Paul Pressey - Men's Basketball Coach - St. John's University Athletics

Paul Pressey

Title:
Special Assistant to the Head Coach
Email:
presseyp@stjohns.edu
Phone:
6225

Longtime NBA player and assistant coach Paul Pressey is in his fourth season at St. John’s serving as a special assistant to Head Coach Mike Anderson.

Pressey, a former teammate of Anderson's at Tulsa under legendary head coach Nolan Richardson, brings more than three decades of experience at the highest professional level with him to Queens. The 20th pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Bucks, Pressey played his first eight years with Milwaukee before undertaking a pair of seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and a brief stint with Golden State.

Widely regarded as one of pioneers of the "point-forward" position, the 6-foot-5 Pressey averaged 5.1 assists per game during his NBA career. He led the Bucks in that category for five consecutive seasons between 1984-89, including a career-best 7.8 assists per outing during the 1985-86 campaign. That season, Pressey ranked seventh in the league in assists with 623.

Pressey was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for three straight years between 1984-87, including a pair of first team selections in 1984-85 and 1985-86. In 1985-86, Pressey finished seventh in the NBA with 168 steals.

Pressey retired after the 1991-92 season only to be pulled into action during his first season as an assistant with Golden State when injuries wreaked havoc on the Warriors' lineup. Pressey played 18 games that season before being injured himself.

At Tulsa, Pressey earned Third Team All-America honors from the Associated Press in 1982 after leading the Golden Hurricane to an NCAA Tournament appearance alongside Anderson. The pair also won an NIT title together at Tulsa in 1981.

Pressey spent two seasons on staff at Golden State before moving to San Antonio, where he served six years as an assistant with the Spurs. During his tenure in San Antonio, Pressey helped the organization win its first NBA title in 1999 after playing a key role in the development of 1997 top draft pick Tim Duncan.

After his time in San Antonio, Pressey undertook stints with the Orlando Magic (2000-04), Boston Celtics (2004-06), New Orleans Hornets (2007-10) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-2013). Most recently, Pressey served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2014-16.

Each of his last three assistant coaching placements came on the staffs of 2008 NBA Coach of the Year Byron Scott. In Orlando and Boston, Pressey worked under 2000 NBA Coach of the Year and 2008 NBA Champion Doc Rivers.

Pressey and his wife, Elizabeth, have four children. Both of the couple's sons, Phil and Matt, played for Anderson at Missouri. Phil was the no. 42 recruit in the high school class of 2010 according to ESPN and went on to finish as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award. Phil played 148 games in the NBA between 2013-16, 125 of which came with the Boston Celtics. Pressey has two daughters, Ashley and Angie. Angie earned All-America honors in volleyball at UC Berkeley.