Aug. 26, 2014
ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic have named Bill Peterson as head coach of its D-League team, the Erie BayHawks, Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed.
“We are excited to welcome Bill (Peterson) and his family,” said Hennigan. “Bill’s passion for teaching and development fit seamlessly into our vision of creating a culture of collaboration and synergy between the Orlando Magic and Erie Bayhawks. His wealth of knowledge and experience will help our players fulfill their ultimate basketball potential.”
"When speaking with Bill, it's clear that he’s committed to developing our players and has a strong desire to win," said BayHawks majority owner Steve Demetriou. "We're looking forward to him becoming a part of the Erie community and leading our team as we begin our new affiliation with the Orlando Magic."
Peterson spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks from 2007-13. Before joining the Bucks, he served as associate head coach at Colorado State University for seven seasons (2000-07).
Prior to his stint with CSU, Peterson served as a player development coach and scout for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks (1998-2000), where he worked to develop younger players like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Greg Buckner. He also served as a special assistant with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors to work with Sarunas Marciulionis, one of the first international players to compete in the NBA.
Peterson’s collegiate experience also includes head coaching positions at the University of Alabama-Huntsville (1994-97) and Union (KY) College (1983-87), where the Bulldogs averaged 18 wins per year and made three consecutive postseason tournament appearances. He worked as the assistant head coach at McNeese State from 1987-94 and at Bossier Parish Community College (LA) from 1997-99. Peterson began coaching in 1978-79 as a student assistant at St. Petersburg (FL) Junior College and went on to serve as a graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech, where he coached Hall-of-Famer Karl Malone from 1980-83.
Peterson is a graduate of Eckerd College (FL) and holds a master’s degree in physical education and human relations from Louisiana Tech University. He and his wife, Diane, are the parents of three daughters: Kati (26), Ginny (21) and Hailey, who was called to be with the Lord in the summer of 2000.
The Orlando Magic and the Erie BayHawks have a three-year single affiliation partnership beginning with the 2014-15 NBA D-League season. Orlando became the 16th NBA team to have a one-to-one affiliation with an NBA D-League team. The partnership, also referred to as a “hybrid affiliation,” is the eighth of its kind in the NBA D-League and allows an NBA team to control the NBA D-League team’s basketball operations, while the existing local ownership maintains primary responsibility for the team’s off-the-court business operations and community initiatives.