Hornacek thought otherwise, and eventually coaches not only accepted it, they asked him how he did it and began teaching it to others. Jeff attended Lyons Township High School instead, and earned all-conference, all-suburban and all-state honors with a sure shot that came off sideways instead of the traditional end-over-end rotation. Not only did Mr. Hornacek make the team, he became a starter. There were plenty of years spent developing muscle memory to pop off shots. ISU gave him a scholarship when several teammates flunked out of school. "Tell you the truth," said What did Jeff Hornacek average? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Ryan has already polished off an order of nachos and is now lobbing a little green and gray ball toward a plastic basketball standard. guard for 14 seasons, mostly with the Suns and the Utah Jazz. In the past few years, Hornacek didn't run a step or pick up a ball in the off-season; he had to save the few remaining miles left on his knee for the basketball season. Do you have a blog? He found out in a phone call from a friend in Chicago who asked if he was all right. Ryan circles behind the snack table and launches a left-handed jump shot the length of the room. He wore white Converses, high white socks and brown hair over his ears. Its pretty difficult to predetermine how you are going to play until you know what kind of talent you have, dont you think? he said. Originally reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, Hornacek and fellow assistant Will Weaver will not be on head coach Stephen Silass staff next season with the Rockets. They should call it Romper Room. His path blocked near the basket, he veers toward the foul line and hooks a high shot over three Chicago players. "I know the way it ended, he was upset," Johnny says. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He proved to be the perfect complementary piece to the long-running show of Stockton-to-Karl Malone. Now it takes too much time. Do you have a sports website? She was a sports enthusiast and played volleyball for the school team. We present them here for purely educational purposes. In July, the Deseret News reported that four assistant coaches under former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder would remain part of new head coach Will Hardys staff but that Hardy may look externally for a lead assistant. As a player, he was an earth-bound oddity, an Oldsmobile in a field of Ferraris. The Utah Jazz will surely miss guard Jeff Hornaceks offensive repertoire. A Jazz official says Hornaceks phone call is typical. What comes first, the chicken or the egg, the system or the talent?. Notes: Hornacek hails from the second ring of Lyons Township in LaGrange, Illinois, Draft: But I thought ten in a row was the record Dumars or Brian Shaw.. It was 35 years ago. Johnny answered once after a few rings and it was a college coach who asked to speak with Jeff. But Hornacek can create plays on his own if the occasion demands it. I dont like naps, he says. He retired in 2000, only to return to the Jazz as a part-time shooting instructor to assist Andrei Kirilenko, who was struggling with his confidence, heading into the 2007 playoffs. We present them here for purely educational purposes. His coaches didn't fix his shot; his wife did. No one was ever quite certain how Hornacek did much of what he did. Jeff Hornacek made at least $25,962,400 playing professional basketball. He showers quickly and slips into a white thermal jersey, denim jeans, and jacket. Jeff Hornacek won 0 championships. What schools did Jeff Hornacek attend? Jeff Hornacek attended Lyons Township in LaGrange, Illinois and Iowa State. What are Jeff Hornacek's nicknames? Horny, Scarecrow, The Paperboy are nicknames for Jeff Hornacek. The first time Hornacek faced Ralph Sampson, the 7-foot-4 sensation, he took the ball right at him twice and flipped the ball into the basket over Sampson's outstretched arms. We had the right personnel for it, especially a good passing center in Neal Walk and a really smart, physical power forward in Paul Silas, Colangelo said. People do recognize him all the time, of course. Chiesa shouted the code for double teaming the ballhandler. "Jeff must have said something right.". Hornacek, pictured in the 1988-89 season, was an N.B.A. The Hornaceks' father John happened to be a coach and dean of students at St. Joseph. Shooting Guard and Point Guard When Stacy and Jeff were dating in college, two months went by before she found out he was a basketball player. Join our linker program. Hornacek, 53, grew up and played high school basketball in the suburbs of Chicago, Colangelos hometown. I looked at it, studied him every day and then asked him how he did it.". Hornacek says Stacy had the biggest influence on his shot. It came down to me and another guy for the last scholarship, Hornacek says. But there is only so much a father and husband can do from his room in the Marriott. . Although not recruited to play basketball, Mr. Hornacek was determined to play at Iowa State University and made the team as a "walk on". Maybe when the kids grow up. Most people have a cushion where the bones meet in the knee; he has bone on bone. Fitzsimmons had also coached the Suns in their third and fourth years of existence, replacing Colangelo on the bench for the 1970-71 season. He is the son of a coach and the father of three who re-entered NBA circles once his three children were all but raised. American basketball player and coach (born 1963). Michael Jordan thinks Hornacek is one of the best players in the league. He has been a 50 percent shooter ever since. Itll be her turn to do something. "The whole sports world is two blocks long," Chiesa says. In 1988, Colangelo rehired Cotton Fitzsimmons to coach a Suns team that featured Tom Chambers, Kevin Johnson and Eddie Johnson. "Go green! And Smiths. ", Jeff Hornacek guarding Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals. Darts. