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Bill Pope begins his first season as the club�s assistant coach/advance scout. In his current position, Pope will assist the coaching staff during training camp and the playoffs and serve as advance scout for the 2005-06 season. Pope joined the Pistons as assistant coach/video coordinator in 2004.
Pope spent the 2003-04 season as an assistant coach at Youngstown State after serving six years as head basketball coach at NCAA Division II Lincoln University. He was responsible for a dramatic turnaround at Lincoln as the school�s head coach. He led the Blue Tigers to three consecutive winning seasons, a feat that had not been accomplished in 30 years.
During his tenure the school had nine all-conference selections, two all-region performers, an All-American, a conference newcomer of the year and a conference player of the year in Kenny Dye in 2001-02. His 2000-01 squad shared the Heartland Conference Championship, posting 20-7 overall record and a 9-3 record in conference play. Pope was named Heartland Conference Coach of the Year following that season and the school was named NCAA Division II�s Most Improved Team.
Pope graduated from Kansas in 1988 with a Bachelor�s Degree in education, where he also served as a manager for the Jayhawks basketball team and head coach Larry Brown for five seasons. He joined Brown�s staff with the San Antonio Spurs in 1989. Pope and his wife, Lesa, have two children, Ryan and Hallie. | 