Get to Know

Savannah Haynes

Malik Monk's basketball career started at East Poinsett County High School in Lepanto, Arkansas. &nbsp;

With his help, the team finished 25-8 overall record and earned an&nbsp;appearance in the Class 2A State Championship game. As a freshman, he averaged 22.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The following year, he transferred to Bentonville, where he would finish out the rest of his high school career. Monk's game continued to improve with time, averaging 26.6 points per game as a junior. He also had the opportunity to compete in the 2015 Nike Global Challenge for the East team, where he averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, which earned him the Tournament MVP Honors. &nbsp;

As a senior, he averaged 28.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game and was recruited to play in the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game. Because of his wild success during that game, he earned Co-MVP honors alongside his best friend, De'Aaron Fox. Monk ended his senior year as the No. 9&nbsp;overall player and No. 1&nbsp;shooting guard in the Class of 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The passionate basketball player briefly described his upbringing and the people in his life that got him to where he is now:&nbsp;

"My momma sacrificed everything to take care of me… and my brother quit his basketball and football career to make sure I was good," Monk stated. He goes on to express that all his hard work and career are essentially based on returning the favor to the two most impactful people in his life.&nbsp;

Following a successful high school career, Monk decided to commit to the University of Kentucky. Luckily, Fox would also commit to Kentucky, allowing them to play together during their first year of college. Monk spent the season being a valuable player to Kentucky by setting the school's record for most points in a game by a freshman when he put up 47 points in a win over the University of North Carolina. He was named the SEC player and Freshman of the Year while also being named First-team All-SEC and the SEC All-Freshman team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After his first year at the University of Kentucky, Monk announced that he would forgo his last three years of college and enter the 2017 NBA Draft. With his talent, he ended up being the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets. He played with the Hornets for four years until he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. While with the lakers, Monk put up a career-high 41 points against the Denver Nuggets.&nbsp;

In 2022, he signed a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings, reuniting with&nbsp;Fox. Monk described their friendship as being more of brotherhood before anything else. He emphasized their success in college together and wants to replicate the same energy this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I'm doing whatever to help the team win," was Malik Monk's humble response during a one-on-one interview with a Kings Social Media Manager Jonathan Bradley. &nbsp;

With six years of NBA experience, you can truly feel the passion Malik has for basketball. &nbsp;

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Get to Know Malik Monk

Former University of Alabama guard Keon Ellis is eager to make an impact in Stockton and Sacramento this season after signing a two-way contract with the Kings for the 2022-23 season.&nbsp;

Ellis’ love for basketball stems back to his youth, when he played recreational ball with older people in his community. However, the sport didn't come naturally to him at first.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I liked football more," Ellis said in a one-on-one with Jonathan Bradley. "I played a little bit of everything, running back, quarterback, wide receiver, line… luckily, I didn't do it for long; otherwise, we wouldn't have been successful.”&nbsp;

Ellis played basketball for Eustis High School in his home state of Florida before transferring to Leesburg High School. In his junior year, he helped lead Leesburg to their first Class 6A state title since 2011. In his senior year, Ellis averaged 12.7 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists per game, leading his team to a 29–1 record and another 6A title. He committed to Gardner Webb as a senior but enrolled in Florida Southwestern, a junior college.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As a freshman in college, Ellis averaged 8.3 points and three rebounds per game, earning Second Team All-Suncoast Conference honors. Ellis averaged 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in his sophomore season. The same year, he was recognized as a second team NJCAA Division I All-American and Suncoast Conference Player of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As a junior, Ellis transferred to Alabama, averaging 5.5 points and four rebounds per game. In his final collegiate season, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and two steals per game en route to a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now, as a shooting guard for the Kings, Ellis has logged seven games in the 2022 summer league averaging 11.4 points on 44.1% shooting from the field and an impressive 46.9% clip from deep to go with 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When asked what it meant to be him to be a member of the Kings, he humbly responded, "it's a blessing to be here; it still hasn't hit me that I'm in the NBA."&nbsp;&nbsp;

As the season approaches, fans are eager to know how Ellis will contribute to the team's success. But they can likely count on the rookie making plays in some capacity.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Every time he's out there,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said. “He's making something happen.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Get to Know Keon Ellis

Chima Moneke is determined to become a vital player for the Sacramento Kings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Leading, playing hard, running, defense, turning up the crowd, becoming a fan favorite is all I need to do to stay on the court and help the team win,” said Moneke during an interview with&nbsp;Jonathan Bradley. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Chima has set the tone for the entire season with energy and eagerness to win.  &nbsp;

Before his professional career with the NBA, he played for Northeast Community College. As a freshman, he averaged 10.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG, and 1.2 SPG. Then, as a sophomore, he averaged 17 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.  &nbsp;

