Struggling Bobcats appoint Brown as coach

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Charlotte Bobcats appointed Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown on Tuesday, replacing Sam Vincent who was sacked on Saturday after just one season in charge.

The only head coach to win an NCAA and NBA title and the fifth most successful in the NBA with 1,010 career victories, Brown takes over a team who finished the season 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 32-50 record.

"Few coaches in this league carry the type of basketball resume that Larry Brown offers," Bobcats managing member of basketball operations Michael Jordan said on the team's Web site (www.nba.com/bobcats).

"He is one of the great coaches of our game and we are pleased to have him as part of our organization."

The 67-year-old has coached the New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers with whom he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

He has led teams to 17 playoff appearances, seven division titles, three conference championships and the Pistons to an NBA title in 2003-04.

Brown also coached the University of Kansas to an NCAA championship in 1987-88 and was head coach of the U.S. men's team at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and an assistant on the American gold medal team in Sydney four year earlier.

"Having played and coached in North Carolina I understand the rich history of the sport in this state," Brown, who played for and coached the University of North Carolina, said.

"I look forward to the opportunity to continue building the Charlotte Bobcats into a significant part of that tradition."

(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; editing by Padraic Halpin)