Shumate to be college scout for NBA team

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Found this article. Didn't realize he was coaching in the WNBA last season.

Shumate to be college scout for NBA team

PHOENIX -- John Shumate, who coached the Phoenix Mercury to their worst record last year, left the job Friday to rejoin the Phoenix Suns as a college scout.

"I'm leaving the team in a very strong position for the future," Shumate said. "As much as I enjoy the WNBA's game, it became clear this offseason that my heart and long-term career ambitions are in the NBA. With the Suns having some big decisions in the immediate future, especially in the draft, the timing just seemed right."

The Suns (18-33) appear destined to miss the playoffs and have a draft lottery pick. Suns president Bryan Colangelo said Shumate's expertise was needed at the job he held before accepting the Mercury position.

"We never really addressed the void left by his departure, and this is a result of our plan to do so," Colangelo said.

The Mercury were 8-26 in 2003, the franchise's worst record in its seven-year history.

Shumate, 51, coached for 17 years at Notre Dame, Grand Canyon, Southern Methodist and the NBA's Toronto Raptors before returning to the Suns in 1998 as a community relations specialist. He became a scout in 2001.

Shumate played with Phoenix, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, San Antonio and Seattle during a seven-year career after the Suns drafted him in the first round in 1974.

Mercury general manager Seth Sulka said the team would begin searching for a new head coach immediately.

"We can't say enough about John's contribution to the Mercury," Sulka said. "We had a well-coached team last season that played their hearts out every night."

[PonySnob]

Shumate did manage to get the Mustangs to the NCAA tourney once while he was here.

[PlanoStang]

Think that the SWC championship was included with that ncaa tournament appearance.

[Diehard Pony]

Indeed they did occur in the same year...1993. Ironically, while we did win the conference championship, we got ousted in the first round of the SWC Tournament by a very poor TCU team. We made the tournament with an at large bid and a #10 seed. Fortunate after the TCU debacle.

As the article above indicates, this is Shumate's second go-around as a scout for Phoenix. In his first tour with them he made a trip to Moody in 2001 to scout Sasser among others, and sat next to Jim Copeland who fired him after the 1995 season. No doubt Shumate pointed out that the last NCAA flag flying in Moody was his.

[Kiper]

Originally posted by PonySnob:
Shumate did manage to get the Mustangs to the NCAA tourney once while he was here.

If I remember right, that year started when seniors Mike Wilson, Tim Mason and Gerald Lewis went to Shumate and damn-near demanded that he take off the shackles and let them run. A couple of the players said at the time that the seniors basically coached that team.

Curious: what kind of reaction would Shumate get if the Suns sent him to Dallas to scout a player?

[Diehard Pony]

There is no doubt that team of seniors took it upon themselves to win the conference championship.....particularly Mike Wilson who had transferred here from Georgia to be near his family.

They were the ultimate "team", and there were virtually no substitutions from the bench. Just the "iron 5".

[scostas]

Weren't those Bliss' guys? It's annoying to me when people give Shumate credit for the 1993 season, so please correct me if I am wrong.

[50's PONY]

Mike Wilson transferred here from Western Kentucky and was recruited by John. All of those guys were John's guys.