Wake Forest Hires Jeff Nix as Director of Men's Basketball Operations
Longtime Knicks coach and executive joins Demon Deacon staff

June 23, 2011

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest has hired longtime New York Knicks coach and front office executive Jeff Nix as its director of men's basketball operations, as announced by head coach Jeff Bzdelik.

Nix brings a wealth of NBA and collegiate coaching experience to the Demon Deacon basketball staff. He spent 15 years in the Knicks organization, serving in a number of roles including eight years as an assistant coach (1992-2000), five years as assistant general manager (2000-05) and two years as the director of scouting (2005-07).

"We hit a home run in the hiring of Jeff Nix as our director of basketball operations," said Bzdelik. "His loyalty, integrity, knowledge and experience takes a backseat to no one. He will be a great asset to our basketball program and the entire Wake Forest University community."

Known as "Nix of the Knicks" he was a member of the Knicks' coaching staff for the organization's Eastern Conference Championship teams in both 1994 and 1999. Nix served as an assistant under three Knicks head coaches, including Pat Riley (1992-95), Don Nelson (1995-96) and Jeff Van Gundy (1996-2000).

Nix and Bzdelik worked together for one season with the Knicks when Bzdelik was the team's lead scout and Nix was an assistant coach under Riley in 1994-95.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to be involved once again on the collegiate level, working at a great institution like Wake Forest and with an outstanding basketball coach in Jeff Bzdelik. The longer you spend in this profession the more you find yourself gravitating to positions where you're working with someone who you really respect," said Nix. "Obviously Wake Forest is in a great conference and has a great basketball tradition, but more importantly it is one of the top universities in the country. It's an honor to be a part of this community."

Nix boasts 13 years as an assistant coach on the collegiate level, including stops at his alma mater Canisius (1979-81), St. Francis University (1981-84), Loyola University Maryland (1984-85), Xavier (1985-87) and Notre Dame (1987-92).

Nix made five NCAA Tournament appearances (1986, 1987 at Xavier; 1988, 1989, 1990 at Notre Dame) and one NIT appearance (1992 at Notre Dame) as an assistant coach.

Nix has previous ties to Wake Forest basketball as he worked alongside former Deacon head coach Skip Prosser during his two seasons at Xavier. The pair served as assistant coaches under Pete Gillen. Also, current Wake Forest assistant coach Walt Corbean played under Nix and the Xavier staff from 1985-87.

Nix was a member of Gillen's first staff at Xavier and helped the Musketeers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's first-ever Tournament victory in 1987.

Nix left Xavier to join Digger Phelps' staff at Notre Dame. He coached four seasons under Phelps, helping the Fighting Irish to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Nix then spent one season at Notre Dame under John MacLeod before making the leap to the professional level to join Riley's coaching staff with the Knicks.

In 2005, Nix co-founded Camouflage Kids, Inc., which is a national non-profit organization that purchases collegiate athletic event tickets for the families and children of those serving in the military.

Nix began the program when he purchased 2005-06 season tickets to Air Force basketball games and donated them to children at nearby Fort Carson. Two years later, Camouflage Kids was officially born as the program spread to colleges and universities across the country.

Camouflage Kids annually awards the Skip Prosser Scholarship, as Prosser was a big supporter of the program. Over the past three years, the program has awarded 11 college scholarships to worthy military children from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Naval Station Great Lakes in Chicago.

Nix graduated from Canisius in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He lettered two seasons on the basketball team at Canisius. Nix earned his Master of Sport Administration degree from Canisius in May of 2011.

A native of Portville, N.Y., Nix was inducted into the Portville Central School Hall of Fame in 2003 for his educational, professional and athletic accomplishments.

An aviation enthusiast, Nix is the holder of an airplane pilot's license.

Nix completes Bzdelik's staff for the upcoming season. He replaces Walt Corbean, who served as the program's director of basketball operations for the past four seasons and was promoted to assistant coach on May 18. Bzdelik's coaching staff for the 2011-12 season also includes associate head coach Jeff Battle and assistant coach Rusty LaRue.