Milwaukee Bucks interim head coach Jim Boylan will not return next season, the team announced Wednesday. Boylan took over the Bucks' vacant coaching position in January after then-coach Scott Skiles' firing.
"At this time we feel it's in the best interest of the organization to seek a new coach to lead our team," general manager John Hammond said, adding that a search for a new coach would begin "immediately."
Boylan owned a 22-28 overall record with a .440 winning percentage since taking over as Milwaukee's coach. The Bucks were able to capture the eighth and final playoff seed despite a 38-44 overall record.
Skiles held a previous record of 22-28 before the team decided to end his tenure in Milwaukee. Under Boylan, the Bucks won their first two games and eight of their first 11.
However, the team fell apart at the end of the season, losing 12 of their last 16 games to finish with a losing record for the third straight season. The Bucks were eventually swept and eliminated by the Miami Heat in the opening round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that Houston Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson, who is already a candidate for the Charlotte Bobcats' opening, will be among the candidates considered by the Bucks to replace Boyland, according to sources. Sampson previously served as an assistant with the Bucks from 2008-11 and owns a collegiate head coaching record of 496-271 with a .645 winning percentage while serving tenures at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana from 1981-2008.
Sampson's accomplishments include three Big 12 tournament championships (2001, 2002, 2003) and a regular season championship in 2005 while at Oklahoma. He was named the AP coach of the year in 1995 and the NABC national coach of the year in 2005.
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