The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have added Nick Nurse to Dwane Casey’s coaching staff. Nurse joins the Raptors from the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Nurse, 45, coached the Valley Vipers to a 59-41 mark the past two seasons and the 2012-13 NBA D-League championship. Prior to taking the reins in Rio Grande, Nurse coached the Iowa Energy to an overall regular season mark of 124-76 (.620) and the 2010-11 NBA Development League championship. For his accomplishments, Nurse was named the 2010-11 recipient of the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year award.
A three-time NBA Development League All-Star head coach, Nurse led the Energy to back-to-back 37-13 finishes in 2009-10 and 2010-11, setting and then tying the league record for wins in a single season. Nurse led the Energy to two Eastern Conference championships and one Central Division championship.
A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Nurse began his coaching career at the age of 23 when he became the head coach of Grand View College, making him the youngest college basketball coach in the United States. He moved on to an assistant coach position at the University of South Dakota where his teams recorded a 46-14 mark.
Nurse coached in Europe for 11 years starting in 1996, winning nine championships and two Coach of the Year awards while earning six All-Star head coach selections in the British Basketball League. During that time, he also gained coaching experience in Italy, Belgium and the USBL. Additionally, Nurse served as an assistant coach in the 2012 Olympics for the host British National Team.
Nurse holds a career professional coaching record of 459-220 (.676) during the regular season and 76-54 (.585) in the postseason.
