Who is Frank Vogel?

When Larry Bird announced at a press conference last Sunday that head coach Jim O'Brien had been fired, the first thought that I and many other Pacers fans had was, "It's about time!" The second thought was, "Who in the heck is Frank Vogel?", whom Bird named as interim head coach. I mean, I know that he's been a JOB assistant here in Indy, but what is Vogel's pedigree? Glad you asked.

• Vogel was a three-year starter in Division III Basketball for Juniata College in PA.
• For his senior year, Vogel transferred to Kentucky, where he played JV ball, became team manager, and finished his degree (Biology). After graduation he became the video coordinator for Rick Pitino.
• Vogel moved on to the NBA with Pitino, continuing his AV duties, this time with the Boston Celtics.
• After five years of video work, Vogel became an assistant coach under Jim O'Brien, still in Boston.
• When O'Brien moved on to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2004, Vogel followed him to the City of Brotherly Love as an assistant.
• After a year in Philly, Vogel moved into an advance scouting role for the Los Angeles Lakers and then the Washington Wizards.
• Vogel rejoined O'Brien in 2007, this time with the Pacers

Pacers fans won't be comforted by the fact that Vogel has only been an assistant for one coach in his career, the unloved O'Brien. It's also become clear from comments made by Vogel and others in the days since JOB's firing that Vogel was being groomed to one day be a head coach in the NBA, so you know there is a lot of O'Brien in him from a coaching DNA standpoint. Still, Vogel is saying all the right things for now, and the Pacers looked good in their first game with a new sheriff at the helm. The most likely scenario is that Vogel is just keeping the bench warm for the rest of this season so that the Pacers have a clear path to hire a bigger name, like Mike Brown, next year. If Vogel can somehow work some magic, though, maybe the Pacers' season won't be the complete loss that it seems right now, and maybe he'll carve a space for himself among the NBA's exclusive head coaching club.