Former Husky Abdelfattah Named Assistant Coach for NBA’s Houston Rockets
7/28/2022 1:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Abdelfattah guided Rio Grande Valley Vipers to 2022 G League Championship, was named Coach of the Year
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Former St. Cloud Men's Basketball student-athlete and assistant coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah has been hired as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets. Abdelfattah, who was a member of St. Cloud State's NCAA Division II Final Four Team in 2010, has spent the last four season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA's G-League.
Abdelfattah joins the Rockets after four seasons coaching with their NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. During the 2021-22 season, his third season as Vipers head coach, Abdelfattah helped the Vipers secure their fourth NBA G League Championship, as the Vipers finished on top of the Western Division with a record of 24-10. In addition, Abdelfattah was named the 2021-22 NBA G League Coach of the Year, making him the second head coach in Viper history to receive Coach of the Year honors.
Abdelfattah made his first playoff appearance as Vipers head coach during the 2020-21 season, leading the team to a 9-6 record in the NBA G League bubble. In 2019, Abdelfattah was named RGV Vipers head coach, the first Palestinian-American head coach in G League history. His debut season as head coach was cut short due to the pandemic. Abdelfattah also served as assistant coach during the Vipers 2018-19 championship season, where the team captured their third championship and finished the season with a 34-10 record, ranked first in the Western Conference.
Abdelfattah served as assistant coach at St. Cloud State University, his alma matter, for four years until his move to RGV in 2017. In 2010, Mahmoud joined the Huskies coaching staff as a student-assistant coach, an experience that launched his successful journey into the world of coaching.
Abdelfattah was also a two-year member of the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball team from 2008-10, where he played in 35 games and helped the team advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2009-10.
Prior to SCSU, Abdelfattah played at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, where he was named the team's most valuable play, region MVP, first team All-Region, second team All-American, All-Star game participant and All-Conference first team in 2008.
