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Former NBA star Damon Stoudamire has been named coach of the Pacific Tigers, the school announced Wednesday. Stoudamire, who replaces Ron Verlin, served as an assistant at Memphis this past season. In a letter to his younger self posted on The Players' Tribune, Stoudamire said he is looking forward to "the opportunity to lead kids, and show them what Lute [Olson, former Arizona coach] showed you. "You'll get to look them in the eye and tell them the truth," Stoudamire wrote. "Tell them that life isn't a movie. Tell them that they're going mess up. Tell them that being a grown man isn't something that happens to you, it's something you work for every day." Stoudamire played in the NBA for four franchises in 13 seasons -- averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds -- before switching to the coaching side. He was the director of player development at Rice then went back to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. Stoudamire then spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Memphis and two seasons at Arizona before returning to Memphis as an assistant coach under Josh Pastner this past season. Verlin, who was suspended by the school in December after an NCAA investigation into allegations of academic misconduct, was told earlier this month that he would not return. ESPN Staff Writer Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello contributed to this report.
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