he San Antonio Spurs today announced that Don Newman has joined the team as an assistant coach. He replaces Mario Elie who was hired by the Golden State Warriors. Per club policy terms of his contract were not announced.
“We’re very fortunate to be able to add such basketball knowledge, experience and energy to our program,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “Don’s commitment to the game will be of great benefit to all of our players.”
Newman joins the Spurs staff with 20 years of coaching experience at a variety of levels ranging from high school to college to the NBA.
After a professional playing career that included stops in the Continental Basketball Association (Montana Golden Nuggets) and the Canadian Football League, Newman received his degree in Physical Education from Idaho in 1987. It was during that time that he got his start in coaching serving as a basketball and football coach at Lewiston and Moscow High School in Idaho. Newman then joined the staff at Washington State where he spent five seasons as an assistant coach while at the same time receiving his master’s in Education.
In 1992 Newman was named the head coach at Sacramento State. In May of 1997, after five seasons with the Hornets, he joined the basketball staff at Arizona State. Five months later he became ASU’s interim head coach, leading the Sun Devils to an 18-14 mark and a trip to the NIT Tournament. He then served as an assistant coach at Oregon for the 1998-99 season before being named an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks in the summer of 1999. After four seasons with the Bucks, Newman joined the New Jersey Nets as an assistant coach on August 5, 2003.
A multisport athlete while growing up, Newman was the final cut in the Boston Celtics 1980 training camp and was also in camp with both the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets.