Vogel knew early on career would be coaching
Frank Vogel is officially the head coach of the Lakers.
The 45-year-old is taking over a team that, despite adding LeBron James last summer, missed out on the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. He’s replacing Luke Walton, who parted ways with the organization in April after three consecutive losing seasons.
Vogel is a proven head coach with a record of 304-291 after stints with the Pacers (2010-16) and Magic (2016-18). But make no mistake: He has a tall task at hand.
So who is Vogel? Five things you might not know about the Lakers’ newest hire.
He got his start in the NBA as a video coordinator
He served in that role with the Celtics from 1997 to 2001 before becoming an assistant coach. He then became an assistant in Philadelphia and then Indiana before being promoted to head coach of the Pacers. He also served as a scout for the Lakers and Wizards.
He’s a family man
Vogel is married. and he and his wife, Jenifer, have two daughters, Alexa and Arianna. Vogel is dedicated to the job, but he also feels it’s important to have dinner with his family when he’s home.
It’s a similar philosophy that he shares with Celtics coach Brad Stevens. In fact, the two are friendly, having both lived in Indianapolis when Vogel coached the Pacers and Stevens coached Butler University.
When Stevens accepted the Celtics’ job in 2013, he leaned on Vogel.
“I only knew a couple people well enough to call them to say, ‘Hey, help.’ Frank and I, two years in a row, went out for long, long dinners and just talked,” Stevens told The Indianapolis Star. “I’m diving into the NBA. In retrospect, I’m probably asking him the dumbest questions in the world.
“But you know, I’ve got a lot to learn and it’s a totally different game, and he was awesome. He is awesome. I love the guy.”
He’s a Rick Pitino disciple
Vogel started his college basketball career in the 1990s at Division III Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. But he knew he wasn’t going to play beyond college, so he started thinking about his career and wanted to coach.
He began writing letters to former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino and then met him at a basketball camp. Vogel transferred to Kentucky and became one of the student managers for the team, which won a national title.
Vogel, who earned a degree in biology, also played a season for Kentucky’s junior varsity team and eventually followed Pitino to the Celtics.
He led the Pacers to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals
Coincidentally, Vogel’s Pacers ran into the James-led Heat and lost both times. Vogel is a stickler for defense, and those Pacers teams (2012-13, 201314) — headlined by Paul George — were elite on that end of the floor, leading the NBA in defensive rating in both of those regular seasons.
He has a unique coaching style
Vogel gives his players freedom, but he also demands accountability, which should suit him well with the Lakers.
Vogel’s teams have never been great offensively, but he knows how to coach offense in this era. With the Lakers, he has plenty of offensive weapons, and if the front office can provide him with more 3-point shooting, he will design a space-and-pace system around James.