He then transferred to the University of California at Davis. In 2016, he&nbsp;became the first UC Davis men’s basketball player to be named Big West Conference Representative at the 2016 NCAA Leadership Forum. In that game, Moneke had 18 points and 12 rebounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The following year, at UC Davis, he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per performance in 21 games.  &nbsp;

After not being selected in the 2018 Draft, he signed with the Rouen Métropole Basket of the French LNB Pro B. Later that year, he left the Rouens and signed with the Denian Voltaire Basket, another French LNB Pro B team. Throughout that season, he averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 27 games.  &nbsp;

In the 2019-2020 season, he signed for the Béliers de Kemper of the French LNB Pro B, in which he averaged 15.8 points, 6.75 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Then, in the 2021-2022 season, he signed with Orléans Loiret Basket of the LNB Pro A, where he averaged 12.5 points, six rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.  &nbsp;

This summer, he signed with the Sacramento Kings for the 2022-23 season. When asked how he believes his skillset will help the team, he humbly responded, “everyone needs guys who are willing to sacrifice.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

Moneke is willing to put the work in and do his time to play for the Kings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I’ll do whatever I need to help the team win.” &nbsp;

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Get to Know Chima Moneke

KZ Okpala began playing basketball at 4 years old, and by 11, knew he wanted to pursue a career as a professional athlete. So, it is no surprise that the 6-foot-8 power forward finds himself vying for a spot on the Sacramento Kings roster headed into the 2022-23 season.   

The California native attended Anaheim’s Esperanza High School and joined the basketball team’s starting lineup as a sophomore. Okpala averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior, leading his high school to a conference title and was named the Crestview League Player of the Year.  &nbsp;

Okpala showed marked improvement during his senior season, averaging 30 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks per game in his final year of high school, including a 46-point record setting outburst.  &nbsp;

On his way out of Esperanza, he led the squad to its first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II championship, scoring 22 points throughout the game. Because of this, he earned another Crestview League Player of the Year award and played in the Ballislife All-American Game.  &nbsp;

In 2016, he committed to playing basketball at Stanford University. He averaged 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in his freshman season. As a sophomore, he was recognized as the Pac-12 Conference player of the week, and after a successful season, decided to forgo his final two years at Stanford and declare for the NBA draft in 2019.  &nbsp;

Okpala was initially drafted by the Phoenix Suns but was soon traded to the Miami Heat in 2019. Then, in 2020, he was selected by Nigeria to play in the Tokyo Olympics under current Kings head coach Mike Brown.  &nbsp;

He eventually signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2022, where he hopes his lockdown defense and high energy earn him a spot on the final roster.  &nbsp;

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Get to Know KZ Okpala

Sam Merrill, a man that doesn't fold under pressure, is precisely the kind of shooter the Sacramento Kings could use.   

Sacramento ranked 24th in 3-point percentage (34.4), and 25th in made threes (11.4) during the 2021-22 season. Merrill, however, shot at a 44% clip over 30 games during the 2020-21 season before injuries limited him to just six games in 2021, making him a welcome addition to the Kings roster.   

Merrill began his career playing basketball for Bountiful High School, which ultimately led to him being recruited by Stanford and Princeton. He eventually committed to Utah State University.  &nbsp;

In his sophomore season, Merrill averaged 16.3 points per game. Momentum picked up for Merrill his junior year as he put up 20.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.  &nbsp;

In 2019 Merrill tweeted, "I didn't come to Utah State to win quarterfinal games; I came here to win Conference Championships! #LeaveNoDoubt."

Merrill led Utah State to a Mountain West Tournament championship with his confidence and efficient ballhandling. He was later named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, Mountain West Tournament MVP and was an AP Honorable Mention All-American.  &nbsp;

With his dedication to the sport, he started his professional career in November of 2020 with the New Orleans Pelicans as the draft's final pick. &nbsp;

A week later, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as a part of a four-team trade involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. While with the Bucks, he played on the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League, averaging 3.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, and shooting 44.7% from three in 7.8 minutes per game. Merrill ended his season with the Milwaukee Bucks winning a championship.  &nbsp;

In 2021, Merrill was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in his six games with the Grizzlies. &nbsp;

As a free agent, Merrill signed with the Kings in 2022.    &nbsp;

As one of 20 players on the Kings’ preseason roster, Merrill looks to prove he can be the shooting threat Sacramento needs to take the next step.  &nbsp;

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Get to Know: Sam Merrill

Jonathan Bradley

Every player drafted in the top 5 of the 2022 NBA Draft not named Keegan Murray was ranked in the ESPN Top 100 of their respective high school classes. The top 2 overall picks, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren were ranked 1st and 4th, respectively, while third overall pick Jabari Smith sat at 6th.&nbsp;

