Sunday, January 10, 2021 11:43 pm
Pacers hire Hankins to coach Mad Ants
JUSTIN A. COHN | The Journal Gazette
Not unlike many basketball fans, Tom Hankins used to scoff a bit at some aspects of the G League product.
Not anymore.
“From a distance, I didn't realize just how good the players were until I was there on a daily basis,” said Hankins, who today will be announced by the NBA's Indiana Pacers as the head coach of the Mad Ants, their Fort Wayne-based G League team.
Hankins, 54, a longtime college coach, spent last season with the Pacers as an assistant coach for player development. Among his duties were working with Naz Mitrou-Long and Brian Bowen II, who spent much of the season with the Mad Ants under two-way NBA contracts.