Stan Albeck

Albeck started his coaching career with Adrian College as the head coach of the men’s basketball team “The Bulldogs”. In his only season with the team, they finished 3rd in the standings.

Albeck returned to his alma matter the Northern Michigan Wildcats of the University of Michigan. In 9 seasons, the Wildcats reached the post-season 5 times and he had an overall coaching record of 178–77.

• 1957-1958: NAIA first round
• 1958–59: NAIA first round
• 1960–61: NAIA Final Four
• 1962–63: NAIA Elite Eight
• 1964–65: NAIA first round

Coach Albeck became the head coach of the Pioneers Men’s Basketball team of the University of Denver. In his first season the team was 2-24, but the following season brought a better record of 13-11. After 2 seasons, Albeck had an overall coaching record of 15-35.

Notable Players Coached

Staying in Denver, Albeck became an assistant coach for the Denver Rockets of the ABA under Joe Belmont. They are now known today as the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. After starting the season off 3-10, Belmont was fired and Albeck was elevated to the interim head coach position. He finished with a 27-44 record, but they still missed the playoffs.

Notable Players Coached

• Ralph Simpson (5× ABA All‑Star, 2× All‑ABA First Team, career 20‑point‑per‑game scorer)
• Warren Jabali (ABA Rookie of the Year 1969, 4× ABA All‑Star, 1973 ABA All‑Star Game MVP)
• Byron Beck (2× ABA All‑Star, Denver franchise legend)
• Larry Jones (3× ABA All‑Star, 2× All‑ABA First Team)
• Julius Keye (ABA All‑Defensive Team)

Albeck became an assistant coach for the San Diego Conquistadors under K.C. Jones. In his first season, the team went 30-54, reaching the divison semi-finals, but lost to the Utah Stars.

In 1973, the plan was to have Wilt Chamberlain as a player-coach, but the Los Angeles Lakers sued the team for this, and a California court ruled Chamberlain could only play for the Lakers if he was to resume playing basketball in 1973. This didn’t mean Chamberlain couldn’t still be their coach and be on the sidelines though. Coach Albeck would fill in for Chamberlain whenever he had other commitments and even when Chamberlain was there, Albeck handled the coaching aspect of the team.

Notable Players Coached

• Stew Johnson – Three‑time ABA All‑Star
• Caldwell Jones – Later a long‑time NBA defensive anchor
• Red Robbins – Veteran ABA big man
• Chuck Williams – ABA All‑Star guard
• Travis Grant – Former NCAA scoring legend at Kentucky State

Albeck’s last ABA coaching position before the merger was on Hubie Brown’s staff as an assistant coach with the Kentucky Colonels. In their first season, the Colonels finished in 1st place in the Eastern Conference with a 58–26 record and made a deep playoff run resulting in winning the 1975 ABA Championship in 5 games against the Indiana Pacers.

In the last season of the Colonels, the team finished in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with a 46–38 record, reaching the playoffs again, but losing in 7 against the Denver Nuggets. After the season, the ABA merged with the NBA.

Notable Players Coached

• Artis Gilmore (1972 ABA MVP, 5× ABA All‑Star, and 6× NBA All‑Star)
• Dan Issel (ABA Rookie of the Year, 6× ABA All‑Star, & 1× NBA All‑Star)
• Louie Dampier (7× ABA All‑Star)
• Wil Jones
• Marvin Barnes (ABA Rookie of the Year)
• Caldwell Jones
• Ted McClain
• Jim Bradley
• Bird Averitt

Albeck’s first NBA coaching job was with the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach under Jerry West. In his first season, The Lakers reached the Conference finals, being defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers in 4 games, who would later win the 1977 NBA championship.

The Lakers would reach the playoffs in all 3 seasons under West, being eliminated in the first round and semi-finals by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978 and 1979 respectively.

Notable Players Coached

• Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar (1995 Naismith Hall of Famer, 6× NBA MVP, 19× NBA All‑Star, 2nd all‑time scoring leader, 6× NBA champion)
• Jamaal Wilkes (Hall of Famer, 3× NBA All‑Star, 4× NBA champion, 1975 Rookie of the Year)
• Norm Nixon (2× NBA All‑Star, 2× NBA champion)
• Adrian Dantley (2008 Naismith Hall of Famer, 6× NBA All‑Star, 2× NBA scoring champion)
• Lou Hudson (6× NBA All‑Star)

In 1979, Albeck succeeded Bill Fitch as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his first and only season, the team went 37–45, missing the playoffs.

Notable Players Coached

• Austin Carr (1971 NCAA Champion, 1971 Naismith Award winner, & 1971 No. 1 overall pick)
• Campy Russell (1979 NBA All‑Star)
• Mike Mitchell (1981 NBA All‑Star)
• Bill Laimbeer (Future 2× NBA Champion, 4× NBA All‑Star, cornerstone of the “Bad Boys” Pistons)
• Randy Smith (2× NBA All‑Star, 1978 All‑Star Game MVP)
• Kenny Carr
• Jim Chones

In 1980, Albeck succeeded Doug Moe and interim head coach Bob Bass as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. In his first season, the Spurs finished with a 52-30 record, reaching the playoffs where they were eliminated in 7 games against the Houston Rockets in the semi-finals. The next two seasons would bring 2 back-to-back conference finals appearances but were outmatched by Lakers in 4 games and 6 games respectively. He won NBA Coach of the Month in March of 1983.

