Scotto: Mfon Udofia, former Nigerian national team coach, to coach Long Island Nets

Mfon Udofia, who has experience both coaching the Nigerian national team and several G League squads, will be the new head coach on the Long Island Nets, Mike Scotto of Hoopshype reports.

Udofia, a Georgia native, played college ball at Georgia Tech and has had assistant coaching gigs with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks G League affiliate, and the Delaware 87ers (now the Blue Coats), the 76ers affiliate. In 2021, he also was elevated to the interim head coach of the Nigerian national team, where he had also been an assistant to Mike Brown, now coach of the Sacramento Kings. Brown, then an assistant with the Warriors, had a conflict with his NBA duties and needed someone to handle the Nigerian team.

“No matter what you asked him to do, he took it extremely seriously, and any and every job that was thrown his way, he got it done,” Brown told the Atlanta Journal Constitution for a profile of Udofia in February 2021. “He did some scouting for us, led some film sessions, so he was really impressive.”

The Long Island job has led to a number of NBA gigs. Ronald Nored, the first Long Island head coach, is currently an assistant with the Hawks after serving in a similar position with the Hornets and Pacers, Three former Long Island head coaches, Will Weaver, Adam Caporn and Ronnie Burrell, are all now assistants with the Brooklyn Nets, with Caporn the new director of player development in Brooklyn. Weaver has also been head coach of the Sydney Kings and Paris Basket.