- Mike Fratello
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Michael Robert "Mike" Fratello (born February 24, 1947) is an American color analyst and a professional basketball coach. He previously coached the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, and is currently the head coach of the Ukraine national basketball team.
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Background
Fratello was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and he graduated from Hackensack High School, where he was captain of the basketball, baseball, football and field hockey teams. He was named to the Bergen "All County" Football team as a center in his senior year. He then went on to Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey to play football.[1] Upon graduation he returned to Hackensack H.S. as an assistant for both the basketball and football teams. Fratello then went on to the University of Rhode Island as a graduate assistant assigned to head coach Tom Carmody, also coaching the U.R.I. freshman basketball team. He had been a college basketball assistant at James Madison University under Lou Campanelli and served as an assistant for Rollie Massimino at Villanova before going to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks during Hubie Brown's tenure.
Coaching
Fratello was head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from December 2004 to December 2006. In his first season he inherited a 5–11 team that he turned around to win 45 games and advance to the playoffs. Fratello built on that record the following year to win 49 games and return to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Before departing in December 2006, his record was 6–24 taking his overall record with Memphis to 95–87.
Prior to working with the Grizzlies, Fratello had coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks. In his six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers his record was 248 wins and 212 losses. Fratello took the Cavaliers to the playoffs four times. Fratello coached the Hawks for seven seasons and posted a 324–250 record, making the post-season playoffs five times and winning the Central Division in 1987 with 57 wins. Fratello was named Coach of the Year for the 1985–86 NBA season. His NBA career stats are 667 wins and 542 losses for a .551 average. His teams have qualified for the playoffs in eleven of his 16 seasons as a head coach.
One of the most respected basketball minds despite having never won an NBA championship as a head coach, Fratello ranks 19th on the NBA's all-time win list and 21st in games coached.
On February 24, 2011, Fratello was officially announced as the Ukraine national basketball team head coach and on March 3, 2011, he was introduced to the Ukrainian media at a press-conference in Kyiv.[2]
Broadcasting
NBC/TNT
Fratello has been a television commentator for NBC and is currently a main color commentator of TNT, working once again with long time play-by-play announcer Marv Albert, who first paired up with Fratello in the 1990–91 NBA season as the main announcing team for the NBA on NBC. Starting with the 2008–09 NBA season Fratello also began working with Marv Albert doing New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network. Fratello was hired after the unexpected resignation of former color analyst Mark Jackson from the network. Fratello will also be paired with Ian Eagle on select Nets games.
During his stint as a color commentator, Marv Albert dubbed him "The Czar of the Telestrator" for his masterful way of diagramming basketball plays on screen.
Return to TNT
For the 2007–08 season, TNT rehired Fratello as a full-time commentator, allowing him to work once again with long time play-by-play announcer Marv Albert, who first paired up with Fratello in the 1990–91 season as the main announcing team for the NBA on NBC. Reggie Miller, who had split time between TNT's studio and the booth the past two years, also became a full-time game analyst, joining Albert and Fratello on the sidelines.
He is currently part of a 3-man booth with his YES counterpart Marv Albert and Steve Kerr.
With the YES Network
Since the 2008–09 season, Fratello has worked with Marv Albert on New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network. Fratello was hired after the unexpected resignation of former color analyst Mark Jackson from the network. Fratello has also been paired with Ian Eagle on select Nets games.
Career record
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win–Loss %
Mike Fratello's career coaching record Franchise Season W L % Postseason Atlanta Hawks 1983–84 40 42 .488 2–3 record Atlanta Hawks 1984–85 34 48 .415 Atlanta Hawks 1985–86 50 32 .610 4–5 record Atlanta Hawks 1986–87 57 25 .695 4–5 record Atlanta Hawks 1987–88 50 32 .610 6–6 record Atlanta Hawks 1988–89 52 30 .634 2–3 record Atlanta Hawks 1989–90 41 41 .500 Cleveland Cavaliers 1993–94 47 35 .573 0–3 record Cleveland Cavaliers 1994–95 43 39 .524 1–3 record Cleveland Cavaliers 1995–96 47 35 .573 0–3 record Cleveland Cavaliers 1996–97 42 40 .512 Cleveland Cavaliers 1997–98 47 35 .573 1–3 record Cleveland Cavaliers 1998–99 22 28 .440 Memphis Grizzlies 2004–05 40 30 .571 0–4 record Memphis Grizzlies 2005–06 49 33 .598 0–4 record Memphis Grizzlies 2006–07 6 24 .200 Totals 667 552 .547 Playoffs 20 42 .323 References
- ^ Mike Fratello, Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed November 1, 2007.
- ^ http://ukrbasket.net/ua/news/715.htm
External links
Categories:- American basketball coaches
- American television sports announcers
- Atlanta Hawks head coaches
- Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches
- American people of Italian descent
- Memphis Grizzlies head coaches
- Montclair State Red Hawks football players
- National Basketball Association broadcasters
- Los Angeles Clippers broadcasters
- New Jersey Nets broadcasters
- Miami Heat broadcasters
- National Basketball Association head coaches
- People from Hackensack, New Jersey
- 1947 births
- Living people
- NBC Sports
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