Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks

Hawks name Jent as assistant coach (updated)

Interim head coach Chris Jent of the Orlando Magic calls a play in the game against the Seattle SuperSonics on March 18, 2005 at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule/Getty Images)
Interim head coach Chris Jent of the Orlando Magic calls a play in the game against the Seattle SuperSonics on March 18, 2005 at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule/Getty Images)
By Chris Vivlamore
July 7, 2017

The Hawks added Chris Jent as an assistant coach in an announcement on Friday. News of the pending hire was reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.

Jent will join the Hawks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts Friday.

Jent most recently served in a second stint as an assistant coach at Ohio State. He has worked as an assistant coach in the NBA for the 76ers, Magic, Cavaliers and Kings. Jent was the interim head coach for the Magic in 2005. He worked at LeBron James’ shooting coach with the Cavaliers. Jent served as head coach of Bakersfield in the NBA Development League during the 2015-16 season.

“Chris is a great fit with our coaching staff,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement. “Player development is at the core of our basketball program and he has a track record of improving players’ skill level and understanding of the game at every level. His experiences as a coach and former player will add to our group.”

Jent played collegiately at Ohio State. He went on to a playing career overseas and with several CBA teams. Jent made it to the NBA in 1994 and played three regular-season games with the Knicks and Rockets. He played 11 postseason games with the Rockets en route to the NBA championship, giving him the rare distinction of having played more postseason than regular-season games.

The Hawks had not replaced two assistant coaches who have left in the past year. Kenny Atkinson left to be the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets last season, and Neven Spahija was named head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel last month.

About the Author

Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.

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