Cleveland Cavaliers legend and four-time NBA All-Star Mark Price leads a first-class short-list of international candidates for a head-coaching role with the NBL’s newest franchise the South Dragons.

Price joins two-time NBA champion Cliff Levingston (Chicago Bulls) as the second NBA player to be short listed by the South Dragons for a coaching position with the Victorian based club.

As well as the NBA experienced players will be former NBA head coach Morris “Mo” McHone, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs in 1989.

McHone, currently head coach of USA Basketball’s Men’s World Championship Qualifying Team, has a distinguished American coaching record including two seasons (2000/02 and 2002/03) as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers and two seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons (1999-2000 and 2000-01).

The Dragons have also approached coaching staff from American collegiate ranks. UCLA assistant of seven years Jim Saia and former Boise State head coach Rod Jensen are amongst the interview candidates scheduled for videoconference.

Rounding out the international short-list is European based coach Gordie Herbert.

“The prospect of any of these candidates coaching the South Dragons is very exciting, not just for us as a club, but for Australian basketball,” said Dragons’ chairman Mark Cowan.

“Our promise to Victorian fans was that we were going to deliver a fresh and exciting approach and this announcement is proof that we intend to do so.”

For the Dragons, the process of identifying coaching potentials began in November 2005, with scout Adrian Newall charged with isolating player and coaching candidates befitting to the organizations vision.

In less than two months Newall visited over a dozen US cities, meeting face-to-face with all prospective coaches. The majority of coaches on Newall’s list were sourced through referral rather than advertising.

“We’ve taken on board feedback from the basketball public suggesting they’d like us to get a coach with experience in either Europe or the American college system,” added Cowan.

“However, the overwhelming preference was for us to target coaches from the NBA, be it an ex-player or coach, and we’re excited to have every category covered.

“Any of these candidates are capable of delivering exactly what we’re looking for and I expect it will be very difficult to chose just one, I feel like a kid in a candy shop at the moment.”

Price, who was a back-to-back NBA All-Star three-point shootout champion in both 1993 and 1994, lead the Cleveland Cavaliers through their most successful franchise period, including ten play-off appearances.

“Mark’s the best career free-throw shooter in NBA history, an achievement in itself that speak volumes of his work ethic and talent,” said Cowan.

The six new candidates were chosen from a broader list of 30 international applicants, and complement the four Australian based candidates released by the Dragons last week: Mike Kelly, Michele Timms, Lori Chizik and Rupert Sapwell.

Former Perth Wildcats captain Ricky Grace withdrew from the interview process last Friday, citing other business opportunities as his motive.

All coaching candidates will be interviewed over the coming three days, with Australian based potentials to sit before a Dragons panel, whilst all international candidates will be interviewed via video hook-up.

“At the end of the interview process, a preferred candidate will brought to Melbourne for further discussion,” Cowan added.

The International Short-List

Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers/Washington Bullets/Golden State
Named NBA All-Star four times (1989, 1992-94)… led the NBA in free throw percentage twice (1991-92, ‘92-93)… won the NBA’s Long Distance Shootout back-to-back years (1993-94)… Price ranks first among all Cavaliers in three-point field goals made and attempted, assists, steals and free throw percentage… He also ranks among the top 10 all-time in franchise history in points scored (3rd), three-point field goal percentage (3rd), free throws made (3rd), field goals made (4th), field goals attempted (4th), games played (5th), free throws attempted (5th) and minutes played (5th)… Price was named to the Cavaliers’ All-Time Starting Five by 32 members of the Northeast Ohio media during the Cavaliers 30th Anniversary season… He was also the leading vote-getter on the Cavs All- Time Team, as voted on by the Cleveland fans… the Cavaliers retired his no. 25 jersey on November 13, 1999… Highest free-throw percentage, career
(minimum 1,200 made) .904-Mark Price, Cleveland, 1986-87-1994-95; Washington, 1995-96; Golden State, 1996-97 (2,135/2,362)

