Former UCSB basketball star Conner Henry has been named the head coach of the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian professional National Basketball League.
Henry played at UCSB from 1982 to 1988. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard scored 1,236 points in his career.
He was selected by the Houston Rockets in the fourth round of 1986 NBA Draft and played in the league for three years with the Rockets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings. He had a 10-year playing career in Europe
Henry previously coached in Australia with the Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings. At Perth in 2006, he served as an assistant for Scott Fisher, his teammate at UCSB, and became head coach in the 2008-09 season after Fisher left.
Henry joined the Sydney Kings as an assistant in 2010 before returning to the U.S. to coach in the NBA Development League.
“I am thrilled to be at the Adelaide 36ers and the opportunity to be at a club with a proud history of accomplishment, fantastic players and coaches and the passionate fans which drew me to the club,” Henry said on a team’s website.
“There is a talented group of core players to build on and I am looking forward to creating a positive work environment. My philosophy is around positivity and I am excited to come to Adelaide and get started,” Henry said.
Henry’s recent coaching jobs had been in the NBA as an assistant with Orlando Magic and in the NBA Development League (now the G-League) as an assistant with the Los Angeles D-Fenders and head coach of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, where he was honored as league’s Coach of the Year.
Adelaide 36ers Chairman and Owner, Grant Kelley, said he was impressed with Henry’s outstanding career and growth in professional basketball.
“Conner’s passion, dedication, positivity and drive to succeed has made him the perfect fit for where we are wanting to drive the club,” Kelley said.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.