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1990 | Milwaukee Bucks |
Coaching | |
| 1995–2005 | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) |
| 2005–2008 | Marquette (assistant) |
| 2008–2010 | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) |
| 2010–2011 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
| 2012–2013 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
| 2013–2015 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2016–2018 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| 2019 | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 4,141 (6.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 817 (1.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,962 (3.3 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Jerry Lee Sichting (born November 29, 1956) is an Americanbasketball coach and retired player of theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Jerry Sichting, the 6-foot-1-inch (185 cm), 175 lb (79 kg)point guard fromMartinsville, Indiana, attended Martinsville High School. In his junior year, he led the Artesians to anIHSAA Sectional title. He had an excellent senior season, leading his school to a 21–2 record and another IHSAA Sectional title;[1] he averaged 21 points, while shooting 53 percent from the field and 83 percent at the line in three seasons. Chosen as a 1975 Indiana All-Star, the team touredEurope andRussia.
He also playedfootball at thequarterback position, leading his team to an undefeated 10–0 season in 1974. He earned a total of 10 letters in basketball, football andbaseball.
On February 14, 2012, Sichting volunteered to be the interim coach for the Martinsville High Schoolvarsity boys' basketball team after head coach Timothy Wolf retired.[2]
After playing basketball atMartinsville High School under head coach Sam Alford, Jerry attendedPurdue University, located inWest Lafayette, Indiana, to play for head coachFred Schaus. In his freshman season, Jerry boasted a 54.5 field goal and 81.6free throw percentage. Playing underLee Rose during hissenior season and alongside All-AmericanJoe Barry Carroll, he helped lead theBoilermakers to aBig Ten Conference title tie with theEarvin Johnson-ledMichigan State team. After losing the spot to be invited to theNCAA tournament, Sichting led the Boilers to anNIT Finals appearance, losing to in-state conference rival,Indiana. Named a First Team All-Big Ten selection his senior year, he currently holds the school career free-throw percentage record with a .867 accuracy. He also left Purdue with the school record for consecutive free throws made with 34, which was broken three decades later byRobbie Hummel's 36.
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Purdue | 27 | 0 | 16.1 | .545 | - | .816 | 1.6 | 2.3 | - | - | 6.1 |
| 1976–77 | Purdue | 28 | 0 | 19.1 | .542 | - | .884 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 7.3 |
| 1977–78 | Purdue | 27 | 27 | 36.1 | .515 | - | .867 | 3.2 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 15.1 |
| 1978–79 | Purdue | 35 | 35 | 34.3 | .507 | - | .873 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 13.6 |
| Career | 117 | 62 | 28.4 | .520 | - | .867 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | |
Sichting was selected in the fourth round of the1979 NBA draft by theGolden State Warriors, although he did not play a game for the Warriors; after being waived, he spent time as a member of theCBA'sMaine Lumberjacks. He was signed for the1980–81 NBA season by theIndiana Pacers, after completing their free-agent training camp; he spent five seasons with the Pacers. His best season in his career came in1983–84, where he averaged 11.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists a game, while holding a .532 field goal percentage.
After five seasons with the Pacers, Sichting was traded to theBoston Celtics to start the1985–86 season. Sichting and fellowIndiana nativeLarry Bird were the only two Celtics players that season to play in all 82 games. Sichting became a role player off the bench for the Celtics'1986 NBA championship team. He is known for being involved in a fight withHouston Rockets centerRalph Sampson during Game 5 of the1986 NBA Finals, resulting in Sampson's ejection.
