Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced two hires and promotions within the team’s basketball operations department.
The Wolves have hired Bryan Gates as Assistant Coach and Vince Legarza as Player Development Assistant and Player Development Video Coordinator. The following basketball operations personnel have been promoted: Calvin Booth, Director of Player Personnel; Kaayla Chones, Player Programs Director/Manager of Team Services.
Prior to joining Minnesota’s staff, Gates spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans (2010-15) and one season as an assistant coach in Sacramento (2008-09) following a highly-successful three-year stint as a head coach in the NBA Development League with the Idaho Stampede.
While coaching the Stampede, Gates was a two-time recipient of the Dennis Johnson Development League Coach of the Year award (2006-07, 2007-08), and compiled a record of 101-51 (.664 winning percentage, tied for highest in league history), including winning the NBA Development League Championship in 2007-08. Gates was also an assistant coach in Idaho for five years, beginning with the team’s inaugural season in the CBA in 1997-98.
Legarza, 25, joins the Wolves after spending the last two seasons in the Atlanta Hawks’ basketball operations department. Prior to his time in the NBA, Legarza spent four years playing at Miami University from 2009-2013.
Booth will begin his third season with the Timberwolves after being hired by Flip Saunders in June 2013. Booth spent his first two seasons with Minnesota as Director of Player Programs and Scout. He enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career (1999 - 2009) with the Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Seattle Sonics, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings. In 366 career games, 83 starts, the 6-11 forward/center averaged 3.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. Prior to his time in Minnesota, Booth served as a scout, both pro and collegiate, with the New Orleans Hornets during the 2011-12 season.
The 2015-16 NBA season will be Chones’ third with the Timberwolves. She spent her first two years as Manager of Team Operations where she handled the day-to-day activities of the basketball operations department. Chones, the daughter of former NBA player Jim Chones, spent three seasons (2004 - 2006) in the WNBA, playing for the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm. In 28 career games she averaged 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds. Chones spent the eight years playing professionally overseas in six different countries, including the 2012-13 season in Israel where she won a league championship with Elitzur Ramla.