Will KU Jayhawks great Vaughn join Bill Self’s coaching staff? He visited Tuesday
Former Kansas basketball point guard Jacque Vaughn, who coached the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets after his 12 years as a player in the league, was in Lawrence Tuesday to visit with Jayhawks head coach Bill Self about possibly filling the opening on KU’s coaching staff, The Star has learned.
Vaughn, 50, who played at KU for four seasons (1993-94 through 96-97) and had his jersey No. 11 hung in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters on Dec. 31, 2002, met with Self and visited with staff members about perhaps becoming the replacement for Norm Roberts, who announced his retirement Monday after 14 seasons at KU and 37 total years in the business.
A source close to the KU program told The Star that Vaughn would be a valuable addition to KU because of his vast knowledge of the NBA and NBA style of play. As a former standout point guard in both the pros and college, he also could speed the developmental progress of incoming point guard sensation Darryn Peterson, who is expected to start from day one at KU.
Vaughn is known as one of the good guys around the NBA. His personality has been a hit with colleagues, fans and players alike.
It is believed Self would like to hire Vaughn. Sources say Vaughn currently is considering the possibility of returning to Lawrence and college hoops.
Contacted by The Star, Self would not confirm Vaughn’s visit to KU or comment on the prospects of his becoming KU’s newest assistant coach.
Vaughn was the 27th pick in the 1997 NBA Draft (by Utah). He also played in the NBA for Atlanta, Orlando, New Jersey and San Antonio.
Most recently he was head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. After directing the Nets to a 43-32 record and playoff berth in 2022-23 (the team lost in the first round), he was fired after his squad opened the 2023-24 season with 21-33 record.
Prior to that, he was an assistant with the Nets from the 2016-17 season through 2022-23. He was interim head coach for 10 games in 2019-20, leading the team to a 7-3 mark and spot in the playoffs, where Brooklyn lost in the first round.
He previously was head coach of the Orlando Magic for three seasons (2012-13 through 2014-15). Orlando, which was in rebuild mode at the time, had records of 20-62, 23-59 and 15-37 — he was replaced after 52 games in his final season.
Vaughn began his coaching career after retiring as a player in San Antonio. He worked on Gregg Popovich’s Spurs coaching staff in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
“I always tell people after he retires, he could be governor of California or Kansas,” his college coach, former KU and North Carolina coach Roy Williams, has said of Vaughn.
“He’s that kind of youngster. He is one of the most disciplined young men I’ve coached. He’s the best I’ve ever had in being a coach on the floor. The best I’ve had in being concerned with how his teammates were doing. He’s truly one of the great players to play at Kansas.”
In another interview, Williams said: “I told him he could be a great coach but he could also be the governor of California. He was a great leader (at KU) and so intelligent and great at getting guys to make decisions as a group when he made them think what’s best for them.
“Jacque was in charge,” Williams added. “He knew where everybody should be and what they should be doing. If the big guys ran the floor with him, he would reward them by getting them the ball more to make sure they did it more.”
Of Vaughn, Nets general manager Sean Marks said in 2022: “Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group. He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball. When we look at the person he is, we look at his connection with players … His competitive spirit, a lot of that goes a long way.”
“JV is a great coach,” Nets guard Joe Harris said in 2022. “Having played in the NBA for a while, been a coach in the league for a while, having experience as a head coach, having a lot of experience now as an assistant, he’s seen a lot, had a lot of different experiences, he’s kind of fine-tuned what his approach is.
“He really just simplifies the game. He makes sure that everybody is fully aware of what’s going on. He’s the type of coach we go through a scout, there’s going to be a lot of transparency and dialogue. It’s not just him speaking hoping everybody understands. It’s a collective thing where he makes sure that everybody fully is aware of what’s going on and understanding what’s happening.”
The Nets fired Vaughn last year just months after they’d signed him to a four-year contract extension. His settlement paid him between $16 millions and $20 million through 2026-27.
At the time he was let go, KU coach Self said: “I know everybody is disappointed today because Jacque got let go in a next-to-impossible situation (injuries and trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving). We all love Jacque. I am not in Brooklyn. I don’t know what happened firsthand or anything like that. We want what’s best. I hope he had a good contract, so that way he’ll be fine regardless, which I’m sure he did.
“I think those guys (NBA coaches) understand that there’s two types of coaches — and it’s that way for the most part in college too — but there’s the ones that have been fired and the ones that haven’t been fired yet. I think most of those guys in the NBA probably understand that.”
Vaughn was a McDonald’s All-American at Muir High School in Pasadena California. He’d go on to help lead the Jayhawks to three conference regular-season titles, one league-tourney title, three Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight.
“Congrats to my university, all-time wins, a testament to a standard that’s been created and maintained, a testament to longevity,” Vaughn said in 2022 in a Twitter video when KU passed Kentucky on the all-time NCAA victories list. “A testament to the many people who have helped this program. Congrats, all-time wins.”
Of his coaching philosophy, Vaughn said in July 2020: ““As a coach, you’re always trying to galvanize a group and prepare them to win basketball games. That will be the objective in the eyes of the coaching staff. So I have to be totally-in in all aspects. That is coaching them to make them better, coaching them to win basketball games, but at the same time, I will consistently be concerned about their thought process, their mental health (and) their growth as human beings as we go into this situation together.”
As a player at KU, Vaughn was a two-time all-conference pick and Big Eight player of the year in 1996. He was the 1997 GTE Academic All-American of the year.
Of his jersey retirement, Vaughn said: “I never thought it’d be there (in rafters). I always appreciated the names up there who came before me and laid a foundation. I always appreciate what history is. It’s amazing I can be a part of that. It’s tough to describe what this means to me. The fans here have always been unbelievable. I love them and this university so much.”
Vaughn became a fan favorite in Lawrence immediately, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to beat Indiana during the 1993-94 season, his first with KU.
Vaughn and his wife, Laura, have two children, Jalen and Jeremiah.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Will KU Jayhawks great Vaughn join Bill Self’s coaching staff? He visited Tuesday."
