Rod Strickland

Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player.

He is currently the head coach at Long Island University.

Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's professional path.

Strickland played college basketball at DePaul University, where he was awarded All-American honors.

A 1987 and 1988 All-America pick, Strickland helped lead the Blue Demons to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1985–86 to 1987–88, including Sweet Sixteen showings in 1986 and 1987.

He had a long career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing from 1988 to 2005.

He was selected in the first round of the 1988 NBA draft by his hometown New York Knicks, where he backed up point guard Mark Jackson, the 1988 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Nevertheless, Jackson and Strickland shared time that season.

Strickland played in all 82 games and averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists in 16.8 minutes per game where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

The Knicks dealt Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs for veteran Maurice Cheeks in the middle of the 1989–1990 season.

Strickland flourished in San Antonio.

The Spurs went 18–6 with him in the starting lineup.

He led the Spurs in assists 26 times and averaged 12.3 points and 11.2 assists in 10 playoff games.

In the 1990–91 season Strickland lived up to his expectations as an exciting performer when he was healthy.

He missed 24 games that year because of a sore ankle and a broken bone in his right hand.

In the 58 games he played, Strickland averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 assists, shooting .482 from the field and .763 from the free throw line.

He led the Spurs in assists 46 times and in steals 30 times.

In a four-game series loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, he posted 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.25 steals in 42.0 minutes per game.

Starting the 1991–92 NBA season in a contract dispute with the Spurs management, Strickland did not play in the first 24 games of the season.

He finally signed on December 23, then started 54 of 57 games and averaged 13.8 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.07 steals in 36.0 minutes per game.

He scored in double figures 48 times and scored 20 or more points on eight occasions.

He notched a then career-high 28 points against the Indiana Pacers on February 6 and made a career-high 19 assists versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 3.

Strickland started two playoff games against the Phoenix Suns before missing the third with a broken bone in his left hand.

The Suns swept the series in three games.

Before the start of the 1992–93 season, Strickland signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers.

On April 5, 1994, Strickland set a Trail Blazers record with 20 assists in a single game, during a 135-113 win over the Phoenix Suns.

On January 24, 1995, Strickland set a career high with 36 points scored, on 15-21 shooting from the field, in a 105-99 loss to the Knicks.

During that year's playoffs, Strickland averaged 23.3 points and 12.3 assists per game in a first round loss to the Suns.

Strickland was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2008.

A native of the Bronx, Strickland played for the New York Gauchos.

While a junior he led Truman High School in Co-Op City to the state championship and was ranked as one of the top 10 high school recruits in the nation.

As a senior, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

Strickland became a college star at DePaul University where he appeared in 87 games.

As a junior, he was a First Team All-American after averaging 20.0 points and 7.8 assists.

Strickland finished the year tied with Terry Porter for 12th in the NBA in assists.

Strickland was an assistant coach for the South Florida Bulls, under Orlando Antigua from 2014 to 2017.

He formerly served in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari and was the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis under Calipari.

He is the godfather of current NBA player Kyrie Irving.

He ranks among the program's career leaders in scoring average (8th; 16.6 ppg), assists (3rd; 557) and steals (2nd; 204).

He also averaged 3.4 rebounds while shooting 53.4% during his college career.