The legendary Cazzie Russell was named the special assistant to the head coach, Mo Smith, in 2019-20.
He came to Flagler after serving as an assistant men's basketball coach at Armstrong State University from 2014-17. Russell was the head coach of the Savannah College of Art and Design’s men’s basketball team for 13 seasons, but remained in the Savannah area after the school discontinued basketball as an intercollegiate sport in 2009.
A member of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the first overall draft pick in NBA history in 1966, an NBA champion with the New York Knicks in 1970 and a 12-year veteran of the NBA, Russell’s contributions to both collegiate and professional basketball are numerous.
Russell played his college ball at the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to three straight Big Ten championships and consecutive trips to the Final Four in 1964 and 1965. He was a two-time consensus All-American and averaged 30.8 points per game during his senior season in 1966 when he was named the College Basketball Player of the Year. His No. 33 hangs in the rafters of Crisler Arena, which is known as "The house that Cazzie Built." . Â
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