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How long can the Raptors hold on to Jerry Stackhouse?

By Chris Mckee

MISSISSAUGA, CANADA - APRIL 25: Jerry Stackhouse of the Raptors 905 coaches against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers during Game Two of the D-League Finals at the Hershey Centre on April 25, 2017 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)
MISSISSAUGA, CANADA - APRIL 25: Jerry Stackhouse of the Raptors 905 coaches against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers during Game Two of the D-League Finals at the Hershey Centre on April 25, 2017 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Jerry Stackhouse played 19 years in the NBA and was a two-time All-Star. He was recently named G League Coach of the Year and is quietly building himself into one of the more desirable head coaching candidates in all of basketball. How long can the Raptors hold on to Stackhouse?

Here is one of the more bankable predictions in the world of basketball.

Jerry Stackhouse will be a head coach in the NBA or NCAA within the next year.

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The 42 year-old Stackhouse was recently named Coach of the Year in the NBA G League and led the Raptors 905 team to the league title in just his first season as a head coach at any level.

Stackhouse played 19 years in the NBA and was twice named an All-Star. He played for eight NBA teams and had a career scoring average of 16.9 points per game over 970 career games.

His best season was in 2000-01 when he led the league in points scored (2380) and finished second in scoring average behind Allen Iverson with 29.8 points per game.

He is a legend in the state of North Carolina where he was the state Player of the Year (91-92) and was the MVP of the McDonald’s high school All-American game before starring for Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina.

He was the Sports Illustrated NCAA Player of the Year in 1995 while he was a member of the Tar Heels and was later selected with the No. 3 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1995 NBA draft.

With that sort of resume, it is only a matter of time before Stackhouse will have an opportunity to be a head coach in a much more high profile setting than Brampton, ON in the NBA’s minor league.

How long can the Raptors hold on to Jerry Stackhouse?

Raptors 905 has the been the gateway to the NBA for several current players on the Raptors roster and you have to wonder if Stackhouse is simply laying in wait to succeed current Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey should the Raptors stumble out of the gate in the 2017-18 season.

Not only does Stackhouse have the resume to be coaching in a more high profile position but he also has that aura and presence about him that you would expect from a big time head coach.

There are very few young coaches that have that it or je ne sais quoi.

Stackhouse has that it.

NBA or NCAA?

With only 30 jobs available in the NBA, you have to wonder how long he is going to be willing to wait for his opportunity before he gets tired of those long bus rides in the G League.

He is too good to consider taking over a mid-major program in the NCAA but would be a perfect fit for a big time program in the ACC or any number of Power Five conference teams.

The name Stackhouse would be an excellent recruiting tool anywhere near the state of North Carolina or in any of the states where he played in the NBA.

It isn’t often that coaches in the minor league ranks of any professional league have more of a buzz surrounding their name than some of the young prospects they are coaching but that is exactly the case with Stackhouse.

There are few certainties in the world of sports.

One thing that is for certain is that Jerry Stackhouse will be a head coach in the NBA or NCAA within the next year.

Write it down.

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