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network. May 28, 2013: Hired as Head Coach by the Phoenix Suns. Hornacek went to work in a paper cup factory following graduation, but his father, John, a freshman coach at another high school in Chicago, arranged a tryout with Iowa State. The retirement from basketball isn't about the bum knee and the 37 years, either; it's about being a dad. "Jeff gave everything to us. Before a Bulls game in November, Hornacek practiced a running hook shot across the foul lane, a softly arched shot over the reach of imaginary defenders. All we can tell you is that Hornacek is no stranger to the subject. A John Stockton three fell short. Yes, Hornacek had a losing (101-112) record in his two-plus seasons in Phoenix after a 48-34 overachieving start in 2013-14. Since 1992 Mr. Hornacek has played for the Philadelphia 76ers where he is a guard and captain of the team. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. What exactly Hornaceks role will entail is also not clear, although it will mark his third stint with the organization. Jeff Hornacek coached the Phoenix Suns for two and a half seasons before he was fired by the team in February. Four or five hours, says Hornacek. Hornacek is scheduled to come to the Delta Center early to sign autographs. home/away, monthly, etc More Jeff Hornacek Basketball Reference pages. Back when Hornacek was a senior at Lyons Township High School outside Chicago, his future as a basketball player didnt look promising. My birthday is February 15, and my mother always made me the red cake. Earlier this season, he made a similar shot while darting through the lane. It's about a guy who, as every fan knows, says hello to his kids before every free throw 1-2-3 wipes of his right cheek, one each for Tyler, Ryan and Abigale. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Later he hoped only to make enough money so his wife wouldn't have to work and could stay home with the kids. In his final regular season, he ranked first in free-throw accuracy (missing just nine shots all season), third in three-point accuracy and 18th in field goal percentage. It is the longstanding relationship between Colangelo and Hornacek that tangentially connects to Jackson, the Knicks team president, whose coaching search had become a Wheres Waldo? mystery based on his clandestine wanderings while reaching out to a small sampling of candidates. Iowa State provided a stage to establish himself on. The curious part of it is this: It wasn't a fluke. He worked out with the Cyclones that first winter without playing in games, but produced immediately when granted a spot in the rotation as a freshman. The Pac-12 and SEC commissioners will be bringing NIL issues to lawmakers, High school girls golf: 3A region recaps, Richfield, Morgan, Union and Judge Memorial claim region titles, High school boys soccer: 3A/2A second round recap from Wednesdays games, It reportedly wont be long until the Mountain West Conference eliminates divisions, Change may be on the way for the transfer portal and college football recruiting. It wasn't enough that he lacked athleticism; he also got stuck with this bum left knee, which placed major limitations on him. Utah Jazz assistant coach Jeff Hornacek picks up a ball during warmups before the Jazz face the Los Angeles Lakers in NBA basketball played at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, April 1, 2011. He once instructed his kids over the phone, step-by-step, through the preparation of French toast and sausage so they could serve Mom breakfast in bed. North Campus: Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? I knew I could play, he says. Never a Knick before, he comes east with a reputation for shotmaking and resourcefulness during a 14-year NBA career that saw him average 14 points per game. He called. He tried everything to correct his shot, including taping his left thumb to his hand. She thought he must have been confused, but learned the next morning in the doctor's office that her son was likely going to be the next coach of the Knicks. inElmhurst,Illinois Stacy laughs. He grabbed six rebounds and poached a ball but was sent home after six NBA Finals games for the second straight year. he says. Theres some soap opera on TV, but theyre not paying attention to it. "The mistake I made was that I should have fired the father!". Right, Born: If you would have looked at Utah's team and tried to find the perfect fit, you'd have picked Hornacek.". The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We (Jazz players) play those games when we get together, and he beats the snot out of everybody. Hornacek pulls on his socks. Not an interview room entertainer. