Jacque Vaughn is Back

By George Middleton
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The San Antonio Spurs have called upon Jacque Vaughn to take on a player-personnel role, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Vaughn was the head coach for the Orlando Magic last season before being fired midseason.

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The Magic fired Vaughn after a 15-37 start to the season in February.

Vaughn is back on the Spurs after spending his last three playing seasons (2006-09) in San Antonio. Vaughn also helped Coach Gregg Popovich as he was an assistant for the Spurs between 2010-12. His time under Popovich helped him grab the coaching spot in Orlando in 2012.

He also won a championship in 2007 as a player on the Spurs.

Jan 31, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Vaughn will never be known as a star player, but he was always a serviceable backup point guard. His best season in his 11-year career came in 2001-02 with Atlanta. That season he averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 assists.

It was a complete different story when Vaughn was a younger player. He won the McDonald’s All-American MVP in 1993 before heading to Kansas. At Kansas he was the Big-Eight Player of the Year in 1996 and he was a two-time Consensus second team All-American.

Vaughn’s return to the Spurs helps the team in multiple ways. You add a head coach to a team filled with terrific personnel and a figure that knows what it’s like to be on the Spurs. He will help the team chemistry as he was teammates with players like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.

This was a good move by the Spurs that will pay off in the near future. Maybe Vaughn will take over as the head coach when Popovich calls it quits.

Next: Power Ranking the Spurs Roster: No. 13, Jimmer Fredette

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