Joe Spinks
American basketball player and coach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph S. Spinks (born June 20, 1972[1]) is an American-Dutch retired basketball player and coach. He played eight seasons for ABC Amsterdam in the Netherlands and is considered one of the best players to have played in the Eredivisie.[2] Spinks also was head coach and assistant coach for Amsterdam for two years.[3] Spink's nickname during his playing career was "the Bull".[4]
(Asheboro, North Carolina)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1972 Asheboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Dutch |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Asheboro (Asheboro, North Carolina) |
| College | Campbell (1990–1994) |
| NBA draft | 1994: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1994–2006 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 34, 8 |
| Coaching career | 2006–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1994–1995 | Södertälje |
| 1995–1996 | Lahti |
| 1996–1997 | Vilvoorde |
| 1997–1998 | Illiabum |
| 1998–2006 | Ricoh Astronauts Amsterdam |
Coaching | |
| 2006 | MyGuide Amsterdam (interim head coach) |
| 2006–2008 | Amsterdam (assistant coach) |
| 2011–present | Eastern Guilford HS |
| Career highlights | |
| |
College career
Professional career
Spinks started his career in 1994 with Södertälje BBK of the Swedish Basketligan. In the following season, he played with Namika Lahti in the Finnish Korisliiga.
In 1996, Spinks had the opportunity to play work out for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), however, after a torn achilles.[6]
After stints in Belgium and Portugal, he arrived to the Amsterdam Astronauts in 1998. He would stay on the team for 12 seasons, becoming a star player and helping the team win as much as six Dutch national championships. Spinks retired from playing at age 33 due to a knee injury.[6]
Coaching career
In 2006, Spinks took over as interim head coach of the Amsterdam Astronauts and guided them to the league semifinals.[6] In the following two years, he was an assistant coach on the Amsterdam team that won two more Eredivisie titles.[5] Spinks returned with his family to the United States in 2009.[7] Spinks is currently the boys head coach at Eastern Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Honors
Professional
Astronauts Amsterdam
- 6× Dutch Championship (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008)
- 2× Dutch Cup (2004, 2006)
- 2× DBL Most Valuable Player (2000, 2003)
- 4× All-DBL Team (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)
- DBL Playoffs MVP(2005)[8]
- FEB Cup MVP (2003)[9]
- 2× DBL All-Star (2000, 2001)
College
- Big South Conference Player of the Year (1994)
- Big South Conference Rookie of the Year (1991)
- 3× First Team All-Big South Conference (1992, 1993, 1994)
- Second Team All-Big South Conference (1991)
- Campbell University Hall of Fame (2010)