Two former Arizona Wildcats made their NBA head coaching debuts Monday.Β
Following two-plus seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA, Joseph Blair made his association head coaching debut Monday afternoon, when the Washington Wizards cruised by the Philadelphia 76ers 117-98, while Tucson native and Salpointe Catholic graduate Jesse Mermuys coached the Orlando Magic against the Portland Trail Blazers.Β
Blair took over for Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. and Pat Delany, both of whom entered the NBA's health and safety protocols. Similarly, Mermuys took over for head coach Jamahl Mosley and Nate Tibbetts after they entered the league's health and safety protocols.Β
Blair entered the NBA coaching ranks with the Sixers in 2019 under then head coach Brett Brown, then with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2020-21 season.Β
Prior to his NBA journey, Blair was the head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the G League affiliate of the Houston Rockets, where he won the G League championship in 2019. Blair was a graduate assistant on former Arizona head coach Sean Miller's staff at the UA from 2013-15.Β
Arizona Wildcats center Kaleb Tarczewski (35) warms up with Joseph Blair, an undergraduate assistant coach, before a game against Cal at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California. Photo taken Saturday February 01, 2014 Photo by: Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
As a player, Blair played for the UA from 1992-96 and was a starting forward on Arizona's 1994 Final Four team. In 1996, Blair was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics before an illustrious career overseas in Europe and with the Harlem Globetrotters.Β
Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov, right, of Russia, enjoys a moment with assistant coach Jesse Mermuys, left, during warmups before an NBA preseason basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016..
Mermuys has served as an assistant coach at Salpointe Catholic, Pima College, Southern Utah, the UA, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and now the Magic.
