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Josh King will join the South East Melbourne Phoenix as the franchise's new head coach, sources told ESPN. The American was most recently the head coach of Darüşşafaka in the Turkish Basketball Super League, serving in that role for four months -- at the helm for just a handful of games -- but chose to leave in order to join the Phoenix. The Phoenix began the 2024-25 NBL season 0-5, prompting the firing of head coach Mike Kelly. Sam Mackinnon stepped in as interim head coach for one game -- a 93-84 win over Melbourne United on Sunday afternoon; the team moving to 1-5 on the season -- but is expected to be swiftly replaced by King. Prior to joining Darüşşafaka, King was the head coach of MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the Basketball Bundesliga. He began his coaching career in the college ranks, as an assistant for UMass Lowell, Marshall University, and the University of New Hampshire. The plan is for King to sign a multi-year deal with the Phoenix, sources said, with the expectation that the 39-year-old will be in South East Melbourne beyond just the 2024-25 season.
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