UNI Alum Coaches Team To NBA Finals
You might not have even known Toronto had a pro basketball team. Get ready to hear a lot about the Raptors as Carroll, Iowa's own Nick Nurse has them on the cusp of the sport's top prize.
For Toronto, it was a pretty unconventional hire that has become a really smart one.
His whirlwind coaching resume will make your head spin. After playing for Northern Iowa and working as an assistant coach there, Nurse went from coaching in the British Basketball League and NBA development leagues (including a team called the Iowa Energy--now known as the Wolves) to being an assistant for Toronto, where he was promoted by the Raptors after the rather surprising firing of Dwayne Casey, who already had them on the way up in 2018.
The Raptors have a steep test in their next series, as they take on the Golden State Warriors, shooting for their third consecutive title.
Game 1 will be played in Toronto at 8 p.m. Iowa time this Thursday on KCRG. Let me show a bit of bias here and say, go Raptors!