Murray on the other hand, was not ranked in the top 100 or top 200. That, however, did not stop Murray from working on his game and transforming himself into one of the best players on one of the best teams in college basketball.&nbsp;

After finishing high school ranked 334 in the nation, Murray spent a year at DME Academy in Florida, where he put up 22.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He then began his career at Iowa by averaging 7.2 points his freshman year, including a 27-point, 21-rebound outing where he became the first Hawkeye to post a 20-20 game since Bruce King in 1977. His averages jumped to 23.5 points and 8.7 boards as a sophomore, a clear indication of Murray’s strong work ethic and dedication to improving his craft. At just 21 years old, the 6-foot-8 forward has plenty of room to grow.  

His Last Season at Iowa was Statistically Off the Charts&nbsp;

Keegan Murray made it abundantly clear during his sophomore season at Iowa that he was one of the nation’s best hoopers by having, according to Synergy Sports, one of the three best seasons by a volume scorer ever. Just check out some of his accomplishments:&nbsp;&nbsp;

GM Monte McNair mentioned Murray’s defensive prowess as one of the reasons the Kings drafted the young forward, and the numbers support that notion.&nbsp;

As a sophomore, Murray logged the seventh-best defensive rating (96.8), the third-best block percentage (6.4), and the 13th-best steal percentage (2.3) in arguably the best conference in college basketball, the Big Ten. He stands at 6-8 but boasts a 6-foot-11 wingspan. This bodes well for Murray’s ability to guard on the perimeter, and he showed throughout his time at Iowa that he could handle the bumps and physicality of playing down low. Off the bat, he’s looking like a guy that will be able to come in and not only grab boards and block shots, but also guard multiple positions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Keegan Comes from a Family of Athletes&nbsp;

Keegan Murray has All-American DNA. His mother, Michelle, was a multi-sport varsity athlete in high school before becoming an All-American on the Division-III level, while his father, Kenyon, was an All-American basketball player at Iowa.&nbsp;

Before becoming a Hawkeye, Murray was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan, an award bestowed upon the likes of Glen Rice (1985), Robert Traylor (1995), Shane Battier (1997), Jason Richardson (1999) and former Kings legend Chris Webber (1991).&nbsp;

Keegan Grew Up Playing Hoops Alongside his Twin Brother, Kris&nbsp;

From AAU to high school to college, Murray has had the rare opportunity to play on the same team as his twin brother Kris. While Keegan averaged 22.1 points and 7.5 rebounds at DME Academy, Kris was right there, putting up big numbers himself (17.1 points, 10.1 rebounds). And while Kris held down a smaller role during their time together at Iowa, he too saw his game develop significantly between his freshman and sophomore years. Now that Keegan has moved on to the NBA, Kris steps into a larger role at Iowa, with expectations that his game will take another step forward. He’s currently ranked in the top 30 of several 2023 NBA Draft Big Boards.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Keegan Murray 101 

Tracee Jay

There’s a new co-captain at the helm of the Kings coaching ranks, and it is highly-respected and longtime NBA coach Alvin Gentry – who was announced as the Associate Head Coach on Oct. 7.

"I’m excited to add Alvin’s valuable experience and leadership to the team," said Head Coach Luke Walton. "His veteran coaching perspective will be a great addition and I look forward to working with him again to continue developing our group."

This will not be the first time Walton and Gentry have crossed paths. They have a storied relationship, with both coaches working alongside each other for the Golden State Warriors, helping lead the team to the 2015 NBA Championship.

Gentry not only has a history of success with Luke, but also solid assistant and head coaching stints with 10 teams across the Association. Gentry has worked as an NBA assistant or head coach every season since 1989-90, and he brings more than 35 years of coaching experience to the Sacramento bench.

Most recently he was the Head Coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the 2018-19 season, the Pelicans earned 48 wins - the third most in team history - while also advancing in the playoffs to the Western Conference Semifinals for only the second time in franchise history.

Gentry has found success in his coaching stints with relating to players and building confidence, noting “you want to try and instill confidence from the start.

Anything that you say from a teaching standpoint, or anything you say that may be negative, you’ve got to follow that up with a lot of positive reinforcement."

It’s very apparent he gets that from his upbringing.

Born in Selby, North Carolina in 1954, Gentry was one of six children born to Bulah Mae and G.H. Gentry.

His parents were married for 63 years before Gentry’s mother passed in 2005. It was seeing his parents show a loving, nurturing environment that shaped Gentry into the coach and man that he is today.

His father never had the chance to learn to read or write, but provided for his family nonetheless by working in a bakery, as a janitor and in a textile factory where he didn’t miss a day of work for 11 consecutive years. Furthermore, G.H. Gentry was a deacon in his church for 67 years, while constantly giving back to his community, even when he had little.

