After spending a relaxing season coaching the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the NBA Development League and riding around in a pickup truck, former Iona coach Jeff Ruland is coming back to the big time.
He's been hired by the Philadelphia 76ers to assist head coach Maurice Cheeks and work with the suddenly improved team's big men, which include former Peekskill standout Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. The official announcement came yesterday from general manager Ed Stefanski.
Ruland is familiar with the position. He was a Sixers assistant under Fred Carter for a season before taking a job at Iona under Tim Welsh in 1995.
He also played for Philadelphia, albeit briefly. Ruland was acquired by the 76ers before the 1986-87 season, but the former All-Star played in just five games because of a knee injury that forced his retirement. A comeback attempt five years later ended after 13 games when he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon.
"I'm very, very excited,"
Ruland said yesterday. "This is a great opportunity for me. It's part of the reason why I did the D-League. Obviously, I'm excited to put the whole debacle at Iona behind me."
Steve Mix and Alton Lister were also interviewed for the opening after the contract of Henry Bibby was not renewed.
"That I am able to add a coach with the experience and credentials of Jeff Ruland to my staff is exciting,"
Cheeks said in a statement. "He'll be an invaluable resource for our players - particularly our big men - and an asset to the organization as a whole."
Ruland, who was interviewed on Aug. 13, has plenty of connections in Philadelphia.
He and Cheeks were teammates for a season. He also played for Sixers assistant Jim Lynam and Sixers scout Gene Shue during an eight-year NBA run.
Ruland plans to relocate to south Jersey and again be close to his three daughters.
He will be going to work right away, as soon as contractual details are finalized.
"I'm going to be doing a lot of different things, but they are going to give me a half-hour each day to work with the big men,"
said Ruland, a rough-and-tumble front-liner who averaged 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds during his playing career, mostly with Washington. "I've known Elton for a long time. He's one of the good guys and he's got a chance to do great things down there."
After contemplating opportunities in television, Ruland took a job in the Developmental League and guided the Thunderbirds to a 22-28 record last season. It wasn't an easy job with the roster constantly being shuffled, but the complimentary use of a pickup was a nice perk.
Ruland had a 139-135 record in nine seasons at Iona, where he starred under the late Jim Valvano. His teams also made three appearances in the NCAA tournament. But the school bought out the final two years of his contract for $1.2 million after the Gaels went 2-28 in 2006-07.
"It worked out,"
Ruland said. "But I'm glad to have that all behind me."