Morris ‘Mo’ McHone, USA Men’s World Championship Team head coach
Current head coach of USA Basketball’s 2005 Men’s World Championship Qualifying Team, McHone spent two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03) as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers and was an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons for two seasons (1999-2000 and 2000-01). His first NBA job was in 1979-80 as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers under Stan Albeck. The two coaches moved to San Antonio the following season, where they led the Spurs to three-straight division titles (1981-83). McHone served as the Spurs’ head coach for 31 games during the 1983-84 season before spending one more season (1985-86) as an assistant in Cleveland. Prior to his return to the NBA in 1999, McHone spent seven years as a head coach in the CBA. He posted a 229-168 (.577 winning percentage) record and became just the second coach in CBA history to win the league championship in back-to-back seasons. He led the Yakima Sun Kings to the 1995 CBA crown and then coached the Sioux Falls Skyforce to the 1996 CBA title. During the five seasons between 1994-95 and 1998-99 he guided his teams to the CBA finals four times. McHone was a two-time winner of the CBA’s Coach of the Year award, earning the honor in 1995 with Yakima and in 1997 when he led Sioux Falls to a 47-9 record, the fourth-best mark in league history. A 1965 graduate of Florida State University, McHone also has 14 years of experience as a college assistant coach, including stints at Florida State (1970-78), University of Georgia (1978-79) and Bradley University (1986-91).

Cliff Levingston, Detroit Pistons/Atlanta Hawks/Chicago Bulls/Denver Nuggets
2005 Head coach of St. Louis Flight (ABA)… 2004 Harlem Globetrotters competition squad coach… 2001-03 Head coach of Dodge City Legends, leading the club to the Western Conference Championships, USBL Championship and earned USBL Coach of the year honours… NBA career spanning 11 seasons (Detroit Pistons 1983-84, Atlanta Hawks 1985-90, Chicago Bulls 1990-91, Denver Nuggets 1995)

Jim Saia, Assistant coach UCLA (1997-2003)
Interim head coach for University of Southern California basketball for 2004-2005… assistant coach at UCLA (1997-2003), where he helped the Bruins advance to an Elite Eight (1997) and make five Sweet 16 appearances (1998-2002)… Saia coached 10 Bruins who went on to the NBA, including Baron Davis, Dan Gadzuric, Earl Watson, Jason Kapono and Jerome Moiso… head coach at Columbia College, a junior college in Sonora, CA (1994-96). During his two-year head-coaching career at Columbia, he led the Claim Jumpers to a 61-10 overall record, two Central Valley Conference (CVC) championships and he earned two CVC Coach of the Year honors. In 1996, Columbia advanced to the Final Eight in state junior college play and ended the season ranked No. 3 with a 30-5 overall record. Saia's 1995 club was rated No. 7 in the state and finished with an overall record of 31-5. His two-year conference mark was 25-3. Every sophomore on Saia's Columbia teams graduated or pursued their education at a four-year college. When Saia took over the Columbia program in 1994, the Claim Jumpers had no returning starters and he only had six weeks to recruit a team. His 1994-95 squad, picked for last place in the coaches' preseason poll, finished with a 31-5 overall record. Prior to his head coaching stint at Columbia, Saia was an assistant coach at the Division I level at Fresno State (1990-94, earning a Master's degree), Indiana State (1989-90) and at California (1988-89). During his years at Fresno State, the Bulldogs in 1994 were 21-11 overall and advanced to the NIT and in 1991, FSU was runner-up in the Big West Tournament. While at Cal in 1989, the Golden Bears were 20-13 overall and also played in the NIT. In 1994, Saia was head coach of the Athletes In Action USA team and in 1993 he coached AIA's Division I summer tour squad. A respected clinician, Saia was director of the Fresno State Camp from 1990-94 and has toured the country lecturing at clinics about individual offensive and defensive skills.

Rod Jensen, Boise State
Currently at University of North Carolina – Greensboro… Head coach at Boise State University where he compiled a 109-93 record… in 1998-99, he led the Broncos to the Big West Conference East Division title with a 12-4 mark en route to a 21-8 overall record… Jensen is the second winningest men's basketball coach in Boise State school history. Prior to being named head coach at Boise State, Jensen served as an assistant coach at the school for 12 seasons and helped the team advance to the NCAA Tournament three times (1988, 1993 and 1994).

Gordie Herbert, Paris, France 2004
U.U. Korihait, Finland 1994-96 Silver medal in the Championship division, 1994-95… Finnish National Team Coach of the Finnish Junior National Team 1995-97… HONKA, Finland 1996-99… Oberwart Gunners, Austria 99-00 (named Coach of the Year)… Canadian National Team… Wurzberg, Germany 2000-01… OPEL SKYLINERS, Frankfurt Germany 2001-04... Paris Basket Racing, France 2004 –