Tony ronzone biography

Renowned for his international basketball acumen, Tony Ronzone began his coaching career as the youngest head coach in New Zealand history (age 22).
Ronzone, a 6-foot-1 guard, played for Nevada from 1983-85 before transferring to Long Beach State.
USA Basketball Gold Medal / 2010 World Championship Gold Medal / 2004 Detroit Pistons NBA champs/twins.

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Story by Sam Stern

The Arizona State Men’s Basketball program has had its share of ups and downs throughout the season. For sophomore guards, Cade and Austin Ronzone, being a part of the team is more than just basketball. After growing up with a father that had a history in basketball coaching and recruiting at the college and professional level, working toward playing at the collegiate level was a no-brainer.

The path was not an easy one coming out of high school for the Ronzone brothers in 2020. Coming from Bishop O’Dowd high school in Oakland, California, the build up for a potential state championship was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. As with the great majority of people around the world, the two of them had to adapt on the fly in order to figure out where they would play in college. The two star guards would garner numerous Division two and three offers, but an offer from Arizona State stood out from the others on the list.

When it came to hoops, the Ronzone brothers had the privilege of having a Father that can best be described as a basketball savan

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Mainly, back in 1998 when the Mavs acquired Dirk Nowitzki in a draft day trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, many compared his game to that of Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird. That didn’t go over too well with the Bird followers. So when the Mavs were asked last week who they fondly compare their latest prized rookie – Doncic – to, their lips were unilaterally sealed. Well, sort of. “I’m not going to make the same mistake we did 20 years ago, because (Doncic, like Nowitzki at the time) is a 19-year old kid that is going to have his rear end handed to him,” said Donnie Nelson, the Mavs’ president of basketball operations. “He is going to go against the elite of the elite, not only outside our walls, but within our training camp. Dirk and I had a long talk coming in. That’s why I want to remain guarded in my comments.”

“We’ve got the number five pick and I believe that we’re going to do a good job of getting somebody good for our franchise and I’m looking forward to it,” Smith said. “I’m fans of a lot of guys in the draft. “There’s a lot of versatili

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Tony Ronzone, the Mavericks’ director of player personnel who last summer was the subject of a sexual assault accusation published in Sports Illustrated, was dismissed by the franchise after it learned new information pertaining to the alleged incident, sources confirmed to NBC 5's media partner The Dallas Morning News.

What isn’t clear is exactly when Ronzone was dismissed. Reached by email on Monday afternoon, team owner Mark Cuban declined to comment. Through a team spokesperson, CEO Cynthia Marshall also declined to comment.

Ronzone no longer is listed in the Mavericks’ media guide. He also recently removed any mention of the Mavericks from his Twitter bio, which now reads: “USA Basketball Gold Medal/2010 World Championship Gold Medal/2004 Detroit Pistons NBA champs/twins Cade-Austin ASU and beautiful wife Tricia.” He has not responded to a message from The News seeking comment for this story.

Read more from NBC 5's media partner The Dallas Morning News.

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