2001-02 in Review: Dwane Casey spent his second full season as the Sonics’ associate head coach. His increased responsibility was evident in early January, when Casey took over as head coach against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Sonic victory while head coach Nate McMillan returned to his native North Carolina to be with his ill mother. The off-season was more disappointing for Casey, who was not apparently considered for any NBA head coaching jobs with only two (Denver and Golden State) open. He was mentioned for the open University of Washington men’s basketball job, but in the end Casey will return to Seattle for his ninth season on the bench.

Previous Career: After finishing a solid four-year career at the University of Kentucky, Casey began his coaching career in 1979 as a grad assistant at UK. That same year, Casey first traveled to Japan over the summer to run coaching clinics in the land of the rising sun. A season later, he moved to Western Kentucky for the opportunity to serve as a full-time assistant coach under Clem Haskins. He spent five years there before returning to Kentucky in 1985. In his second tour of duty, Casey was largely in charge of the Wildcats' recruiting. In 1990, he was embroiled in scandal when an employee for a shipping service found money that had slipped out of a letter addressed to recruit Chris Mills from Casey. Casey claimed that a secretary had slipped the money into the open envelope, but the violation was obvious, though likely not of Casey's doing. Nevertheless, he took the fall, was fired, and headed over to Japan, where he coached full time. In 1994, the Sonics returned Casey from his basketball purgatory, hiring him as an assistant coach. At first, fans and experts belittled Casey as a 'babysitter' for Sonic star Shawn Kemp, and a token black coach. Over the next several years, however, Casey paid his dues and established himself as one of the top young assistants in the league, even interviewing for the top job in Atlanta in the summer of 2000. When the Sonics fired head coach Paul Westphal in November of 2000, Casey was considered for the job before the Sonics settled on McMillan. As a consolation prize, Casey was given the title of Associate Head Coach.

Overall: The thought of Casey as a 'token' coach or babysitter now seems almost laughable. It is clear that Casey has the communication skills and intelligence to be successful as an NBA head man. His ability to manage a game and a roster is tough to discern because he has coached only one NBA game, but it's hard to imagine that he could be any worse than several college coaches who have jumped to the NBA in recent years. It would seem to be only a matter of time until Casey got a well-deserved chance. Along with Eddie Jordan of the New Jersey Nets and former Sonic assistant Terry Stotts, now with the Atlanta Hawks, Casey is considered one of the premier head coaching prospects currently working as assistants. What would help his chances of landing a job is if more teams waited for the off-season to change coaches, meaning they don’t hire from within (as Chicago, New York, and Phoenix did last season). For the time being, Casey is a valuable asset to Sonic basketball.
Grade: A-

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