Marcus John Iavaroni (born September 15, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as an assistant coach for several NBA teams.

Marc Iavaroni
Iavaroni in 2009
Personal information
Born (1956-09-15) September 15, 1956 (age 68)
Jamaica, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolJohn F. Kennedy
(Plainview, New York)
CollegeVirginia (1974–1978)
NBA draft1978: 3rd round, 55th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career1978–1992
PositionPower forward
Number8, 32, 43
Coaching career1992–2013
Career history
As player:
1978–1980Basket Brescia
1981–1982Fulgor Libertas Forlì
19821984Philadelphia 76ers
19841986San Antonio Spurs
19861989Utah Jazz
1989Olimpia Milano
1990–1991Caja de Ronda Málaga
1991–1992Sioux Falls Skyforce
As coach:
1992–1994Bowling Green (assistant)
19971999Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
19992002Miami Heat (assistant)
20022007Phoenix Suns (assistant)
20072009Memphis Grizzlies
2009–2010Toronto Raptors (assistant)
20102013Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points2,328 (4.4 ppg)
Rebounds1,725 (3.2 rpg)
Assists514 (1.0 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Iavaroni was a star player at Plainview, New York's John F. Kennedy High School in the 1970s and a teammate of Seth Greenberg.

Iavaroni, who joined the NBA at age 26 after playing four seasons in Europe, was an important role player as a rookie on the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers championship team, where he started 77 games in the regular season. In the 1983 NBA Finals, Iavaroni averaged 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in a four-game sweep.[1] He later played for the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged career-highs of 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 1985, and the Utah Jazz.[2]

Iavaroni circa 1988

Iavaroni also played professionally in Brescia, Forlì and Málaga before retiring in 1992, playing a total of six seasons in Italy and Spain: four after his college career and two following his NBA career.

His coaching career began as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. Following his playing career, he was also an assistant coach for two seasons at Bowling Green State University from 1992 to 1994.

The first NBA coaching experience for Iavaroni came in 1997, when he was hired as a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant, working mainly with forwards. In 1999, he moved to the front office of the Miami Heat as director of player development. Since 2002, he served as an assistant to Mike D'Antoni at the Phoenix Suns.

On May 30, 2007, Iavaroni was named the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.[3] On January 22, 2009, he was fired by the Grizzlies after an 11–30 start to the 2008–09 season.[4][5]

On June 5, 2009, the Toronto Raptors announced that Iavaroni would become an assistant coach to Jay Triano.[5]

On July 17, 2010, the Los Angeles Clippers announced that Iavaroni would become an assistant coach to newly hired Vinny Del Negro.[6] He remained in that role until 2013.

Head coaching record

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Memphis 2007–08 82 22 60 .268 5th in Southwest Missed Playoffs
Memphis 2008–09 41 11 30 .268 (fired)
Career 123 33 90 .268

References

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  1. ^ 1983 NBA Finals
  2. ^ Mark Iavaroni Per Game
  3. ^ Griz hire Iavaroni as coach Archived October 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Memphis Grizzlies fire coach Marc Iavaroni – ESPN
  5. ^ a b Toronto Raptors hire Marc Iavaroni as assistant to Jay Triano – ESPN
  6. ^ "Clippers add Iavaroni as assistant to del Negro". July 18, 2010.