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Jeff is quiet. Its game day and Hornacek has returned home after practicing and watching film of the Sacramento Kings. Sheldon, also previously reported, comes from the San Antonio Spurs, where he was a video coordinator with Hardy. For as long as Ive known Jeff, hes been more on the quiet side, but a high-character guy, a leader by example who will represent your franchise really well, said Jerry Colangelo, who drafted Hornacek out of Iowa State in 1986 for the Phoenix Suns with the next-to-last pick in the second round. Then he took Colangelos advice, locked himself in a gym and, as Colangelo said, began the process of becoming one of the better N.B.A. "We were shocked, stunned," says Johnny Hornacek, who runs Hornacek's Golf Store in Scottsdale, Ariz. Utah later traded for Hornacek to bring him back west. Hornacek will be a travel and lifestyle host on the network, according to a press release emailed to the Deseret News. During his first SALT LAKE CITY Former Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek is leaving his assistant coaching position with the Houston Rockets. Hornacek of course never expected to be a professional basketball player; he was going to be an accountant and then got sidetracked permanently, it turns out. Do you have a sports website? He leaves him with Janet in the Wives Room and wanders down the corridor to dress for the game. He had a good career, setting a Big Eight career assist record (665) and earning honorable mention on the Associated Press All-American team. Jeffrey John Hornacek It even included a rookie guard named Steve Kerr. us, High School: Bradds, whom also was previously reported to be joining the Jazz, follows Hardy from the Boston Celtics, where the two were on staff last season. It looked like the pinnacle of Hornaceks athletic career might have already been achieved: At age nine, Jeff had gone to the World Series in Atlanta and won the national pitch, hit and catch title. The biggest misconception people have is that its a glamorous life. "He could shoot accurately in a windstorm," Chiesa likes to say. He walked off humbly and managed two more bone-on-bone seasons with a bum left knee before bowing out of the league at 37. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The Jazz requested more of his time, and Hornacek brought his development prescriptions to Phoenix for his first head coaching job. Chiesa remembers the mettle of the man, namely the treatment sessions and extra stretching in the Marriott workout rooms to get his knee loose enough to hoof up and down the hardwood for one more run on the court. So there he goes, off into retirement, one of the most beloved Jazz players of all time, a better fit in Utah than even his popular Hall of Fame teammates; a warmer, naturally gracious person who is so ordinary in many ways that he is extraordinary. . All rights reserved. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. For the Jazz, Hornacek's departure marks the first step in the long-anticipated breakup of the golden oldie Jazz. Hornacek wanted to avoid any suggestion of favoritism. He was a senior in high school then, but no Division I scholarships had come his way. Hornacek, a knee brace on his left leg, was matched up against Chicago swingman Toni Kukoc as Jordan took the measure of Bryon Russell on the left diagonal with under 10 seconds left. But its always for a purpose, not to show off. Chiesa echoes Laydens evaluation of Hornacek: Jeffs like a 60s guy. It is decorated with pictures of each of the children, along with their messages and drawings. All along, of course, there were appeals from within and without the Jazz organization to return for another year, just as there was a year ago when he contemplated retirement. Seven years later, he has adopted Utah and vice versa. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who preaches defense and rebounding above all else, once noted, "He's one of the guys that when he's open from 15 to 18 feet you almost feel like you don't have to go to the basket (to rebound) . Ignored by NBA scouts, Hornacek interviewed with several accounting firms after graduation, but his father called Bob Knight, who called Jerry Colangelo of the Phoenix Suns, and Hornacek was invited to a pre-draft camp. In the interim, Hornacek rolled paper at a paper cup company, and a coaching friend of his father's inquired about Jeff's whereabouts. He has been known to leave a pasta dish in the refrigerator that he prepared before he left town. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. After the departure of Jerry Sloan and Phil Johnson in February 2011, Jeff Hornacek became a full assistant coach with the Utah Jazz. [10] During 2013, Hornacek was considered a head coach candidate for two of his former teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns, as well as the Charlotte Bobcats. To the casual observer, Hornacek was a casual player: always the last one to arrive for games and practices, always the first one to leave. His hair still wet, he hurries off to meet his family. He can't even dunk, for crying out loud. Mr. Hornacek and his wife Stacy have two children and reside in Arizona and New Jersey.