1 - University of Kentucky Athletics

Vonn Read
Assistant Coach Vonn Read enters his third season at
Kentucky after five years in the professional ranks
Vonn Read is in his third
season at Kentucky after
spending five years in the professional
ranks. He joined the
UK Hoops staff in May 2005.
“I respect Vonn’s knowledge
of basketball as much as anyone
I’ve ever been around,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell
said. “He is the definition of a student of the game.
He really takes his job seriously and has a tremendous
amount of passion for his job. He’s a very good basketball
coach and I am fortunate enough to have
someone with his knowledge and his experience on
our staff. He makes my job much easier.”
Read has coached a talented group of post
players, including Jennifer Humphrey who catapulted
to the No. 2 rebounder in UK Hoops history.
She became just the third player in school
history to average more than 10 rebounds in a single
season when she grabbed a team-high 10.3 rpg
last season. Humphrey also was just the second
player in school history to eclipse the 800-point
and 900-rebound mark for her career (All-American
Valerie Still was the other).
Under Read’s direction, UK interior players
have ranked in the top 15 in the SEC in rebounding,
blocked shots and field goal percentage two
consecutive seasons.
“I am really excited about the opportunity to
stay here at Kentucky with Coach Mitchell,” Read
said. “I have the utmost respect for him and I am
confident he will take this program to the next
level. He is a great motivator, knows the game
extremely well, and has an excellent work ethic.
Our players have believed in him from day one,
and that will be very apparent in their effort on
the court. This program and the players will benefit
tremendously from his leadership.”
Read came to Kentucky after serving as an
assistant coach under Dale Osbourne for the
United States Basketball League’s (USBL) Dodge
City Legend (2005). He was responsible for developing
the entire offensive system and assisted in
the development of the defensive system. Read
spent the 2004 WNBA season as an assistant
coach in charge of player development for the San
Antonio Silver Stars under former NBA standout
Dee Brown. He also worked with Brown as an
assistant coach for the WNBA’s Orlando Miracle
during the 2002 season. Former UK great Valerie
Still was a member of the coaching staff and he
also coached new UK assistant coach Wendy
Palmer, helping orchestrate the trade to bring her
to Orlando from Detroit.
Prior to the Stars, Read spent five years (1999-
2004) with the NBA’s Orlando Magic under Coach
Glenn “Doc” Rivers. He worked the first two seasons
in video scouting with the Magic, helping with
all aspects of game preparation. He also broke down
preparing detailed scouting reports for the coaching
staff to assist in game preparation during the regular
season and the playoffs. He also served as an assistant
coach for the Magic’s summer league team in 2001.
During Read’s stint as a scout, the Magic earned a
berth in the NBA Playoffs for three straight seasons
(2001, 2002, 2003). During the 2003 season, he
worked as an advance scout for the WNBA’s Charlotte
Sting.
Before working in Orlando, Read’s first professional
coaching stop came on Hall of Famer Cheryl
Miller’s coaching staff for the WNBA’s Phoenix
Mercury. During the 2000 season, Read helped
lead the Mercury to the playoffs and a franchisebest
20-12 record. Prior to that, he worked two
years (1997-99) as an assistant at Spelman College
(Atlanta, Ga.,) where he was in charge of advance
opponent scouting and practice planning. During
his two years at Spelman, he also worked for Turner
Sports Broadcasting as senior archivist and production
assistant for Turner’s NBA telecasts. In
addition, he worked the 1998 Goodwill Games in
Coaching Career
2005-present: Assistant Coach, Kentucky
2005: Assistant Coach, Dodge City Legend (USBL)
2004: Assistant Coach, San Antonio Silver Stars (WNBA)
2003: Advance Scout, Charlotte Sting (WNBA)
2002: Assistant Coach, Orlando Miracle (WNBA)
2001: Assistant Coach, Orlando Magic (NBA
Summer League)
2001-2004: Advance Scout, Orlando Magic (NBA)
2000: Assistant Coach, Phoenix Mercury (WNBA)
1997-1999: Assistant Coach, Spelman College
1999-2001: Video Scout, Orlando Magic (NBA)
Personal
Full Name: Vonn Lee Read
Birthday: 9/20/71
Family: Daughter; April (14)
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wis.
High School: Milwaukee Vincent
College: Clark Atlanta, ’97
Degree: Bachelor of science degree in political science
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Under Read’s direction, UK interior players have ranked in the top
15 in the SEC in rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage
two consecutive seasons.
game film and assisted with the Magic’s video preparation
for the 2000 and 2001 NBA Draft. His last
three seasons were spent as an advance scout where
he traveled to NBA games and scouted the Magic’s
upcoming opponents. He also was responsible for
On Kentucky:
“My two years at Kentucky has been a great experience,
and there is no other place I’d rather be. Our basketball
program has tremendous leadership and it starts with
our president Dr. Lee Todd and athletics director Mitch
Barnhart. They have given us the support and resources
to build this program into one of the premiere programs in
the country! We have the best fans in the country, and
they are also very supportive of our program.”
78 • 2007-08 Women’s Basketball