Mike Woodson
Encyclopedia
Michael Dean "Mike" Woodson (born March 24, 1958) is a retired American
basketball
player and former head coach of the NBA
's Atlanta Hawks
.
Woodson took over the job from Terry Stotts
prior to the 2004-05 NBA season
. He came to the Hawks after a stint as an assistant coach on the 2003-04
Detroit Pistons
NBA Championship team and was a long-time assistant under Larry Brown
. Woodson was known for getting the most of defensive players, allowing teams coached by him and Brown to limit opponents to just under 42% shooting. Woodson played college basketball at Indiana University
and was a protege of legendary coach Bob Knight. He was the leading scorer on the 1979 Indiana team that won the NIT
championship.
He was selected 12th overall by the New York Knicks
in the 1980 NBA Draft
and played in the league from 1980 until 1991. He spent two years in New York, before being traded to the Kansas City Kings
. He enjoyed great success with the franchise, leading the team with 18.2 points per contest during a 1983 playoff run. He averaged 12.2 points over his career with the Kings (moving with the team to Sacramento
). After success with that franchise, he finished his career by moving between several teams, making contributions in New Jersey
, Los Angeles (with the Clippers
), Houston
, and Cleveland
.
Prior to working with Brown, Woodson was an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks
for three years beginning in 1996. He later took a coaching job in Cleveland before being invited to join Brown's staff.
Woodson and his wife Terri have two daughters, Alexis and Mariah, and both are very talented volleyball players.
Woodson coached the Atlanta Hawks for six seasons. After the Hawks lost their second round playoff series with the Orlando Magic 0-4 in 2010, general manager Rick Sund
announced that the team would not attempt to re-sign Woodson, whose contract expired on May 17, 2010.
On August 29, 2011, the New York Knicks announced that Mike Woodson was hired as an assistant coach under head coach Mike D'Antoni
.
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||13||69||.159|| align="center" |5th in Southeast||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||26||56||.317|| align="center" |5th in Southeast||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||30||52||.366|| align="center" |5th in Southeast||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||37||45||.451|| align="center" |3rd in Southeast||7||3||4||.429
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||47||35||.580|| align="center" |2nd in Southeast||11||4||7||.364
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||53||29||.646|| align="center" |2nd in Southeast||11||4||7||.364
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||492||206||286||.419|| ||29||11||18||.379
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and former head coach of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
.
Woodson took over the job from Terry Stotts
Terry Stotts
Terry Stotts is an American basketball assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. His most recent head coaching job was with the Milwaukee Bucks. Stotts was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks on March 14, 2007...
prior to the 2004-05 NBA season
2004-05 NBA season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals....
. He came to the Hawks after a stint as an assistant coach on the 2003-04
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
NBA Championship team and was a long-time assistant under Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
. Woodson was known for getting the most of defensive players, allowing teams coached by him and Brown to limit opponents to just under 42% shooting. Woodson played college basketball at Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
and was a protege of legendary coach Bob Knight. He was the leading scorer on the 1979 Indiana team that won the NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
championship.
He was selected 12th overall by the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the 1980 NBA Draft
1980 NBA Draft
The 1980 NBA Draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 10, 1980, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
and played in the league from 1980 until 1991. He spent two years in New York, before being traded to the Kansas City Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. He enjoyed great success with the franchise, leading the team with 18.2 points per contest during a 1983 playoff run. He averaged 12.2 points over his career with the Kings (moving with the team to Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
). After success with that franchise, he finished his career by moving between several teams, making contributions in New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Los Angeles (with the Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
), Houston
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
, and Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
.
Prior to working with Brown, Woodson was an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
for three years beginning in 1996. He later took a coaching job in Cleveland before being invited to join Brown's staff.
Woodson and his wife Terri have two daughters, Alexis and Mariah, and both are very talented volleyball players.
Woodson coached the Atlanta Hawks for six seasons. After the Hawks lost their second round playoff series with the Orlando Magic 0-4 in 2010, general manager Rick Sund
Rick Sund
Rick Sund is an NBA executive who is the current GM of the Atlanta Hawks, replacing Billy Knight in 2008.-Managerial career:...
announced that the team would not attempt to re-sign Woodson, whose contract expired on May 17, 2010.
On August 29, 2011, the New York Knicks announced that Mike Woodson was hired as an assistant coach under head coach Mike D'Antoni
Mike D'Antoni
Michael Andrew "Mike" D'Antoni is an Italian-American former basketball player and is currently the head coach of the NBA's New York Knicks. While head coach of the Phoenix Suns, he won NBA Coach of the Year honors for the 2004–05 NBA season after the Suns posted 33 more wins than the previous...
.
Head coaching record
|-| align="left" |ATL
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
| align="left" |
|82||13||69||.159|| align="center" |5th in Southeast||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||26||56||.317|| align="center" |5th in Southeast||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||30||52||.366|| align="center" |5th in Southeast||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||37||45||.451|| align="center" |3rd in Southeast||7||3||4||.429
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||47||35||.580|| align="center" |2nd in Southeast||11||4||7||.364
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
|-
| align="left" |ATL
| align="left" |
|82||53||29||.646|| align="center" |2nd in Southeast||11||4||7||.364
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||492||206||286||.419|| ||29||11||18||.379