Ex-NBA player lands at EdCC

Sean Higgins has an impressive résumé.

He played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with three stints in European leagues mixed in between. He won an NCAA national basketball title and was an All-American basketball player out of high school. He has also coached several teams at the semi-professional level.

And he is now the new head coach of the men’s basketball team at Edmonds Community College.

Higgins is a man defined by his ability to persevere through difficult circumstances. After winning the 1989 national title with the University of Michigan as a junior, he declared for the NBA Draft. The San Antonio Spurs took him with the last overall pick.

No one in the 23 years prior had ever played even a second in the NBA when picked last in the draft. Higgins ended up playing for seven seasons, and he credits his determination to succeed and his perseverance for keeping him playing.

During those seven seasons, he played with six different teams — the Spurs, the Orlando Magic, the Golden State Warriors, the New Jersey Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trailblazers. He last played in the NBA in 1998.

“I always had to be prepared,” Higgins said. He signed a lot of one year contracts, so he never knew exactly what the future would hold. Each team had a different coach and a different style of play, yet he still managed to adapt and stay in the league against the odds as that last overall pick.

In addition to the NBA, Higgins played on teams in Greece, Turkey and Russia, where he led his teams to the championship games in each season he played there.

As a player, he was also preparing himself for his next career.

“I became a student of the game,” Higgins said. “Looking back at old tapes, I was coaching while on the floor. I always feel that my NBA playing career laid the groundwork for being a coach.”

Higgins also spent a lot of time on the bench sitting next to coaches like Larry Brown and Don Nelson. He absorbed what they did and has used that experience in his own coaching career.

Higgins has already coached several teams in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He served as both the head coach and general manager of the Fresno Heatwave and the Inglewood Cobras of the ABA. Then, he joined the Albany Patrons as a player/coach of the CBA in 2006.

The Edmonds Community College job will be his first head coaching job at the college level.

Higgins grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., before moving out to Los Angeles where he attended Fairfax High School and became a McDonalds High School All-American after his senior year. Higgins, a 6 foot 9 inch guard, then returned to Ann Arbor and played at the University of Michigan.

Higgins has roots in the Seattle area. The 1989 Final Four, which Michigan won by beating Seton Hall 80-79, was in the Kingdome. His brother used to play at Edmonds, as well. He was asked if he wanted to volunteer with the team when he came by practice one day to watch his brother. He then joined as an assistant coach.

Higgins sees all of the experiences he’s had as something unique he can bring to Edmonds players. His NBA experience alongside Hall of Fame coaches will inspire his players. His ability to persevere will guide his players to never give up. And at a two-year college like Edmonds, Higgins wants to use his experiences at Michigan to help turn his players into viable four-year college prospects.

Ultimately, Higgins is a man driven to give back to the community which has given him so much over the years.

“My grandmother said that life is not worth living if you’re not giving back to people,” Higgins said. Besides the fact that he loves the game of basketball, Higgins is striving to give back to the community and help others achieve their dreams. That journey continues at Edmonds Community College.