Damon Stoudamire to Pacific: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The University of the Pacific hired its new head men's basketball coach Wednesday in former University of Memphis assistant and NBA star Damon Stoudamire.

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman was the first to report the news, and Evan Daniels of Scout.com later confirmed the hiring of the 42-year-old University of Arizona alum.

Stoudamire also announced the decision in a letter to his 12-year-old self for the Players' Tribune. In the letter, Stoudamire mentioned his grandmother and how his accomplishment would make her feel:

"

Tell her that today, when you're writing this letter, you're going to get your first NCAA head coaching job. You're going to get the opportunity to lead kids, and show them what (former Arizona head coach) Lute (Olson) showed you. You'll get to look them in the eye and tell them the truth.

[...]

You're the head coach of University of the Pacific.

That's some news that will really make her proud.

"

After a fantastic collegiate career at the University of Arizona, Stoudamire was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.

He was named the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year and went on to spend 13 seasons in the league with the Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.

Stoudamire served as a Grizzlies assistant from 2009-2011 before an assistant stint with the University of Memphis from 2011-2013, a run as an assistant at the University of Arizona from 2013-15 and eventually a return to the Memphis Tigers this season.

Per Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, Stoudamire is the latest in a long line of Memphis head coach Josh Pastner to land head coaching jobs of their own:

Pacific last qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2013, and the Tigers are coming off a 8-20 season amid controversy that saw head coach Ron Verlin get suspended due to allegations of academic misconduct.

While Stoudamire has no head coaching experience, he has an impressive pedigree as a player and has been part of some high-profile coaching staffs at the college level.

The University of Pacific certainly needed a spark in order to put the nightmarish 2015-16 season behind it, and the arrival of Stoudamire may be precisely that.

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