When he left the Spurs after the season in 1983, he had an overall regular season record of 153–93 and a 13-14 playoff record.

Notable Players Coached

• George Gervin (1996 Naismith Hall of Famer, 9× NBA All‑Star, 4× NBA scoring champion)
• Artis Gilmore (2011 Naismith Hall of Famer, 11× All‑Star across ABA/NBA, ABA MVP)
• Mike Mitchell (1981 NBA All‑Star)
• Johnny Moore
• Gene Banks
• Coby Dietrick
• Dave Corzine
• Mark Olberding

In 1983, Coach Albeck was named the head coach of the New Jersey Nets. In his first season the team finished with a 45-37 record, reaching the playoffs where they won their first playoff game since the 1976 merger against the Milwaukee Bucks, but they would lose the series in 6 games. The following season the team finished with a 42–40 record and lost in 3 games against the Detroit Pistons.

Notable Players Coached

• Buck Williams (3× NBA All‑Star, 1982 Rookie of the Year)
• Otis Birdsong (4× NBA All‑Star)
• Michael Ray Richardson (3× NBA All‑Star, 2× All‑Defensive Team, steals champion)
• Darryl Dawkins (Legendary NBA Dunker & 2× Italian All-Star)
• Mike Gminski (1997 ACC Player of the Year)
• Albert King (1980 ACC Player of the Year, 1989 LBA champion, & 1991 CBA Newcomer of the Year)
• Cliff Robinson (14‑year NBA veteran, not to be confused with Clifford Robinson who notably played with the Portland Trail Blazers)

The Chicago Bulls made an aggressive push to hire Stan Albeck as the head coach of the Bulls succeeding Kevin Loughery, which included offering him a high salary contract, along with paying the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets that Albeck had on his contracts when he left both teams before they were complete.

Albeck and general manager Jerry Krause did not see eye to eye on several things with the team, but despite their disagreements and a 30-52 record, the Bulls reached the playoffs, but were eliminated by Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics, who later became the 1986 NBA champions.

Albeck was fired only after 1 season and was quickly replaced by Doug Collins, who was only a scout for the team 2 months prior to his firing.

Notable Players Coached

• Michael Jordan (Future 14× All‑Star, 5× MVP, 6× NBA champion, Hall of Famer)
• Charles Oakley (Future NBA All‑Star, 2× All‑Defensive Team, one of the best rebounders of his era) Rookie season under Albeck.
• Orlando Woolridge
• Quintin Dailey
• Dave Corzine
• Gene Banks

Albeck returned to coaching college basketball at his alma batter Bradley University for the men’s team, the Braves.

In 1988, the Braves reached the NCAA first round and were champions of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Albeck was a member of the University’s Sigma Chi fraternity, a member of their Significant Sig Hall of Fame.

At the time of his departure, he had an overall coaching record of 75–71.

Notable Players Coached

• Hershey Hawkins (1988 NCAA scoring champion & Future 1991 NBA All-Star)

Albeck returned to the New Jersey Nets as an assistant coach under Butch Beard. The team finished with a 30-52 record and Coach Beard was fired after the season, resulting in Albeck moving on.

Notable Players Coached

• Kenny Anderson (1994 NBA All‑Star)
• Derrick Coleman (1991 NBA Rookie of the Year & 1994 All‑Star)
• Jayson Williams (1998 NBA All‑Star)
• Armen Gilliam (Nicknamed “The Hammer”)
• Chris Childs
• Benoit Benjamin

Albeck joined the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff under Lenny Wilkens. The team made the playoffs twice in 1998 and 1999 where they lost in 4 games against the Charlotte Hornets in the first round and lost in 4 games against the New York Knicks in the conference semi-finals respectively.

Notable Players Coached

• Dikembe Mutombo (2015 Naismith Hall of Famer, 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 8× NBA All‑Star)
• Steve Smith (1998 NBA All‑Star, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist)
• Mookie Blaylock (NBA All‑Star 1994, 2× NBA steals leader)
• Christian Laettner (1997 NBA All‑Star, member of the 1992 “Dream Team,” NCAA champion at Duke)
• Alan Henderson (1998 NBA Most Improved Player)
• Tyrone Corbin (Future NBA head coach)

Albeck followed Lenny Wilkens to the Toronto Raptors. They reached the playoffs in 2001 and a run to the conference semifinals but were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games.

Coach Albeck suffered a stroke in December 2001 right before the Raptors were getting ready to play the Miami Heat. Due to the severity of his condition, he was forced to retire from coaching.

Notable Players Coached

• Vince Carter (2024 Naismith Hall of Famer, 8× NBA All‑Star, 1999 Rookie of the Year, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist)
• Tracy McGrady (2017 Naismith Hall of Famer, 7× NBA All‑Star, 2× NBA scoring champion)
• Antonio Davis (2001 NBA All‑Star)
• Morris Peterson (2001 NBA All‑Rookie First Team)
• Dell Curry (1994 Sixth Man of the Year)
• Alvin Williams