The Orlando Magic announced Wednesday that Brian Hill will not return as head coach, but will have the option to return to the organization in another capacity.

“Brian’s contributions to the Orlando Magic have been tremendous,” said President Bob Vander Weide. “We appreciate everything Brian did for us as a head coach in taking us to this point, and hope he decides to stay with the organization.”

Added General Manager Otis Smith: “We will miss Brian’s disciplined approach, game preparation and attention to detail, and passion he displayed as our head coach. We look forward to taking the next step toward being a championship-caliber team.”

Hill returned to Orlando as head coach on May 24, 2005. He was 76-88 (.463) over the last two years, including 40-42 this past season. Orlando lost in the First Round of NBA Playoffs 2007 to top-seeded Detroit. Hill was named the NBA’s Coach of the Month this past November after guiding the team to a 12-4 start.

Hill also served as head coach of the Magic from 1993-97, posting a record of 191-104 (.647) during that span. He guided the Magic to the 1995 Eastern Conference title and a trip to the NBA Finals. Hill’s overall record with the Magic is 267-192 (.582). He also spent two-plus seasons as head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies (1997-2000) and has an overall head coaching record of 298-315 (.486).

Hill’s extensive coaching resume spans more than 35 years. His NBA career began in 1986, serving as an assistant to Mike Fratello in Atlanta. After four seasons with the Hawks (in which they were 200-128, .609), Hill joined the Orlando Magic as an assistant to Matt Guokas in 1990. After three seasons, he was promoted to head coach on June 30, 1993.

Hill has also spent two seasons (2001-02, 2002-03) as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Hornets and he served as an assistant on the New Jersey Nets coaching staff prior to re-joining the Magic.

Hill’s coaching career also includes high school and 14 years at the collegiate level. He began as an assistant at Montclair State (N.J.) in 1972, and held assistant coaching positions at Lehigh University and Penn State. He was the head coach at Lehigh for eight seasons.