Doc Rivers talks with Dave Joerger before a game during the 2018-19 season.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that Dave Joerger, Sam Cassell and Dan Burke have joined Doc Rivers’ bench as assistant coaches. Popeye Jones, Eric Hughes and Brian Adams have also been named to Rivers’ coaching staff, while Pete Dominguez has been added as coaching associate. Additionally, Todor Pandov has taken on the role of assistant coach/performance director. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
“After taking this job, one of my top priorities was forming the best staff in the NBA,” Rivers said. “I’m thrilled with the way it came together as this group boasts years of valuable NBA experience, both playing and coaching, and each member brings a championship-level mindset to the table. I’m confident in my staff’s ability to best support our players and look forward to getting into the lab with our team as soon as we get the green light.”
OFFICIAL
We have announced that Dave Joerger, Sam Cassell and Dan Burke have joined Doc Rivers’ bench as assistant coaches.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 9, 2020
Joerger brings with him six seasons of experience as an NBA head coach, most recently with the Sacramento Kings from 2016-19. Prior to Sacramento, Joerger spent nine seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, the last three as head coach. He guided Memphis to postseason berths in each of his three seasons at the helm, including an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals in his second season. Joerger is the only coach in Grizzlies franchise history to lead the team to 50-plus wins in multiple seasons, having done so in each of his first two years at the helm (2013-15). Prior to entering the NBA coaching ranks, Joerger, a Minnesota native, excelled at the minor-league level, where he won five championships across three different basketball leagues in seven seasons. Joerger coached the Dakota Wizards to the 2007 NBA Development League title, was twice named CBA Coach of the Year, and produced a head-coaching record of 232-117 (.665) in the minor leagues before joining Memphis as an assistant coach in 2007-08.
Cassell most recently served as an assistant coach under Rivers with the L.A. Clippers for the past six seasons. Prior to joining the Clippers’ staff, he was an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards for five seasons (2009-14). Originally from Baltimore, Cassell began coaching after a standout playing career, which spanned 15 NBA seasons and included three championships. The No. 24 overall selection in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, Cassell won back-to-back titles with Houston in his first two professional seasons, and later collected his third title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, while being coached by Rivers. Cassell starred at Florida State University from 1991-93 and was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
Burke has worked in the NBA for 30-plus years, having spent the last 22 with the Indiana Pacers. For his first eight seasons, Burke served as both an assistant coach and scouting director with Indiana, before transitioning full-time to the bench. Prior to joining the Pacers, Burke spent eight years with the Portland Trail Blazers as video coordinator and scout. Burke has worked for several former and current NBA head coaches, including Dallas’ Rick Carlisle and the Lakers’ Frank Vogel, as well as Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas. A California native, Burke graduated from Portland State with a bachelor’s degree in history and social science. He and his wife Peggy have two daughters, Melissa and Lindsey.
Jones joins the 76ers after spending seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers as an assistant coach. Prior to Indiana, Jones spent three years with the Brooklyn/New Jersey Nets, starting in player development, before transitioning to an assistant coach role. He began his coaching career with the Dallas Mavericks where he worked in player development following an 11-year playing career. Jones played collegiately at Murray State, where he is fourth on the Racers’ all-time scoring list. In 1992, the school retired his No. 54. A second-round pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, Jones played one season in Italy before joining the Mavericks in 1993 and ended up playing with Toronto, Boston, Denver, Washington and Golden State prior to retiring in 2004. Jones and his wife Kelsey have four sons, Justin, Seth, Caleb and Camden. Seth plays with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League and is a three-time All-Star. Caleb also plays professional hockey for the Edmonton Oilers.
Hughes spent last season as a player development coach for the 76ers. Prior to Philadelphia, Hughes held coaching roles with Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Toronto. Before his stint with the Raptors, Hughes worked as the Director of Summer Player Development for Goodwin Sports Management in Seattle for five years (2002-07), creating workout programs and training NBA players. He also served as the head coach at Spokane Community College in Spokane, Washington, during that time. Additionally, Hughes was as an assistant at the University of Washington, as well as the University of California, Berkeley. A 1989 graduate of California State University, East Bay, Hughes went on to receive a master’s degree from Illinois State in 1991. A native of Oakland, California, Hughes and his wife Kristin have two sons, Alexander James (AJ) and Ryan Christopher.
Adams arrives in Philadelphia after spending the past two seasons as the head coach of the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, the NBA G League affiliate of the L.A. Clippers. Under Adams’ leadership, two-way contract player Johnathan Motley earned All-NBA G League honors in consecutive seasons, while Angel Delgado was named NBA G League Rookie of the Year following the 2018-19 campaign. Upon first joining the L.A. Clippers, Adams held the roles of video scouting director and head video coordinator, before advancing to coaching associate for four seasons (2014-18). Adams has also coached at the collegiate level at both Harvard and Marist. He was the Celtics’ video coordinator in 2007-08 when Rivers led Boston to the NBA title. Adams is a Pine Plains, New York native and graduated from Connecticut College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2006.
Dominguez enters his first season with the 76ers after spending the past five years working in the video department with the L.A. Clippers. Ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, Dominguez was promoted to head video coordinator, a role he held for the past two seasons. Prior to the NBA, Dominguez served as video coordinator at UC Irvine under former NBA assistant coach Russell Turner. The La Cañada, California native graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, with an emphasis on international relations.
Pandov first joined the 76ers in 2015 as assistant strength and conditioning coach, before transitioning to associate head strength and conditioning coach for the past two seasons. Prior to the NBA, Pandov spent several years working at the NCAA level, serving as director of performance at Tulsa, Missouri and Miami (FL) on Frank Haith’s staff, and strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, Western Kentucky. In 2005, Pandov got his start in the field as a strength and conditioning intern at the University of Texas, where he worked with several future NBA players, including LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant and P.J. Tucker. Originally from Bulgaria, Pandov played collegiately for the Hilltoppers from 1999-2004, while the team qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. Professionally, he competed for EiffelTowers Nijmegen of the Dutch Basketball League for one season. Pandov holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky and a master’s degree in sports science and rehabilitation from Logan University. He is married to his wife, Kim, and the couple has two sons, Mason and Jaden.
