Jun 21, 2007, 5:25 GMT
Sacramento, CA - Reggie Theus, who played 4 1/2 of his 13 seasons in the NBA with the Kings, was introduced as Sacramento's head coach at a press conference on Wednesday.
'I'm just extremely happy to be here,' Theus said. 'I'm excited. The only other time I can remember having this feeling was the day I got drafted to the NBA. It's just an amazing feeling. I'm anxious to get to work.'
Theus, who coached the past two years at New Mexico State, led the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999 this past season.
Theus' deal is for three years and worth a reported $6 million.
The 49-year-old Theus replaces Eric Musselman, who was fired on April 20. The Kings went just 33-49 last season, Musselman's first in Sacramento, and missed the playoffs for the first time since their 1997-98 campaign.
Prior to his time at New Mexico State, Theus spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino.
During his NBA playing career from 1978-91, Theus averaged 18.5 points. He was drafted by Chicago in the first round and played for the Bulls, Kings, Atlanta, Orlando and New Jersey.
'I've had a great ride and a long route to get here,' Theus said. 'It look a lot of turns, took me to a lot of very small crazy places.'
New Mexico State finished with a 25-9 record last season, winning the WAC Tournament before losing to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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