ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy Among Coach Candidates Linked to Luka Doncic's Mavs

The Mavs are still in the market to hire an assistant coach to fill the void left behind by Greg St. Jean's departure earlier this offseason.

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks still need to find a replacement for Greg St. Jean, who filled the role of top assistant on head coach Jason Kidd's staff last season. 

The Mavs had been linked to numerous candidates to fill their assistant coaching vacancy, including names like Frank Vogel, James Borrego, Terry Stotts, and Jeff Hornacek. All of those names have taken other jobs aside from Hornacek. 

According to Marc Stein, the Mavs remain interested in hiring Hornacek. He most recently served as an assistant with the Houston Rockets from 2020 until 2022 after he was fired as the head coach of the New York Knicks in 2018.

"The Mavericks remain interested in former Suns and Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek to potentially join Kidd's staff, league sources say," Stein wrote.

There was another name that emerged based on Stein's report. The Mavs plan to pursue ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, who has not coached since his stint as the Rockets' head coach ended in 2007.

“I’m also told that [the Mavericks] plan to gauge Jeff Van Gundy’s interest in a potential return to the bench as an aide to Kidd after 15-plus years in broadcasting,” Stein wrote.

As a head coach for the Knicks and the Rockets, Van Gundy went 430-318, which included a Finals appearance in the 1998–99 season with New York. Van Gundy's most recent assignment came with Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup — for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. 

Recently, Van Gundy has attempted to get back into NBA coaching. Before the Rockets hired Stephen Silas in 2020, Van Gundy interviewed for the position.

The Mavs seek an experienced assistant coach to sit at the front of the bench. The team has lost their top assistant in three consecutive years. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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