NEW YORK (AFP) — The Brooklyn Nets named assistant Kevin Ollie interim head coach on Tuesday, a day after firing Jacque Vaughn.

Vaughn was fired on Monday after a 21-33 start to the National Basketball Association season. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Nets rank 11th in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final play-in spot.

Vaughn, who had a brief stint as the Nets' coach in 2020, replaced Steve Nash in November 2022 and went 71-68 guiding the Nets over parts of three seasons.

His firing comes a year after he inked a contract extension with the Nets.

Ollie, who will coach his first game on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors, played 13 seasons in the NBA and won a National Collegiate Athletic Association collegiate national title as the coach at the University of Connecticut in 2014.

He joined the Nets as an assistant coach this season and players have spoken highly of him.

"He's really forceful at getting you motivated and ready for the game," Mikal Bridges said in December.

The Nets hope that Ollie can re-energize a club that has fallen into the bottom 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency since mid-December.