DALLAS _ The news that Jerry Stackhouse will be the new head coach at Vanderbilt University didn't surprise Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle coached Stackhouse twice in the NBA, first at Detroit and then for five seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.
Stackhouse has been an assistant this season for the Memphis Grizzlies, who played the Mavericks Friday night at American Airlines Center.
"I'm really happy for him. What an amazing opportunity," Carlisle said. "The thing I really admire about Stack is he got into coaching and he's put in the work. He's paid dues."
Stackhouse played from 1995 to 2013, including with the Mavs from 2004-09. He started his coaching career with Toronto in 2015 and was the head coach of the Raptors' G League team from 2016-2018.
"He wanted to go coach the G-League team in Toronto so that he could get experience as a head coach. A lot of guys wouldn't want to do that," Carlisle said. "That showed real humility and respect for the game. I figured that Stack would be an NBA coach at some point. So his decision to go to college is probably a little bit surprising to some. Vanderbilt's an amazing school. He's got an iron will. I'm sure he'll turn it around there."
Vanderbilt fired coach Bryce Drew after going 0-18 in the Southeastern Conference in his third season this year.
"Nobody's more deserving. Just watching the work that he's put in, the ability that he has to teach the game," Grizzles coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "I think Vanderbilt is going to be fortunate for having him. The guys that he's coaching, to be able to develop them the way that he's capable of, I think they did a great job on that hire."
