We posted this as a rumor back on 9/16. It has now been made official…
UT Arlington men’s basketball coach Scott Cross has announced the hiring of Kenneth Mangrum as an assistant coach. Mangrum replaced Andrae Patterson, who accepted an assistant coach position with the NBA Development League Idaho Stampede.
Mangrum comes to UTA after serving as an assistant on Jason Hooten’s staff at Sam Houston State. A former standout player at North Texas, Mangrum joined SHSU in September 2013.
"Kenneth came highly recommended," Cross said. "My former college coach at Angelo State, Fred Rike, coached Kenneth and had him on his staff. He said Kenneth was the best coach he’s ever had and is an up-and-coming star.
"A number of AAU coaches in the Metroplex that I respect hold Kenneth in the highest regard. I feel we hit a home run with this hire and look forward to getting him here."
Patterson joined the UT Arlington men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in 2012 after serving two years as director of operations. Patterson enjoyed successful professional career after being drafted in 1998 by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Utah Jazz and Stampede have a single affiliation partnership that begins with the 2014-15 NBA D-League season. The partnership, also referred to as a "hybrid affiliation," is the ninth of its kind in the NBA D-League and enables the Jazz to manage all aspects of the Stampede’s basketball operations.
"Andrae was an unbelievable coach and did a great job with our big guys," Cross said. "He was a person that everyone on campus loved, as well as our team. Obviously, coaching in the NBA is a dream for him and now he gets a chance to do that. It’s nice to know that we have someone else inside the NBA watching our program closely."
Mangrum also spent the four seasons as an assistant at Angelo State. After earning his bachelor’s degree from UNT in 2002, Mangrum worked three years as a graduate assistant on the Mean Green coaching staff. He was also an instructor in UNT’s Department of Kinesiology until receiving his master’s degree in kinesiology in spring 2005.
Known as a defensive specialist during his playing days at UNT, Mangrum also led the squad in free-throw percentage as a junior and was selected to the Indiana Hoosier Classic All-Tournament Team the same season.
The Waco native coached two seasons at Athens High School, including the 2006-07 year as the Hornets’ head boy’s basketball coach. Mangrum and his wife, Leah, have two daughters, Brianna and Makaira and one son, Kendi.
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