Chris Jent
Added to Men's Basketball Staff
Former Buckeye player leaves post as
Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Chris Jent is returning to his alma
mater as an assistant men’s basketball coach, Thad Matta, head
coach of the Buckeyes, announced Wednesday. Jent fills the spot
previously held by Brandon Miller, who recently resigned to spend more
time with his family.
Jent left the Cleveland Cavaliers where he was most recently an
assistant coach after first joining the organization as the director of
player development in November of 2006. He was promoted to assistant
coach in 2009.
As a member of the Cavaliers coaching staff, Jent was instrumental in
the Cavaliers success. In 2008-09, the Cavaliers notched a franchise
and NBA-best 66 wins as Cleveland finished the regular season as the
league’s best defensive team, allowing an NBA-low 91.4 points per
game.
The team also continued its postseason success, reaching the Eastern
Conference Finals in 2009, becoming the only team in the NBA to reach
at least the Eastern Conference Semifinals from 2005-09. In the 2007
postseason, Cleveland reached the NBA Finals for the first time in
franchise history as they topped the Washington Wizards, New Jersey
Nets and Detroit Pistons to claim the team’s first Eastern
Conference Championship.
Previously, Jent was an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic during
the 2004-05 season before being named Orlando’s interim head
coach for the final 18 games of the season. Prior to his one year stint
with the Magic, he spent the 2003-04 season with the Philadelphia 76ers
as assistant coach/player development.
He spent 10 seasons playing professionally, including two years in the
NBA. He was a member of the 1994 NBA Champion Houston Rockets and also
played for the New York Knicks during the 1996-97 season. Jent played
five seasons in the CBA and also spent time playing overseas in
Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece.
Jent, a native of Sparta, N.J., graduated from Ohio State with a degree
in communication in 2006 after spending the 2005-06 season with the
Buckeyes as a volunteer assistant. He played four seasons (1988-92) at
Ohio State and helped lead the Buckeyes to three-consecutive NCAA
tournaments and back-to-back Big Ten championships. He played in 123
games and scored 1,007 career points, which included 112 made 3-point
field goals. His career 3-point shooting percentage (.382/112-293)
ranks No. 8 all-time in Ohio State history.
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