Dan Majerle

Dan Majerle

Majerle in 2015 as Grand Canyon head coach
Grand Canyon Antelopes
Position Head coach
League Western Athletic Conference
Personal information
Born (1965-09-09) September 9, 1965
Traverse City, Michigan
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school Central (Traverse City, Michigan)
College Central Michigan (1984–1988)
NBA draft 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career 1988–2002
Position Shooting guard / Small forward
Number 9
Coaching career 2008–present
Career history
As player:
1988–1995 Phoenix Suns
1995–1996 Cleveland Cavaliers
1996–2001 Miami Heat
2001–2002 Phoenix Suns
As coach:
2008–2013 Phoenix Suns (assistant)
2013–present Grand Canyon
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 10,925 (11.4 ppg)
Steals 1,194 (1.3 spg)
3PFG 1,360
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Representing  United States
Men's Basketball
1988 Seoul National team
World Championships
1994 Canada National team

Daniel Lewis Majerle (/ˈmɑːrliː/; born September 9, 1965), also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", is a retired American professional basketball player and current coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. He played 14 years in the NBA, primarily with the Phoenix Suns, also with the Miami Heat and, briefly, the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won a bronze medal with the US national team at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and won a gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship.[1]

Biography

Majerle was born in Traverse City, Michigan. He starred for Traverse City High School (now Traverse City Central High School) and Central Michigan University, where he played for four years with averages of 21.8 points and 8.9 rebounds a game.

Due to numerous moves during high school, he somehow managed to slip under the recruiting radar at the time, but definitely had Division 1 skills.

Majerle's grandparents from father's side were Serbian emigrants.[2]

NBA career

Phoenix Suns (1988-1995)

The Phoenix Suns selected Majerle with the 14th pick of the 1988 NBA draft, which the Suns acquired (along with Kevin Johnson) in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Larry Nance. During the draft, he was promptly booed when his name was announced over the public address system. Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons publicly chastised the Suns fans and told them "you'll be sorry you ever booed this young man". In his rookie season Majerle only played in 54 games and started in 5, averaging 8.6 points as a bench player. The Suns would win 55 games and make the playoffs, and Majerle increased his scoring average to 14.3 points a game as Phoenix advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The young Majerle would continue to be used as a backup for the next two seasons, and would become popular for his impressive jumping ability and "thunderous" slam dunk that would lead to his nickname "Thunder Dan". During the 1989–90 season, he would start in 23 games, increasing his scoring average to 11 points a game as the Suns again advanced to the Western Conference Finals where this time they were eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite another successful season for Majerle and the Suns in the 1990–91 season, they would fall in the first round of the playoffs to the Utah Jazz. Majerle had become an effective three-point shooter and defensive specialist, and would be named to the 1990–91 NBA All-Defensive Second team at the conclusion of the season.

The 1992 season would feature more improvement for Majerle, who had become an even more effective three-point shooter and defensive specialist. Despite starting in just 15 of the 82 games he played in, Majerle was selected to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns again made the playoffs, but lost in the conference semifinals to Portland. In the offseason, Phoenix managed to pull off a major step towards an NBA Title, as they acquired superstar forward Charles Barkley in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.

1993: Trip to the Finals

The Suns had improved significantly with the addition of Barkley, while the trade itself which featured the departure of guard Jeff Hornacek meant that Majerle would now serve as the team's starting shooting guard. The result would be a 62 win season for Phoenix, with Barkley winning the Most Valuable Player Award and Majerle finishing second on the team in scoring while being named to his second NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Majerle also finished first in the NBA in three point field goals made and attempted, and scored 18 points in the 1993 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns entered the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, and would defeat the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Seattle SuperSonics to reach the NBA Finals with Majerle averaging 15 points in the playoffs and posting big games such as a 34-point performance in the 5th game against Seattle. In the Finals, the Suns faced the defending champion Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and despite having home court advantage the Suns could not beat the 2-time champions who prevailed in 6 games to win 3 championships in a row. Majerle performed well in the Suns win in game 3, scoring 28 points in the crucial win in Chicago.

