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Sixers Coach, Maurice Cheeks speaking with his team captain Allen Iverson NBAE/Getty Images

Their hair is a little shorter, their shorts are a little longer and they’ve traded in their uniforms for suits. But for former Philadelphia 76er Maurice “Mo” Cheeks and his old teammates Moses Malone, Henry Bibby and World B. Free, some things never change. They’ve gone from teammates on the court to teammates on the sidelines, and they are all back at home in the ‘City of Brotherly Love.’

Cheeks has returned to where he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach and 11 years as a cast member of the storied Philadelphia 76ers. In his first season as head coach with the team, Cheeks’ transition back to the East Coast – after spending four seasons as head coach of the Portland Trailblazers – has been a sweet one, especially with his new supporting cast.

 

“Henry Bibby is in his first year here as an assistant bench coach, and Moses [Malone} just came in as a special assistant,” said Cheeks, who is the 21st head coach in Sixers team history. “World B. Free has spent the last five years or so working in the community group, helping in the local community. Portland is a beautiful town and I had an unbelievable team, but it’s real cool to be back here.”

 

While many Sixers fans remember Cheeks as “Mo,” the talented guard who topped the stats sheets in assists and one of only seven former players to have his number retired by the team, Cheeks’ new role is taking some getting used to…for the fans that is.

 

“People remember me as one thing, and they have a hard time calling me ‘Coach,” said Cheeks, who also had stints in San Antonio, New York, Atlanta and New Jersey. “Some fans still see me as a player, but now it’s different – I am ‘Coach.’”

 

The role of “coach” wasn’t always on the Chicago native’s agenda, but after a taking a recommendation from friend Jerry Cross to give the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) a try, Cheeks was hooked.

 

“The players in the CBA had a real hunger to learn,” he said. “We flew on propeller planes and the hotel accommodations were certainly different from the NBA, but they wanted to improve and win so badly. It was a lot of fun. We’d ride on buses and really get to know the players.”

 

After spending one season as an assistant coach with the CBA’s Quad City Thunder, where Cheeks helped guide the team to the 1993 CBA Championship, he moved onward and upward, assuming the position as Sixers assistant coach in 1994.

 

“I enjoyed that first year so much because I had a chance to evaluate if I enjoyed coaching on 

Sixers Legend Maurice "Mo" Cheeks NBAE/Getty Images

theprofessional level. It gave me a hands-on experience to see if it was really what I wanted to do for my career.”

 

Next thing Cheeks knew, he had spent seven years working as an assistant under some of the most notable NBA coaches of all-time, including John Lucas (1994-96), Johnny Davis (1996-97) and Larry Brown (1997-2001). Taking away significant lessons and values from each of his professors of the game, Cheeks had what he needed to step up to the plate as an NBA head coach.

 

“I utilize so many tools that I learned from those coaches,” he said. “Lucas showed me the ability to keep the interest of a team, even if we were losing. His enthusiasm and zest for life kept morale up, and I often look back to how he managed the team…Davis taught me the importance of staying within myself, staying true to myself…Brown demands discipline and respect. I learned the necessity of mandating rules and holding each player accountable.”

 

Cheeks enjoyed a four-year tenure as Portland’s head coach, where he recorded a mark of 162-139, the fourth-highest win total in Blazers history. Now in Philly, he is proud to be guiding his young team to the top.

 

“We’ve got two of the best players in the league in our veterans, Allen Iverson and Chris Webber. Our younger guys are going to them for veteran leadership, and the personnel we are working with is really some great talent....Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver, Sam Dalembert, John Salmons...they are great players and great guys.”

 

Leaving his mark on the West Coast, Cheeks, a Philly favorite, is happy to be back in the city where everybody knows his name.