Rockets Announce Additions to Coaching Staff

Posted: November 30, 2020 -- 4:45 p.m. CT

Monday afternoon, the Houston Rockets announced John Lucas, Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop [sa-GAH-na JOP] will join head coach Stephen Silas’ staff as assistant coaches.

Lucas, who was the first overall pick by Houston in the 1976 NBA Draft, re-joined the Rockets organization as their Director of Player Development prior to the 2016-17 season. He was head coach of San Antonio and Philadelphia for stretches during the 1990's and for Cleveland in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Lucas is widely respected throughout the sports community for his ability as a mentor and has helped numerous athletes develop professionally and personally.

Hornacek was a key member of the Utah Jazz during the mid-to-late 1990’s and for his career, shot 49.6% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range, and 87.7% from the foul line. He joined the Jazz as a shooting coach in 2007 and became an assistant coach in 2010-11. Hornacek was head coach of Phoenix for two and a half seasons from 2013-16 and for two seasons with New York from 2016-18. Rockets forward P.J. Tucker played for Hornacek during his time with the Suns.

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Weaver joins the Rockets after guiding the Sydney Kings of the NBL in Australia to the best record in the league and the championship game in his first season as head coach. In 2018-19, he was named NBA G League Coach of the Year after leading the Long Island Nets to the championship game. Weaver began his NBA career as the video coordinator for Philadelphia in 2013-14 before transitioning to the role of special assistant to the head coach for two seasons, followed by two seasons in that capacity for Brooklyn.

Higgins spent the past two seasons with Orlando as associate coach/player development. Prior to joining the Magic, he was with Charlotte for eight seasons, serving as a basketball operations assistant, video scout and coaching associate/video coordinator. Higgins played collegiately for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His father, Rod, played in the NBA for 13 seasons and is currently the vice president of basketball operations for the Atlanta Hawks.

Diop was the eighth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft and was a starter for Dallas during its run to the Finals in 2006. Following a 12-season career, he joined the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League as a player development coach in 2014-15 before being promoted to assistant coach the following season. Diop spent the past four seasons as a coaching associate on Quin Snyder's staff in Utah.

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