Former Jayhawk star hired as Orlando Magic head coach

Jacque Vaughn, a star point guard for Kansas from 1993 to 1997, was selected by Orlando Magic management to be the team’s next head coach.

At age 37, Vaughn is a young head coach by NBA standards. But it was his leadership and spirit qualities Magic general manager Rob Hennigan saw in Vaughn that led to his hiring, according to an Associated Press report.

Prior to getting the job in Orlando, Vaughn was an assistant coach for two years in San Antonio under Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Vaughn, whose jersey can be seen hanging in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse, averaged 9.6 points, 6.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game during his four years at the University. He is currently second all-time at Kansas with 804 assists.

After those four years, the Utah Jazz drafted Vaughn with the 27th overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Vaughn played for the Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets, the Magic and the Spurs over 12 years. He won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2007 and retired with the team in 2009

Vikaas is a senior from Naperville, Ill. majoring in journalism. Read more from Vikaas Shanker.

• Updated Jul. 28, 2012 at 8:01 pm