Fri Jun 20 19:02:17 2008

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Suns round out coaching staff, name four assistants

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Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Phoenix Suns president of basketball operations and general manager Steve Kerr announced Friday that Dan Majerle, Alvin Gentry, Bill Cartwright and Igor Kokoskov have been named the team's assistant coaches.

The Suns are less than two weeks removed from naming Terry Porter as their new head coach. Porter spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach under Flip Saunders in Detroit.

"We're thrilled to have been able to put together an extremely bright and versatile staff," Kerr said. "Alvin and Bill provide great knowledge and experience for Terry with both having been head coaches in the NBA.

Igor has worked with Terry on the Pistons' staff the last two years and brings a wealth of experience both on the NBA and international levels. Dan's passion and work ethic will make a huge impact with our players. We're excited to add to our staff one of the most tenacious players in franchise history."

Gentry will return for his fifth season as a Suns assistant, bringing back 29 years of coaching experience, including three stints as a head coach with Miami (1995), Detroit (1997-2000) and the Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03).

Cartwright joins the team after four seasons as an assistant with the Nets. He accumulated 10 years of experience as an assistant coach and spent parts of three seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

Majerle will be making his first foray into the coaching ranks, spending the last four seasons as an analyst on Suns television broadcasts. Majerle remains one of the team's most popular players, having been inducted into the team's Ring of Honor after eight seasons with Phoenix.

Kokoskov comes to the team after five seasons as an assistant with the Pistons, including the last two with Porter.