Suns adding former March Madness hero as assistant coach
The Phoenix Suns organization is adding one of the bigger names of 2016.
The Valley Suns, G League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns, announced this week that they have hired Paul Jesperson as an assistant coach. Jesperson is set to serve on the staff of Valley Suns head coach John Little.
College basketball fans will remember Jesperson as a former March Madness hero. During the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Jesperson, playing for Northern Iowa, hit a very memorable halfcourt buzzer-beater to upset Texas in the Round of 64. Though Northern Iowa would then go on to lose in the Round of 32 to Texas A&M that year, Jesperson’s shot remains an iconic once (especially since the Panthers have not made it back to the NCAA Tournament since).
Jesperson, now 31, went undrafted in 2016 and then played professionally for a couple years in Spain before going into coaching. He already got some NBA experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2020-23, serving as assistant video coordinator and then as a player development coach. Jesperson then spent the last year as director of player development/assistant coach for the University of Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team. Now Jesperson will be joining the extended organization of the Phoenix Suns, who have a rich history when it comes to March Madness legends.
