Earlier this offseason, the Toronto Raptors saw assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren leave the team to become the next head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
A few weeks later, it appears as though the Raptors have found his replacement.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors are finalizing a deal with Chris Finch to join Nick Nurse's coaching staff.
Chris Finch is finalizing a deal to join Nick Nurse’s coaching staff with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN. Most recently, Finch’ has been an assistant with New Orleans and Denver. He has a long history with Nurse dating back to the G-League and Europe.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 14, 2020
Who is Finch? Here are some fast facts on the reported Raptors assistant coach.
Background
Finch was born on Nov. 6, 1969 in Cambridge, Ohio. He attended college at Franklin & Marshall, an NCAA Division III school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Finch played basketball at Franklin & Marshall, compiling a 102-13 record over 115 games as a starter. He ranks 16th all-time in scoring at Franklin & Marshall, as well as 15th in rebounding, third in assists, third in steals and ninth in blocks.
Professional career
Finch started his professional career playing for the Sheffield Forgers (now Sheffield Sharks) in England. He later took over as head coach of the team, leading the franchise to a British League Trophy in 1998 and British League Cup championships in 1999 and 2000.
It was in England where Finch and Nurse first coached against each other.
nick nurse's brighton bullets vs. chris finch's sheffield sharks in 2003 (sharks win 89-76) pic.twitter.com/oBU0XKO0CY
— William Lou (@william_lou) November 14, 2020
In 2003, Finch moved to Germany to coach the Giessen 46ers. He then moved to Belgium to coach Euphony Bree (2004-07) and Dexia Mons-Hainaut (2007-09), winning a Belgian League championship along the way.
Finch returned to the United States in 2009 to take over as head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the D-League affiliate of the Houston Rockets. He led the team to a championship in 2010 and was named the D-League Coach of the Year.
When Finch became an assistant coach for the Rockets in 2011, Nurse replaced him as head coach of the Vipers. Finch has since been an assistant coach on the Denver Nuggets (2016-17) and the New Orleans Pelicans (2017-20).
Finch was also the head coach of the Great Britain Men's National Basketball Team between 2006 and 2013. He coached Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Nurse was an assistant coach on his staff from 2009 to 2012.
Reputation
“He got the most out of his talent,” Nurse once told The Athletic's Eric Koreen about Finch. “His teams played super hard. He played team basketball. And he won. He won.”
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