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Former NBA player Marreese Speights becomes Florida high school basketball head coach

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•04/04/25•

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Marreese Speights - Florida high school basketball
Orlando Magic forward Marreese Speights (5) reacts against the Atlanta Hawks at Amway Center. (© Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)

Former National Basketball Association player Marreese Speights will take over the boys basketball program of Northside Christian School. The Florida-based high school announced the hiring of the St. Petersburg native who played ten seasons in the NBA.

Speights will take over a program that has struggled in recent years. While the Mustangs had consecutive 18-10 seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, they went 6-19 and 9-16 in the last two seasons. Worst yet, Northside Christian only had four winning seasons since 2005. The Mustangs hope that Speights’ basketball wisdom and experience can help turn the program around.

Marreese Speights was a Florida high school basketball phenom before playing for the University of Florida Gators. He played for Admiral Farragut Academy and had his jersey number retired after one year. Meanwhile, Speights represented Gibbs High School during his senior year. Sandwiched between those stints is his time in Virginia’s Hargrave Military Academy.

As a highly touted recruit, Speights joined a Gators team with Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Chris Richard. He won the national championship with the Gators during his first year but played limited minutes due to the team’s stack frontcourt rotation.

The following year, Speights made the most of his opportunity, averaging 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He declared for the 2008 NBA Draft after his sophomore year and the Philadelphia 76ers selected him 16th overall.

After stints with the 76ers, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Speights joined the Golden State Warriors, wherein he won his only NBA Championship. After the Warriors, the six-foot-ten forward/center wrapped up his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Orlando Magic. He finished his NBA career averaging 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 705 games.

However, his final stint as a professional player was with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Long-Lions. Before joining Northside Christian, Marreese Speights was an assistant coach for Georgia Southern University.