Thomas Barrise (February 3, 1954March 18, 2022) was an American basketball coach in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA). He became the interim head coach of the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
for two games in late 2009, replacing
Lawrence Frank
Lawrence Adam Frank (born August 23, 1970) is an American basketball coach who is currently working as the President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly served as head c ...
after the Nets began the 2009–10 season with 16 consecutive losses. Although there were talks of Barrise finishing out the season as interim head coach, the position ultimately went to Kiki Vandeweghe. The Nets lost both games in which he served as head coach.
Early life
Barrise was born in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. He graduated from Don Bosco Technical High School, where he played prep soccer.
Barisse studied at
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...
(FDU), where he was a two-sport athlete in basketball and soccer. He played four games for the Knights basketball team during the 1972–73 season and attempted one
field goal
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
. He graduated from FDU in 1977.
Coaching career
Barrise acted as head coach of
Ramapo College
Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college ...
from 1992 to 1995. During his tenure there, he compiled a
winning record
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...
in two of his three seasons. He concurrently worked for the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
as an advance scout until 1996. Barrise also coached basketball at his alma mater FDU,
Saint Peter's University
Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded as Saint Peter's College in 1872 by the Society of Jesus. The university offers over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 2,600 un ...
,
Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time ...
,
East Carolina University
East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina.
Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...
,
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College u ...
, and
William Paterson University
William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education.
Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...
.
Barrise subsequently joined the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
as an advance scout around 1996 and served in that capacity for eight seasons. He was eventually promoted to assistant coach when
Lawrence Frank
Lawrence Adam Frank (born August 23, 1970) is an American basketball coach who is currently working as the President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly served as head c ...
became head coach of the franchise in January 2004, with Barrise swapping roles with Don Newman. Following a 0–16 start to the 2009–10 season, Frank was dismissed in late November 2009 and Barrise was subsequently appointed interim head coach. He oversaw a further two losses, which established a new record for most consecutive losses to start an NBA season. He was succeeded as head coach by Kiki Vandeweghe, the Nets general manager at the time, and served briefly as his assistant before being appointed special assistant to team president
Rod Thorn
Rodney King Thorn (born May 23, 1941) is an American basketball executive and a former professional player and coach, Olympic Committee Chairman, with a career spanning over 50 years. In 2018, Thorn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Baske ...
on January 17, 2010. Barrise was a candidate to become head coach of the FDU Knights, but did not get the job. He eventually returned to his previous position as assistant coach in July of that same year under
Avery Johnson
Avery DeWitt Johnson (born March 25, 1965) is an American basketball television commentator and former player and coach who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is currently an NBA and college ...
. Following the 2011–12 season, Barrise's contract was not renewed by the Nets.
Personal life
Barrise was engaged to Linda Krissi at the time of his death. He was previously married to Mary, with whom he had one child, Taylor.
Barrise died on March 18, 2022, at the age of 68. He suffered from cancer prior to his death.
Head coaching record
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New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...