PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury announced the hiring of Earl Cureton as an assistant coach for the 2012 WNBA season. Cureton joins Head Coach Corey Gaines’ staff along with eighth-year assistant coach Julie Hairgrove.
Cureton is making his third stop in the WNBA after serving as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Sting in 2005-06 and for the Detroit Shock under Bill Lambier in 2009.
Before joining the WNBA, Cureton was an assistant coach alongside Gaines for the Long Beach Jam of the ABA under former Mercury Head Coach Paul Westhead. After Westhead accepted an assistant position with the Orlando Magic, Cureton was named head coach of the Jam and led the team to an ABA championship with Gaines on the sideline.
“Earl is a good friend of mine dating back to our playing days in the NBA,” Gaines said. “He has great basketball knowledge, with a specialty in defense and post play, and became familiar with Coach Westhead’s system while we were in Long Beach. Earl is going to be a great addition to our team this season.”
A 12-year NBA veteran, Cureton was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 58th overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Known as “The Twirl,” the 6-9 forward was a part of two NBA championship teams, the 76ers in 1982-83 and the Houston Rockets in 1993-94. His NBA career also included stints with the Pistons, Bulls, Clippers, Hornets and Raptors.
Since retiring from the Raptors in 1997, Cureton has served as assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Raptors, made stops in the United States Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association and most recently served as an analyst for FOX Sports Detroit.
Cureton played collegiately at Robert Morris for two seasons and then transferred to University of Detroit Mercy where he played under Dick Vitale.
The Mercury opens the 2012 season on the road May 20 against the defending champion Minnesota Lynx at 9:30 a.m. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.
The Mercury makes its home debut on May 26 when it hosts Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks, who own the first overall selection in this year’s draft. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. Flexible ticket packages for the 2012 season are available starting as low as $10 for lower-level seats by calling 602-252-WNBA or visiting phoenixmercury.com.
