Rothstein, Ron

Rothstein was the first coach in the history of the NBA's Miami Heat, and is currently the coach of the WNBA's Miami Sol. He played at the University of Rhode Island in the 1960s before becoming a coach.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
A three-year starter at the University of Rhode Island, Rothstein was team captain in 1964. That year, the Rams finished 19-7 and tied Connecticut for the conference championship. In the previous two seasons, they had records of 14-12 and 15-11 respectively.

After his collegiate career, Ron spent the next eighteen years as a high school and college coach. In 1979, he was named Westchester County (NY) Coach of the Year while at Eastchester High School. That same year, he began his NBA career as the northeastern regional scout for the Atlanta Hawks. In 1982, he scouted for the New York Knicks before returning to the Hawks as an assistant coach. He remained with Atlanta until 1986, when he joined the coaching staff of the Detroit Pistons under Chuck Daly. The next three seasons, Rothstein helped build the Pistons into a defensive powerhouse, and his strategies helped lead Detroit to back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990.

By the time Detroit captured its titles, Rothstein had become the Miami Heat's first head coach, accepting the position in 1988. He spent three seasons with the Heat, helping the expansion team's record improve each season, and then returned to the Pistons in 1991 as a scout and announcer. In 1992, Ron took over the head job in Detroit; the team narrowly missed the playoffs due to major injury problems during the season. From 1993-1999, he was an assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 1999, Rothstein returned both to Miami, and to head-coaching. He currently leads the Miami Sol of the WNBA.

Origin:
Bronx, New York

Career Dates:
Rothstein played at the University of Rhode Island from 1962-1964.

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