Lehigh head men’s basketball coach Brett Reed announced the departure of Noel Hightower to the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Hightower, assistant coach since 2017, leaves for the Indianapolis NBA franchise and his responsibilities will include on-court player development assistance as well as video review.
“We are very happy for Noel,” said Reed. “He is an aspiring young coach and eager to continue to advance and grow within this profession. He felt a move to the NBA would aid in that development and we support him and wish him all the best moving forward.”
Hightower began his relationship with the Lehigh men’s basketball program through his time working as a counselor at its summer youth basketball camps. He then was provided an opportunity to join the staff in Lehigh’s Director of Basketball Operations role. After one year of service, he advanced into an assistant coaching position for the program.
“Noel is a solid example for our student-athletes,” said Reed. “He is someone who embraced his responsibilities at every level and because of his positive energy and work ethic, he was able to advance. He was able to demonstrate that if you pour yourself into your passions and approach each day with a positive attitude, you can create opportunities for yourself in your professional career. These are some of the same principles we emphasize for our student-athletes during their time with our program.”
Lehigh will begin a national search for qualified candidates for its assistant coaching position.
“The timing may be a bit awkward in college basketball considering most schools have already begun their semester, but, I am optimistic that we will find a great coach to help our team this year,” said Reed. “There has been a positive track record of success and career advancement from our staff and coaches are given the opportunity to grow and develop within the role.”