It wasn’t just his father, but his mother also provided by working in a school cafeteria and as a maid.

It was this foundation that shaped Alvin's strive to excel in all facets of life.

Gentry told the Detroit Free Press "I don’t have one of those kind of heartache stories to tell. There was always all kinds of lovin’ in my house."

Alvin can recall his father saying "Treat others with respect, son. Work hard, son. Have character, son. Be accountable, son."

"It was very simple with my dad: Treat people the way you want to be treated," Gentry said. "It’s the same way in coaching. Some guys can handle yelling and screaming and some guys can’t."

This manifests within his coaching style, so that he treats each and every player as an individual.

"One of the things I always laugh at is when you see a coach say, ‘I treat all my players the same, from one to 12.’ Well, I don’t do that, because they are completely different personalities. I don’t even treat my three kids the same way. You’ve just got to think about who you are dealing with and deal with them on an individual basis, I think."

This has served dividends for him in the league. Then Suns General Manager and now Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, said this about Gentry: "Coaching is all about human relations. I could find 1,000 people that can draw up a pick-and-roll or a zone defense. But how do you manage players? How do you relate to them?"

Kerr added, "...if the players trust you, they’ll let you coach them. They trust him."

Off the court, Alvin Gentry keeps the same ideologies as on - just not as intense.

Speaking to the Shelby Star, his sister Lois Hoskins describes how you only see this side of him come out in basketball games.

"His intensity, when he’s coaching, you really don’t even see that unless he’s coaching, especially when he’s the head coach, and he’s in charge."

His siblings would know best as they still remain as close as ever. It’s always family first.

"From Miami to San Antonio to Phoenix to wherever he happens to be," Lois said. "We have a very close family unit. And I will say, it has afforded us to go to a lot of places and see a lot of things that we may not have been able to see."

Lois’ son, Derrick added, "He’s still closely connected to Cleveland County. Every chance he gets to come home, he comes in the offseason. When they play in Charlotte, he tries to come to get to spend a day with everyone. We’ll grill out or do something. He’s really down to Earth.”

With him, it’s "I’ve got film time, and I’ve got family time.”

With such a strong presence and highly touted dialogue about him throughout his life, it’s no wonder the new Kings Associate Head Coach has had an illustrious career in the NBA and it continues today.

His coaching style should fit well with the system Sacramento likes to run.

With Gentry at the helm, the Pelicans played at the fastest pace in the league in 2017-18, following that up with being second in pace in the 2018-19 season, even faster than the Kings - who ranked No. 3.

Coach Gentry has proven that he is more than capable of helping lead a team to success.

He wants to win, and he wants to do it as a unit.

"...you have to be willing to work, you have to have good chemistry on your team, and if you can put all of that together, you put yourself in a situation where you create a culture that is going to be very positive and give your best opportunity to win.

Gentry remains one of the most well-respected figures in the league and is a welcome addition to Sacramento.

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Gentry's History within the NBA Runs Deep and Continues with Kings

Allison Ward

Corey Brewer might be new to California’s capital city, but he isn’t a stranger to the West Coast.

Before we jump into what Brewer has in store for us here in Sactown, let’s take a look at what got him here.

Brewer began his journey to the NBA back in 2004, when he accepted a scholarship to play college ball with the Florida Gators. In his sophomore season, Brewer recorded the first triple-double in Gator history in ’05 posting 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists.

He then won back to back NCAA championships in ’06 and ’07 and was The Most Outstanding Player in the 2007 NCAA tournament.

After his strong show in college, the Tennessee native entered the 2007 NBA Draft and was selected No. 7 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

No. 22 appeared in four seasons with the Wolves before being traded to the New York Knicks. He then went on to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, where Brewer won his first NBA Championship in 2011.

Following that championship season, Corey went on to play for the Nuggets, a second stint with the Wolves, Rockets, Lakers and Thunder before signing a 10-day contract earlier this season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Corey is no stranger to shifting gears and understands that players have to be ready for anything.

Standing 6-foot-9, Brewer is ready to make his mark with the young Kings heading into the second half of the season with playoffs in sight. Every game is crucial to ensure the team secures their spot. “The young guys are really good, they’ve been playing great. They just keep working their way up” said Brewer.

“As a veteran guy, I’m just coming here and trying to help any way I can…I’m a hard nose guy, I play hard every night and I’m going to give it my all.” After 11 years and championships at both the collegiate and professional level, Brewer believes he still has plenty to contribute to the squad.

In 2013, the defensive-minded forward scored a career high 51 points in a 112-110 win over the Houston Rockets. In doing so, he joined Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Rick Barry as the only players to record 50+ points and 6+ steals in a single game.