Mike Fratello

Mike Fratello

Mike Fratello comments a basketball game.
Personal information
Born (1947-02-24) February 24, 1947
North Haledon, New Jersey
Nationality American
Career information
High school Hackensack
(Hackensack, New Jersey)
College Montclair State
Coaching career 1970–2014
Career history
As coach:
1970–1972 Rhode Island (assistant)
1972–1975 James Madison (assistant)
1975–1978 Villanova (assistant)
1978–1982 Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
1982–1983 New York Knicks (assistant)
1983–1990 Atlanta Hawks
1993–1999 Cleveland Cavaliers
2004–2006 Memphis Grizzlies
2011–2014 Ukraine
Career highlights and awards

Michael Robert "Mike" Fratello (born February 24, 1947) is an American sports broadcaster and a professional basketball coach. Currently, Fratello is the analyst for Brooklyn Nets broadcasts on the YES Network and for nationally televised games on TNT. He previously coached the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, served as NBC's lead analyst, and was also the head coach of the Ukraine national basketball team.

Fratello is among the winningest head coaches in NBA history, ranking respectively 18th and 19th in all-time regular season wins (667) and games coached (1,215).

Background

Fratello was born in Hackensack, New Jersey to his parents, Vincent and Marie. He graduated from Hackensack High School, where he was captain of the basketball, baseball, football and field hockey teams. He was named to the Bergen "All County" Football team as a center in his senior year. He then went on to Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey to play football.[1] Upon graduation he returned to Hackensack H.S. as an assistant for both the basketball and football teams. Fratello then went on to the University of Rhode Island as a graduate assistant assigned to head coach Tom Carmody, also coaching the U.R.I. freshman basketball team. He had been a college basketball assistant at James Madison University under Lou Campanelli and served as an assistant for Rollie Massimino at Villanova before going to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks during Hubie Brown's tenure. He is also of Italian descent.

Coaching

Fratello was head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from December 2004 to December 2006. In his first season he inherited a 5–11 team that he turned around to win 40 games and advance to the playoffs. Fratello built on that record the following year to win 49 games and return to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Before departing in December 2006, his record was 6–24 taking his overall record with Memphis to 95–83.

Prior to working with the Grizzlies, Fratello had coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks. In his six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers his record was 248 wins and 212 losses. Fratello took the Cavaliers to the playoffs four times. Fratello coached the Hawks for seven seasons and posted a 324–250 record, making the post-season playoffs five times and winning the Central Division in 1987 with 57 wins. Fratello was named Coach of the Year for the 1985–86 NBA season. His NBA career stats are 667 wins and 548 losses for a .549 average. His teams have qualified for the playoffs in eleven of his 16 seasons as a head coach.

One of the most respected basketball minds despite having never won an NBA championship as a head coach, Fratello ranks 19th on the NBA's all-time win list and 21st in games coached.

On February 24, 2011, Fratello was officially announced as the Ukraine national basketball team head coach and on March 3, 2011, he was introduced to the Ukrainian media at a press-conference in Kyiv.[2] After the successes he provided for Ukraine, including their first ever FIBA World Cup appearance, it was announced that Fratello would not coach for Ukraine for EuroBasket 2015.[3] He would be replaced by Yevgin Murzin as the nation's Team Ukraine basketball team.

Broadcasting

NBC/TNT

Fratello has been a television commentator for NBC Sports and is currently a main color commentator of TNT, working once again with longtime play-by-play announcer Marv Albert, who first paired up with Fratello in the 1990–91 NBA season as the main announcing team for the NBA on NBC. Starting with the 2008–09 NBA season Fratello also began working with Marv Albert doing New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network.

During his stint as a color commentator, Marv Albert dubbed him "The Czar of the Telestrator" for his masterful way of diagramming basketball plays on screen.

Return to TNT

For the 2007–08 season, TNT rehired Fratello as a full-time commentator, allowing him to work once again with longtime play-by-play announcer Marv Albert, who first paired up with Fratello in the 1990–91 season as the main announcing team for the NBA on NBC. Reggie Miller, who had split time between TNT's studio and the booth the past two years, also became a full-time game analyst, joining Albert and Fratello on the sidelines.

Prior to Kerr's departure in the summer of 2014 to become the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, he was part of a 3-man booth with his YES counterpart Marv Albert and Steve Kerr.

With the YES Network

Since the 2008–09 season, Fratello has worked with Marv Albert and Ian Eagle on New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets games on the YES Network. Fratello was hired after the unexpected resignation of former color analyst Mark Jackson from the network. Fratello is currently paired with Ian Eagle during Nets games as of the 2012–13 season.

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win-loss %
Post season PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win-loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Atlanta 1980–81 303.000(interim)———— —
Atlanta 1983–84 824042.4883rd in Central523.400 Lost in First Round
Atlanta 1983–84 823448.4155th in Central———— Missed playoffs
Atlanta 1985–86 825032.6102nd in Central945.444 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta 1986–87 825725.6951st in Central945.444 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta 1987–88 825032.6103rd in Central1266.500 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta 1988–89 825230.6343rd in Central523.400 Lost in First Round
Atlanta 1989–90 824141.5006th in Central———— Missed playoffs
Cleveland 1993–94 824735.5734th in Central303.000 Lost in First Round
Cleveland 1994–95 824339.5244th in Central413.250 Lost in First Round
Cleveland 1995–96 824735.5733rd in Central303.000 Lost in First Round
Cleveland 1996–97 824240.5125th in Central———— Missed playoffs
Cleveland 1997–98 824735.5735th in Central413.250 Lost in First Round
Cleveland 1998–99 502228.4407th in Central———— Missed playoffs
Memphis 2004–05 664026.6064th in Southwest404.000 Lost in First Round
Memphis 2005–06 824933.5983rd in Southwest404.000 Lost in First Round
Memphis 2006–07 30624.200(fired)———— —
Career 1,215667548.549 622042.323

Personal life

Fratello is married[4] with two kids, a son named Marc [5][6] and a daughter named Kristi.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Mike Fratello, Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed November 1, 2007.
  2. ↑ http://ukrbasket.net/ua/news/715.htm
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIZOzS9BNXg
  4. ↑ http://newsok.com/from-sunrise-to-sunset-fratello-is-all-basketball/article/2197232
  5. ↑ https://twitter.com/mikefratello/status/13315801528
  6. ↑ http://mikefratello.com/2010/01/14/mikes-memorabilia-red-auerbach-trophy-2/
  7. ↑ http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/25915/85-friendship-and-the-fratello-fraternity
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