Last years in Phoenix

Majerle would again lead the league in three point field goals and attempts in the 1993–94 season, as the Suns won 56 games and made the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion Houston Rockets in a 7-game semifinal series. He would then go on to play for Team USA and win in the World Championships in Canada. He would earn another selection to the All-Star game in the following season, scoring 10 points in the 1995 NBA All-Star Game which was held in Phoenix. Despite this, Majerle started in 46 games, playing small forward often as the team now featured Wesley Person at shooting guard and veteran A.C. Green at forward. The Suns would go on to again lose in the semifinals to Houston in 7 games, with Majerle being traded in the offseason to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1995-1996)

In Cleveland, Majerle was used as a reserve at small forward, starting in 15 of the 82 games behind Chris Mills and averaging 10.6 points a game. The Cavaliers won 47 games before losing to the New York Knicks in a 3-game sweep in the first round, with Majerle increasing his scoring to 16.7 (second on the team) during the series. In the offseason the Cavaliers released Majerle, and he would go on to sign with the Miami Heat.

Miami Heat (1996-2001)

The Heat were an expansion team with a bright future, as they featured all-stars Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, and were coached by Pat Riley. Injuries limited Majerle to 36 games during the 1996–97 season, as the Heat managed to win a franchise best 61 games and the Atlantic Division. During the regular season, on December 7, 1996 against the Chicago Bulls, Majerle made a three-pointer with one second remaining to win the game 83-80 and snap the Bulls' NBA record 44 home game winning streak.[3] In the playoffs, the veteran Majerle was in healthy shape, and the Heat beat the up-and-coming Orlando Magic in the first round before facing the Knicks in a grueling 7 game series in which Majerle scored 18 points in the sixth game. The Heat would eventually fall to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games.

Majerle would again play as the team's backup small forward in the 1997–98 season, averaging 7 points a game as one of the team's main three-point threats, and Miami would post another winning season before losing to New York in the first round of the playoffs. The 1998–99 season would be shortened to 50 games as a result of a league lockout, and with teammate Voshon Lenard hurt for much of the season, Majerle stepped in to start in 48 games. Miami won another Atlantic Division title, but again lost to New York in 5 games in the first round.

The team continued to use Majerle as a starter during the 1999–2000 season, as he started in 69 of 82 games and again averaged 7 points during the season. In the playoffs, Miami defeated the Detroit Pistons in the first round before facing the Knicks in another 7 game series in which New York again prevailed. Majerle averaged 9 points in the playoffs and led the team with 20 three point field goals. In the 2000 offseason it was revealed that Alonzo Mourning would not play as a result of a kidney disease, and the 2000–01 season would feature new acquisitions such as Eddie Jones and Anthony Mason, and Majerle would serve as a reserve. The Heat would lose in the first round of the playoffs in a sweep to the Charlotte Hornets, and in the offseason Majerle would sign a deal returning to his original team in Phoenix.

Return to Phoenix (2001-2002)

In his return to the Suns Majerle received much praise and applause from the hometown Suns fans, playing in 65 games and leading the team in three point field goals made with 79. His NBA career finished on April 17, 2002 when he officially retired as a member of his original team.

Post-NBA career

Majerle was inducted into the Suns' "Ring of Honor" on March 9, 2003.[4]

In 2006, he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. In 2003, Majerle made his broadcasting debut covering the 2003 NBA Playoffs for TNT and later became an analyst for ESPN.

Coaching

Phoenix Suns

Majerle was an assistant head coach for the Phoenix Suns from 2008–2013.

Grand Canyon University

On March 15, 2013, it was announced that Majerle would coach for Grand Canyon University in their first season as a Division I team.[5]

On December 23, 2015, Majerle coached the Grand Canyon University men's basketball team to their first ever tournament victory as a Division 1 team when they won the 2015 Global Sports Classic championship.[6]

Personal life

Coaching record

College

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Grand Canyon (Western Athletic Conference) (2013–present)
2013–14 Grand Canyon 15–15 10–6 3rd CIT First Round
2014–15 Grand Canyon 17–15 8–6 T–2nd CIT First Round
2015–16 Grand Canyon 27–7 11–3 T–2nd CIT Quarterfinal
Grand Canyon: 59–37 (.615) 29–15 (.659)
Total: 59–37 (.615)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1994 USA Basketball
  2. ↑ The best North American athletes of Serbian origin
  3. ↑ Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls, December 7, 1996 - Official Play-by-Play
  4. ↑ http://www.nba.com/coachfile/dan_majerle/
  5. ↑ "DAN MAJERLE NAMED GCU MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH". gcu.edu. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.gculopes.com/news/2015/12/23/MBB_1223150600.aspx
  7. ↑ http://www.majerles.com/
  8. ↑ Ryan Majerle Biography - University of Toledo Rockets Athletics Official Site - UTRockets.com

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dan Majerle.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.