Edmond A. "Ed" Tapscott III (born June 11, 1953) is an American sports executive. He is the former

interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...

head coach of the NBA's

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

Coaching

Tapscott received his bachelor's degree from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

and his Juris Doctor ( J.D.) from American University

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. He was an assistant to

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...

at American University in the 1970s while a law student, and took over head coaching duties in 1982. By the time Tapscott left American in 1990 to finally use his J.D. as director of team sports for Advantage International (a sports marketing and management firm), he was the coach with the 2nd highest winning percentage. He subsequently led the team to one of the program's biggest victories. On December 15, 1982, in his fifth game as coach Tapscott guided the Eagles to a 62–61 upset over its cross-town rival Georgetown who were led by

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

and ranked fifth in the nation. The game is also notable because the Washington Cardiovascular Institute had given the coach a portable heart monitor to wear during the game, with his heart rate jumping from a pregame rate of 68 to 130 to 170 in the second half. Tapscott almost scored another upset over a highly ranked Georgetown four years later but the Reggie Williams-led Hoyas held on 62-59 and Coach John Thompson dropped American University from its schedule thereafter. An NBA executive level professional for years, Tapscott was the first employee hired to lead the

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as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, but resigned after serving as president and chief executive officer in 2006. Tapscott formerly worked in the New York Knicks’ front office, including a stint as interim president and general manager. He’s perhaps best remembered in New York for the 1999 drafting of French center Frédéric Weis who never played a game in the NBA, but much less credited for formulating the New York Knicks team, which culminated its season in the

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. On November 24, 2008, Tapscott, at that time director of player development, was named as interim head coach, replacing

Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championship ...

after a dismal 1–10 start during the

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. General manager of the Wizards,

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, stated that Tapscott will run the team for the rest of the season. Tapscott made his professional coaching debut against the Golden State Warriors on November 25, 2008, a game which resulted in a win. Under Tapscott, the Wizards accrued an 18-53 record in the 2008-2009 season. After Flip Saunders was hired as coach of the Wizards, Tapscott returned to his position as the team's Director of Player Development.

Head coaching record

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References

External links

Ed Tapscott Coaching Info
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tapscott, Ed 1953 births Living people African-American sports executives and administrators American Eagles men's basketball coaches American sports executives and administrators College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Tufts Jumbos men's basketball players Washington College of Law alumni Washington Wizards executives Washington Wizards head coaches American men's basketball players Tufts University alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople