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Earl Watson to remain Suns' head coach

Posted at 12:11 PM, Apr 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-19 15:32:13-04

The interim tag is about to be removed from Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson.

The Suns announced Tuesday that Watson, who took over the Suns' head coaching job on an interim basis in February, will retain that title.

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reports Watson's contract with the Suns is a three-year deal.

The 36-year-old Watson went 9-24 as Suns head coach after the team fired third-year coach Jeff Hornacek in late January. Several Suns players had expressed support for Watson and wanted to see him remain the team's coach.

See also: 5 things you need to know about Earl Watson

Watson is the 17th head coach in Suns history. He is a former point guard who played collegiately for UCLA and went on to play for six NBA teams from 2001-14.

Watson was an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs of the NBA's Development League last season before joining the Suns' staff as an assistant coach for the 2015-16 season.

Watson averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals during his 14 years as a pro.

The Suns went 23-59 during the 2015-16 season, their worst record since their inaugural season in 1968-69 when they went 16-66. They have failed to make the NBA playoffs in each of their last six seasons. 

See also: 3 random questions with Suns coach Earl Watson