Georgia has hired former Hartford assistant John Linehan to the same position.
Linehan had previous stops at Brown, Drexel, and Temple before spending the past two seasons with Hartford.
He will replace former assistant coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who took the head coaching job at Kennesaw State back in mid-April.
Georgia's Tom Crean has hired former Providence star John Linehan as an assistant coach, per release. Linehan was at Hartford last season. Big upside.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 11, 2019
Here’s what Georgia head coach Tom Crean had to say about his newest hire, courtesy of the team’s official website:
“I’m excited about adding John Linehan to this staff,” Crean said. “I simply love his background and his story. He has a solid foundation in coaching and amazing playing experience. He is the all-time NCAA D-I steals leader, was two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and had a long and highly successful professional career overseas. He grew up in the same area as Kobe Bryant, and I heard Kobe say one time that John Linehan was the toughest defender he ever faced.
“The bottom line is, no matter what you’re doing, you’ve got to have people who are making your players better in every facet of their lives on a daily basis, and that’s what I think John’s going to bring to our staff,” Crean added. “He has attacked recruiting and player development and has a defense-first mentality that has made every program he has been a part of better. We feel he will do the same at UGA.”
Linehan also discussed his excitement for the opportunity in Athens:
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Georgia Basketball,” Linehan said. “Tom Crean is a great coach. Being able to work along side him along with Georgia’s incredible staff of Chad Dollar and Joe Scott is an amazing opportunity for me to learn and grow as a coach. Also, the University of Georgia is a big-time school with a great reputation, both for its academics and its athletics. Georgia Basketball has always been very relevant, and I’m excited about the opportunity to help the program grow to even greater heights.”
The Bulldogs should be one of the most improved teams in the SEC next season thanks to the addition of a top 10 recruiting class, which includes one of the nation’s top talents in 5-star small forward Anthony Edwards.
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.