Sichting played on thePortland Trail Blazers during the1988–89 season and then was traded to theCharlotte Hornets for his last full season. He retired in 1990 after playing one game with theMilwaukee Bucks.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Indiana | 47 | - | 9.6 | .358 | .000 | .781 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 1981–82 | Indiana | 51 | 0 | 15.7 | .469 | .111 | .763 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.2 |
| 1982–83 | Indiana | 78 | 58 | 31.2 | .478 | .167 | .860 | 2.0 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 9.3 |
| 1983–84 | Indiana | 80 | 80 | 31.2 | .532 | .300 | .867 | 2.1 | 5.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 11.5 |
| 1984–85 | Indiana | 70 | 25 | 25.8 | .521 | .243 | .875 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 11.0 |
| 1985–86† | Boston | 82 | 7 | 19.5 | .570 | .375 | .924 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 6.5 |
| 1986–87 | Boston | 78 | 15 | 20.1 | .508 | .269 | .881 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 5.7 |
| 1987–88 | Boston | 24 | 1 | 15.4 | .537 | .250 | .667 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| 1987–88 | Portland | 28 | 0 | 11.6 | .544 | .571 | .818 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| 1988–89 | Portland | 25 | 1 | 15.6 | .442 | .250 | .875 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| 1989–90 | Charlotte | 34 | 8 | 13.8 | .420 | .250 | .833 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 3.5 |
| 1989–90 | Milwaukee | 1 | 0 | 27.0 | .000 | .000 | .750 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 598 | 195 | 21.3 | .507 | .271 | .857 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 6.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Indiana | 1 | - | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1985–86† | Boston | 18 | 0 | 15.2 | .443 | .000 | .429 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| 1986–87 | Boston | 23* | 4 | 14.7 | .427 | .167 | .800 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.4 |
| 1987–88 | Portland | 4 | 0 | 7.8 | .286 | .000 | .000 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| 1988–89 | Portland | 1 | 0 | 11.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 47 | 4 | 13.9 | .418 | .143 | .647 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.0 | |
After Sichting retired, he returned toBoston,Massachusetts, where he ran his Jerry Sichting Basketball Camp for five years and served as a Boston Celtics analyst on radio broadcasts. He also did broadcasts for pregame shows for his alma mater, Purdue University, and various Indiana high school games as well as a fill-in forBobby Leonard on the Pacers' television broadcasts alongsideJerry Baker.
In 1995, Sichting became theMinnesota Timberwolves' director of scouting and development. During that year he also became an assistant on the Wolves' bench, a position he held until the2004–05 season. He returned to Minnesota as an assistant once again under head coach and former Celtics teammateKevin McHale for the2008–09 and2009–10 seasons.
Jerry Sichting served as an assistant coach atMarquette University, located inMilwaukee,Wisconsin. For the three seasons he assisted under head coachTom Crean, where he helped theGolden Eagles to three consecutiveNCAA tournament appearances.
On September 27, 2010, Sichting was hired by theGolden State Warriors as an assistant coach toKeith Smart.
On February 14, 2012, Sichting was hired by the Martinsville High School Artesians as head coach of the boys' varsity team, after their coach abruptly resigned. His record as the Artesians head coach was 4–1, they finished their season with a loss in the IHSAA Sectional.[3][4]
In August 2012, Sichting became an assistant coach with theWashington Wizards.[5]
After a year of being an assistant coach for the Wizards, Sichting decided to be an assistant coach for thePhoenix Suns under their newest head coach,Jeff Hornacek.[6] He was also joined under the job by Mike Longabardi,Kenny Gattison, andMark West during their first two seasons.
After waiting for close to nine months since being fired from the Suns midway through the2015–16 season, Sichting would reunite with coachJeff Hornacek on his new coaching staff with theNew York Knicks, which includes former Knicks head coachKurt Rambis,Corey Gaines (another assistant coach from the Suns he used to work with),Howard Eisley, andJoshua Longstaff.
On January 18, 2019, the Timberwolves hired Sichting as their assistant coach.[7]
Sichting is a member of the Beta Mu chapter of theBeta Theta Pi fraternity atPurdue University.[8]
Everyone in Sichting's family has a name starting with the letter J, including Jerry himself, his wife Joni, his three sons Jared, Jason and Jordan and his daughter Jenna. His son Jared was awalk-on on theMarquette University basketball team that reached theFinal Four in 2003.[9]