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Head coach Terry Stotts now has his staff

Four highly qualified individuals, led by veteran NBA assistant coaches Larry Smith and Jim Boylan were appointed to similar positions with the Atlanta Hawks, it was announced today by Head Coach Terry Stotts. Joining Smith and Boylan on the bench are former Hawks guard Armond Hill and Mike McNeive.

"I'm very fortunate and pleased to have such an experienced and qualified staff, and they will be instrumental in our success this year," said Stotts. They bring diverse backgrounds and a strong work ethic to their roles, and I like the fact that not only are they good coaches, but they are good people and I look forward to working with them."

Recognized as one of the toughest players in the league during his 13-year NBA career, Smith joins the staff after serving the last 10 seasons as one of Rudy Tomjanovich's assistant coaches - and the last four as his top assistant.

As a player, Smith's rebounding tenacity earned him the nickname "Mr. Mean," as he grabbed an average of 9.2 boards in 883 NBA games. The 6-8, 251-pounder scored 6.7 points per game over that period, spending nine seasons with Golden State (1980-89), and three in Houston (1989-92) before wrapping up his playing days in San Antonio (1992-93). He returned to the Rockets the next season to begin his coaching career.

While Smith gained notoriety for his rebounding prowess, his best offensive output came during the 1984-85 seasons, when he scored a career-high 11.1 points for the Warriors. It was the only time he registered a double-double average of points and rebounds for any seasons, as he had 10.9 boards that year.

The 45-year-old Smith was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi and attended Alcorn State University, where he lettered four seasons for the Braves. He was the Southwestern Athletic Conference's (SWAC) Player and Athlete of the Year in his final two seasons, as ASU posted a 56-3 record overall and 24-0 mark in the league.

Boylan brings 10 years of NBA experience to the bench. He most recently served as an assistant coach for two years with the Phoenix Suns under Scott Skiles (2000-01) and Frank Johnson (2001-02). Prior to that position, he spent three years as an assistant with the Vancouver Grizzlies, where he helped coach current Hawks forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Before joining the Grizzlies' franchise, his first coaching stop in the NBA came as an assistant on Lenny Wilkens' staff in Cleveland. In five seasons with the Cavaliers, Boylan also served as the team's video coordinator and advance scout.

He came to the Cavs from the Rochester Renegade of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) where he was the Director of Basketball Operations/Assistant Coach. Prior to that, Boylan was the head coach at the University of New Hampshire from 1989-92 following three years as an assistant under Michigan State's legendary coach Jud Heathcote (1986-89).

Boylan played and coached for four seasons in Switzerland before joining the MSU staff. He played collegiately at Marquette, where he was the point guard on Al McGuire's 1977 NCAA Championship team. The Warriors won that title before a sellout crowd at The Omni, the former home of the Hawks.

Boylan, 48, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Braves in the 1978 NBA Draft, and after the franchise moved to San Diego, he participated in training camp with the Clippers.

A former first round pick of the Hawks in 1976, Hill was the ninth overall pick in the draft from Princeton University. He spent six seasons in a Hawks uniform (on two different occasions) and eight years in the league, finishing with career averages of 6.9 points and 4.4 assists. His best year as a pro came in 1978-79 when Hill was the fifth-leading scorer on the 46-36 Hawks squad. He also played in Seattle, San Diego (Clippers) and Milwaukee before concluding his career in Atlanta in 1984.

As a collegiate player, Hill was a member of Princeton's 1975 NIT championship team, the Ivy League's only post-season title in that tournament. A co-team captain in 1975 and 1976, he earned All-Ivy and All-East honors and was a unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year for the 1975-76 season.

He started his coaching career as an assistant at the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ in 1985 and became head coach three years later. He won two Coach of the Year awards and in 1990, led Lawrenceville to the New Jersey State Prep School Championship. Hill moved on to the collegiate ranks in 1991 when he returned to his alma mater, Princeton, as an assistant. During his four years, the Tigers compiled a 71-35 record, won the 1991-92 Ivy League title and went to the 1992 NCAA tournament.

Hill, 50, became the head coach at Columbia in 1995 and led the Lions for eight seasons, finishing with a record of 72-141. He assumed the reins from Jack Rohan and his eight-year tenure tied for fourth longest among CU coaches. His club was first in the nation in scoring defense in 2001-02 when Columbia held opponents to 57.0 ppg.

Reuniting with Stotts from their days in Milwaukee is McNeive, who will also serve as the team's advance scout. He has worked in the NBA the last 10 years, beginning his career with the Orlando Magic as the team's intern in the video scouting department.

After leaving the Magic, McNeive worked with Stotts in Seattle for four seasons as an advance scout and video coordinator, where his responsibilities included the recording and editing of all videotapes of Sonics games, upcoming opponents and college game. He moved to Milwaukee when George Karl and Stotts joined the Bucks organization.

An Illinois native, McNeive was a four-year letterman in baseball and basketball at Monmouth College (IL).