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Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Maurice Cheeks announced today that the Sixers have hired Jim Lynam, John Loyer and Bernard Smith as assistant coaches, effective immediately.

Lynam, a veteran of more than 20 years in the NBA coaching ranks, joins the 76ers staff after serving as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers for the past four seasons (2001-05). Lynam's NBA resume includes 10 seasons as a head coach with three different teams - San Diego/L.A. Clippers (1983-85), Philadelphia 76ers (1987-92) and Washington Bullets (1995-97).

Lynam's first stint in Philadelphia began in 1985. After serving as an assistant coach under Matt Guokas for two and a half seasons, Lynam replaced Guokas as head coach 43 games into the 1987-88 season. In four-plus seasons as head coach, Lynam led the 76ers to a 194-173 record and was the runner-up for NBA Coach of the Year honors following a 53-29 record during the 1989-90 season, a season in which the Sixers captured the Atlantic Division title. Following his tenure as head coach with the Sixers, Lynam stepped into the front office as the 76ers General Manager.

Lynam made the jump to the NBA after several successful head-coaching stints at the collegiate level. He amassed an impressive 158-118 record in 10 college seasons at Fairfield University (1968-70), American University (1973-78) and Saint Joseph's University (1978-81). Lynam's .699 winning percentage at his alma mater, Saint Joseph's, ranks second in school history behind Jack Ramsay.

A three-year starter at Saint Joseph's (1960-63), Lynam scored 1,012 career points and helped the Hawks make three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 1961 NCAA Final Four.

Loyer joins the Sixers coaching staff after spending the last five seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, including the last two seasons as an assistant coach under Cheeks. Prior to his two seasons as an assistant coach, Loyer served as Portland's video coordinator (2002-03) and as an advance scout (2000-02).

Before joining the Trail Blazers staff in 2000, Loyer spent 12 years in the collegiate coaching ranks with stops at Wabash Valley College, the University of Akron and the University of Cincinnati. He was an assistant at Cincinnati for nine years during which the Bearcats made it to the Final Four once and to the Elite Eight twice. Overall, while an assistant coach on the college level, teams Loyer worked with posted a 234-86 (.731) record. The team Loyer helped recruit at Wabash Valley College went on to win the 2001 National Junior College championship.

Smith spent the 2004-05 season as an assistant coach for the Trail Blazers. He began his career in the NBA in Philadelphia where he worked in Sponsorship Sales with the 76ers for six years. Smith then moved to Portland where he was the video coordinator for the Trail Blazers for two seasons (2002-04). He attended East Stroudsburg (Pa.) College (1986-89) where he played point guard for the basketball team, but suffered a knee injury that ended his playing career prematurely.