Clark Atlanta University Athletic Director J Lin Dawson announced Monday that the HBCU was showing tremendous commitment and continued investment in raising the profile of its athletic program by entrusting the reigns of a rising hoops program to former NBA player George Lynch.
Clark Atlanta Univ. on Twitter
12-Year NBA Veteran George Lynch Named Clark Atlanta University Men’s Basketball Head Coach https://t.co/ckQhpt5nio
Lynch takes over the men’s basketball squad for another former pro and NBA coach Darrell Walker, who accepted the head coaching position at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in March. The Panthers qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament the past two seasons under Walker and Lynch played under Walker for two seasons when he was an assistant coach with the Hornets.
One of my goals as a player was to make it to the NBA and after my playing career was done it was to coach, said Lynch. It is an honor to follow up coach [Darrell] Walker and I would like to continue the success and to continue to help these players graduate.
Lynch was a star player at North Carolina-Chapel Hill and helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1993 NCAA National championship. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Draft and went on to play 12 years in the pros from 1993-2005. Lynch is known as a man with great integrity and morals within the basketball community.
George Lynch Hightlight @ Nets
Great former basketball player…Respect for you George!!!
Clark Atlanta will be the launching pad for Lynch’s college coaching journey, after honing his skills as a collegiate assistant, most recently under UNC alum Larry Brown at Southern Methodist University, and as an assistant coach in the G League.
(Walker) said the people, the faculty and the staff was very welcoming, Lynch said. They embraced him with open arms. The community in Atlanta supported him. As a head coach, you really need that. You need the fan base support. You need support from your community.
I am looking forward to getting involved with community service and embracing what Atlanta has to offer,” Lynch said.
Carolina Basketball on Twitter
Congratulations to George Lynch, named today the head coach at Clark Atlanta University. Lynch had double-doubles in the last four games in winning the ’93 NCAA title and was one of UNC’s fiercest competitors and best-ever leaders. https://t.co/lIIZRQVSU0
Lynchs family is scheduled to come down to Atlanta within the next few days. Dawson made it clear that Lynch’s responsibility is to keep winning and elevating CUA’s hoops program. Lynch was chosen out of more than 60 applicants for the position, including seven former NBA players. We were particularly looking for someone who was looking to win championships and to develop our student-athletes as individuals and I believe we found that one, Dawson said.
Discussing the future is great, but Lynch knows the student body won’t be cool with him losing the Clark Atlanta/Morehouse showdowns and that’s his immediate task. Last year Morehouse handed CAU two L’s, including a heartbreaking triple-overtime 97-96 loss.
