Source: Nuggets’ Noel Gillespie offered Swarm head-coach position

The Charlotte Hornets have offered their head-coaching position with the Greensboro Swarm to Denver Nuggets assistant coach-advance scout Noel Gillespie, an informed source confirmed Friday.

Gillespie has 14 years of NBA experience, including 10 with the Phoenix Suns before he moved to the Nuggets. Gillespie got his start in the NBA breaking down video for the Indiana Pacers.

The Hornets decided to start their own Development League franchise in proximity to Charlotte as a player-development initiative. Gillespie will run the same offensive and defensive systems Hornets coach Steve Clifford does.

The Hornets offered the job in June to Sean Rooks, but Rooks, a former NBA center, died unexpectedly at the age of 46. That development caused a second coaching search that stretched past the Hornets’ participation at Orlando summer league. General manager Rich Cho had hoped to hire a Swarm coach in time for him to interact with the summer league team, mostly players who could end up in Greensboro.

The Vertical first reported Gillespie’s connection to the Swarm.

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Source: Nuggets’ Noel Gillespie offered Swarm head-coach position."