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Kenny Atkinson to be inducted into Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame

Photo: Yahoo Sports

Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is among the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020.

An announcement was made earlier this month, releasing the names of this year’s Hall of Fame class.

The induction ceremony will take place on May 26 in Smithtown, New York.

The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1990.

Atkinson, a native of Northport, New York, began his coaching career as an assistant for Paris Basket Racing in 2004, followed by assistant coaching gigs with the New York Knicks (2008-12) and Atlanta Hawks (2012-16). The Nets named him head coach in 2016.

Atkinson’s playing days

Kenny Atkinson attended the University of Richmond and played point guard for the Spiders. Atkinson helped guide the Spiders to an NCAA Sweet Sixteen berth in 1988. 

Undrafted out of college in 1990, Atkinson eventually embarked on a lengthy pro career overseas. But first he competed in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association and the United States Basketball League, which folded in 2008.

Before retiring in 2004, Atkinson played in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

Steady improvement

Under Kenny Atkinson’s leadership, the Nets increased their win total in each of his previous three seasons at the helm. They won 20 in 2016-17, then 28 in 2017-18 and 42 last season.

Therefore, there are greater expectations for the team this season and for the coming years.

However, the Nets are 18-23 entering this week.

Which means Kenny Atkinson has his work cut out for him. Recently, though, he said that he’s confident in the team’s ability to right the ship.

From Richmond To The NBA: The Journey of Kenny Atkinson

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