Former UCLA point guard and national champion Tyus Edney has returned to the school’s men’s basketball team, joining the staff as director of operations, coach Ben Howland announced Aug. 2.
Edney enjoyed an illustrious career as a student-athlete in Westwood, one that culminated in the program’s most recent NCAA title in 1995 and included one of the most memorable plays in college basketball history.
With 4.8 seconds to go and the Bruins trailing against Missouri in the second round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament, Edney took the inbounds pass and sprinted the length of the court to make a buzzer-beating layup that won the game and saved UCLA’s season. The play inserted Edney’s name into the lexicon of college basketball, while its video clip is still shown today on nearly every all-time March Madness highlight reel.
Edney’s professional playing days – which included four NBA seasons and a passport full of top European teams – came to an end just last year, prompting Howland to offer the 37-year-old Southern California native a job with his alma mater.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Edney said in a statement released by the UCLA Athletic Department. “I’m very fortunate to be ending my pro career now with this opportunity presenting itself.
“I’m thankful that Coach Howland gave me this opportunity and has the confidence that I can bring something new and exciting to this great program.”
The spot on the bench opened up after Joe Hillock ended his three-year tenure with the Bruins to return to coaching high school basketball.
This is the second shuffle of the offseason for Howland’s coaching ranks. Longtime assistant coach Donny Daniels left UCLA to join the staff at Gonzaga and was replaced by former University of San Francisco coach Phil Mathews in April.
“I’m really excited that Tyus is joining our staff and returning to the UCLA men’s basketball program,” Howland said in the statement. “He’s a Bruin through and through, having graduated from UCLA, and brings a wealth of knowledge and energy to the program.
“I feel our student-athletes will benefit greatly from dealing with Tyus on a daily basis because he has experienced the things they will experience here at UCLA.”
Despite standing just 5 feet 10 inches tall, Edney made the All-Pac-10 first team during three consecutive seasons in his collegiate career and accumulated an impressive statistical resume. He is the school’s second all-time leader in assists, averaging 5.2 per game, and third in steals with 1.8 per contest.
Shortly after the Bruins won the national championship, the Sacramento Kings selected Edney with the 47th pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. It was there that he would play the best years of his American professional career, starting 60 games in his rookie season with the Kings while sharing the backcourt with perennial All-Star Mitch Richmond.
After a short stint with the Boston Celtics and one with the Indiana Pacers, Edney found success playing basketball in Europe, joining teams in Italy, Greece, Spain and Poland.
UCLA was not Edney’s only championship team, as he led the Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas to a Euroleague title in 1999. Edney took home the league’s Final Four MVP trophy that year, an honor shared by such NBA stars as Manu Ginobili and Dominique Wilkins.
Edney’s official return to Pauley Pavilion will be on Nov. 12 when the UCLA men’s hoops team kicks off its 92nd season against Cal State Northridge.