Education
Cardinal Hayes High School.
basketball coach basketball player
Cardinal Hayes High School.
Loughery spent 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (1962–1973), almost nine of them with the Baltimore Bullets. He became player-coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973, when the team had a 4–47 record, replacing Roy Rubin. The team slightly improved under Loughery, posting a 5–26 record for the remainder of the season.
Following the season, Loughery was replaced by Gene Shue.
After that disastrous season, Loughery retired as a player and became head coach of the American Basketball Association"s New York Nets the following season. After the American Bar Association disbanded and the Nets joined the National Basketball Association, Loughery continued to coach the Nets for their first five seasons in the league.
The team would also move to New Jersey and become the New Jersey Nets. He was fired midway through the 1980-1981 season and replaced by Bob MacKinnon.
Loughery was hired by the Atlanta Hawks the very next season and he guided them to two straight playoff appearances, including one with rookie Dominique Wilkins.
He was fired once again after the 1982-1983 season and replaced by Mike Fratello. The next two seasons, Loughery coached the Chicago Bulls. In his second season with rookie Michael Jordan, the Bulls made the playoffs.
In the book The Jordan Rules Michael was quoted as saying that Loughery was the most fun coach he ever played for and that Loughery allowed him to free-lance and play the style he wanted.
Loughery went to the Washington Bullets the next season as an assistant to Gene Shue. When Shue was fired with 13 games left in the 1985-1986 season, Loughery guided the team to the playoffs and once again the next season.
The Bullets got off to a bad start in 1987-1988 and Loughery was fired once again. After working in broadcasting, Loughery was hired by the Miami Heat as their second coach three years after they joined the league as an expansion team
Loughery guided the Heat to their first ever playoff appearance and again in 1993-1994.