OSAKA, Japan — Former NBA player and coach Bill Cartwright has been hired as coach of the Osaka Evessa in Japan’s professional basketball league.
Cartwright coached the Chicago Bulls from 2001-03. Osaka announced Tuesday he would guide the team for the rest of the 2013 season.
Osaka is in ninth place in the 10-team Western Conference with a 5-19 record with half a season remaining.
Cartwright becomes the second former NBA coach to be hired by a team in the league. Bob Hill coached the Tokyo Apache in 2010.
Cartwright played for the New York Knicks, Chicago and Seattle SuperSonics over 15 seasons in the NBA. He had a 51-100 record in three seasons as coach of the Bulls.
As a prep star at Elk Grove High School, Cartwright was just as highly regarded as fellow preps Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby.
Cartwright played his college ball at the San Francisco, and was a consensus second team all-American in 1977 and 1979. He graduated as the all-time leading scorer for the Dons, averaging 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Cartwright led San Francisco to three trips to the NCAA tournament, to the first round in the 1977 and to the Sweet Sixteen in both 1978 and 1979.
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By BOB HILL
Associated Press