Stan Van Gundy College - SUNY-Brockport In just two years as an NBA head coach, Stan Van Gundy’s list of accomplishments is quite impressive and continues to grow rapidly. Since being named the fifth head coach in franchise history and taking over the reigns from HEAT President Pat Riley on Oct. 24, 2003, Van Gundy has guided Miami to two postseason berths, a Southeast Division championship, 101 regular season wins and 17 postseason victories. The 17 postseason victories rank third in the NBA over the two-year period and the 101 regular season wins stand as the fifth highest mark in the league. Additionally, in each of his two years as a head coach he has guided the HEAT to a 17-win improvement over the previous season, making him only the second coach in NBA history to lead his team to at least 15-win improvements in consecutive years. Following a legend in any business is tough, and in coaching circles there are few that measure up to Riley, a sure Hall-of-Famer. Van Gundy, however, has rewarded Riley’s confidence in him and is developing his own legacy. In his two seasons he has guided two vastly different rosters and led each of those teams to at least the conference semifinals, only the third and fourth times in franchise history that the HEAT has advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs and the first time it has been accomplished in consecutive years. Last season he took the HEAT a step further, guiding Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the second time in the team’s history and came within several minutes of reaching the finals. His .607 postseason winning percentage ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time list and fourth among active coaches. Van Gundy’s 17 postseason wins rank second on Miami’s all-time list, one behind Riley, and both his postseason and regular season (.616) winning percentages rank first in HEAT history. He has also guided Miami to its only two four-game postseason sweeps, eliminating both New Jersey and Washington in four games during the magical 2005 postseason run. The eight consecutive postseason victories established a franchise record. His regular season success during the first half of the 2004-05 season earned him the honor of being named the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2005 NBA All-Star Game in Denver. Van Gundy was the first Miami HEAT coach to serve as an All-Star head coach and guided the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a 10-point victory. After an outstanding rookie year in which he took a team that had won 25 games the previous year, and with a couple of key additions, turned it into a 42-win playoff team, expectations where high for Van Gundy and the HEAT for the 2004-05 season. Those expectations rose even higher after Riley pulled off a blockbluster trade acquiring All-Star Shaquille O’Neal. Van Gundy once again proved up to the challenge leading the HEAT, with 11 new players during the 2004-05 season, to a 59-23 record and earning the top record in the Eastern Conference. The 59 wins marked the second-best single-season total in franchise history and allowed the HEAT to capture the inaugural Southeast Division title by a whopping 14 games over its next closest competitor, the largest margin for any division winner in the NBA in 2004-05. In fact the 14-win edge over the second place division finisher was the largest in the NBA since the Chicago Bulls won the Central Division by 20 games over its next closest competitor in the 1995-96 season. One of the keys to Miami’s success in 2004-05 was dominating its division rivals. The HEAT posted a 15-1 record and .938 winning percentage against Southeast Division foes, setting an NBA record in the process for best divisional record. The HEAT tied eventual NBA champion San Antonio for the second best overall record in the NBA in 2004-05. Miami’s 35-6 mark at home was the best in the Eastern Conference and second best in the league while its 24-17 road mark topped the Eastern Conference and ranked fifth in the league. A three-time Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in his two seasons, Van Gundy received the league honor twice during the 2004-05 campaign. It didn’t take long for Miami’s new additions to accept the coach’s philosophy and produce positive results. Van Gundy was tabbed the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in December after guiding the HEAT to a 14-1 record. The 14 wins and .933 winning percentage each set franchise records for a single month. Van Gundy also grabbed the honor in March after directing the HEAT to a 12-3 mark. Major winning streaks played a huge part in Van Gundy earning the monthly honors. The HEAT went on a franchise-record 14-game winning streak from Dec. 6-Jan. 1 and reeled off 12 straight victories from Feb. 26-Mar. 19. In the process, Van Gundy’s HEAT became the first Eastern Conference team with a pair of double-digit winning streaks in the same season since the 1995-96 NBA champion Chicago Bulls. Although he has always emphasi

The Legislators congratulated Jurior Achievements Hall of fame recipient Joe Nicolai, JN Automotive Group. JOSEPH P. NICOLAI Starting a business from scratch, Joe built a business empire that ranked 47th in Hawaii’s Top 250 businesses. Joe’s businesses include car franchises for Chevrolet, Mazda and Audi; exotic car franchises for Maserati, Lotus, Ferrari, and Lamborghini; and motorcycle franchises for Kawasaki, Vespa, Honda, Yamaha, Aprilia, Iron Horse, and Harley-Davidson. Joe’s automotive and motorcycle background started with his European craftsman father who emigrated from Italy. At age 22, Joe became one of the youngest sales managers for Ford Motors. Joe was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed at Schofield Barracks as a cryptologist and “loaned” to the Italian Navy at Pearl Harbor. Upon discharge in 1961, Joe started a used car business with $2,500 in capital. He rented a lot at 1212 Ala Moana Blvd. using theatre arts experience he acquired in college, to create TV commercials. He performed with his dog (Wholesale) and Indiana Wooly Monkey (Mickey). In 1963, he moved to his current site on Nimitz Highway. In the first month of business, he sold 312 cars, again using TV ads highlighting his animals. In 1966, he became the Harley- Davidson distributor in the Pacific. Joe is a supporter of the MD, also extending his support to his family roots. Hig Castiglione, a Casauria Family Foundation (named for the Italian village where Joe’s parents lived), was organized to promote relationships between the U.S. and Italy, to benefit both countries through charitable projects. The Italian government awarded Joe the title of Cavaliere (Knight) on May 31, 2002. While President of the Hawaii Association Automobile Dealers, he made education of our youth an important focus. He recognized that the future success of our youth and our businesses go hand in hand.