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Terry Porter will not return as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2005-2006 season, General Manager Larry Harris announced today. The club will honor the terms of the final year of Porter’s contract.

In two seasons with the Bucks, Porter posted a record of 71-93 and coached the Bucks to the playoffs in 2003-2004.

“The past six weeks have been consumed by my continued evaluation of our coaching situation and the basketball challenges going into the new season,” Harris said. “I have concluded after much thought that we need to go in a new direction with respect to the head coaching position. My job is to make our team the very best it can be and that often means making difficult decisions such as this one.”

“Obviously, I am disappointed by the decision,” said Porter. “However, I am grateful to Senator Kohl and Larry Harris for the opportunity they gave me.”

In the 2003-2004 season, Porter led the Bucks to a 41-41 (.500) record, including a tie for third place in the Central Division and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In the 2004-2005 season, Porter wrapped up his second season as head coach with a 30-52 record.

“Terry did an admirable job for us,” Harris said. “He is well respected within our organization and within the community. We fully expect that he will have other opportunities to coach at the NBA level, and we will support him wherever his career may take him.”

In 1,274 games as an NBA player, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals per game in his career during which his teams compiled a remarkable record of 815-547 (.598) and made the playoffs 16 times. Porter began his NBA career in Portland under Jack Ramsay, after the Trail Blazers selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 1985 Draft.

“We will now continue to focus on the June 28th draft while immediately beginning the process to fill our head coaching vacancy,” Harris stated.