Walter McCarty hired as Evansville head coach

Boston Celtics assistant and Evansville native Walter McCarty has been hired as the new head coach of the Evansville Purple Aces, the school announced Thursday.

“His personality, experience and infectious energy really set him apart,” AD Mark Spencer said. “Nobody would have been able to sell Evansville to recruits like Walter McCarty.”

McCarty has been with Brad Stevens in Boston since 2013 and also played for the team for most of his NBA career. This will be his first head coaching job and second collegiate job overall: he was an assistant at Louisville under Rick Pitino for three seasons.

The 44-year-old McCarty starred at Harrison HS in Evansville before playing four years under Pitino at Kentucky. There he was a member of the 1996 NCAA National Championship team. He would later play for Pitino for another four years with the Celtics.

The school will hold a press conference Friday evening to officially introduce McCarty.