Sean Marks, the general manager, said of Jacque, “His basketball knowledge, competitiveness, and deep knowledge of our club and business make him the undeniably best person to guide our group moving forward.” He has a track record of motivating and holding our players accountable while playing a coherent, team-first brand of basketball.
Since taking over as interim head coach on November 1, Vaughn has guided the squad to a 2-2 record in four contests.
The 2019–20 regular season saw Vaughn, who was in his ninth season with the Nets as an assistant coach, also take on the role of club head coach for a 10-game stretch. He led the Nets through their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors while compiling a 7-3 regular season record. He was the head coach of the Magic for more than two seasons (2012–2015), as well as a pro scout for one season (2015–16) and an assistant coach for two seasons (2010–2012) with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Los Angeles native played in the NBA for 12 years before beginning his coaching career. The Utah Jazz appointed him as the 27th overall choice in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft. Vaughn had 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per game and averaged 4.5 points during 776 career points with the Jazz (1997-2001), Hawks (2001-02, 2003-04), Magic (2002-03), Nets (2004-06), and Spurs (2006-09). In his 12 NBA seasons, he played in nine postseason games and was a part of the Spurs, who won the title in 2007.
On and off the court, Vaughn is among the most accomplished players in the illustrious history of Kansas basketball. He graduated from Lawrence as the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year, a two-time Academic All-American, and a consensus second-team All-American twice. The Jayhawks retired Vaughn’s No. 11 jersey in 2002.