Dwane Casey
College - Kentucky '79
Dwane Casey is in his tenth season with the Sonics coaching staff and in his second as associate head coach. Dwane was promoted to associate head coach in November of 2000 when Nate McMillan was named head coach.
Casey first came to Seattle for the 1994-95 season after spending five years as a head coach in Japan. During his time overseas, he coached Japan’s National Team with basketball legend Pete Newell. In the summer of 1998, Casey coached the team to its first World Championship appearance in 31 years.
Prior to coaching in Japan, Dwane was an assistant under head coach Eddie Sutton at the University of Kentucky from 1985-90. He also served as an assistant under Clem Haskins at Western Kentucky University from 1980-85.
Casey began his coaching career at Kentucky in 1979 as a graduate assistant. While at UK, he recruited and coached eventual NBA players Winston Bennett, Sam Bowie, Rex Chapman, LeRon Ellis, Shawn Kemp, Chris Mills, Dirk Minnifield, Irving Thomas and Melvin Turpin.
Heavily recruited out of high school, Dwane’s decision to play at Kentucky for Coach Joe B. Hall helped the Wildcats register a 30-2 record his junior season and capture the 1978 NCAA Championship. A four-year letterman, Casey was named team captain his senior year and won UK’s all-academic award.
Born April 17, 1957, in Morganfield, Ky., Dwane earned a degree in business administration from Kentucky in 1979. Off the court, Casey’s leisure pursuits include reading, playing racquetball and listening to music.