CLEVELAND, OH - December 5, 2011 - The Cleveland Cavaliers announced two promotions and two additions to their coaching team today. While Paul Pressey will remain Head Coach Byron Scott’s lead assistant, Assistant Coaches Jamahl Mosley and Joe Prunty have been promoted and will now expand their roles and take on additional responsibilities. New to the coaching staff for this season will be Assistant Coach Nate Tibbetts and new player development assistant/video coach Aubrey McCreary, who will join returning player development assistant/video coach Jordi Fernandez. The announcement was made by Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant and Head Coach Byron Scott.
Tibbetts joins the Cavaliers from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, where he had served as head coach for the past two seasons. The 66ers are the exclusive affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last season, he led Tulsa to its second consecutive trip to the NBA D-League playoffs, where they reached the semifinals, after compiling a franchise-best 33-17 record (.660). Under his leadership, Tulsa had three of its players earn Gatorade Call-Ups during the season, the most in the D-League, while finishing near the top of the league in several key defensive categories. Tibbetts also earned the honor of being selected to lead the Western Conference in the 2011 D-League All-Star Game and was selected this past fall as the head coach of the 2011 Pan American Games, which earned a bronze medal, the first medal for the United States since 1999.
“I feel great about the coaching group we have in place now. Paul Pressey will continue to be my lead assistant, while Jamahl and Joe have both worked very hard, done a good job and deserved these promotions,” said Head Coach Byron Scott. “Nate comes from an organization that has developed a young core and a similar belief system in creating success with a defense-first mentality and Aubrey is an accomplished and respected player development coach that is going to be a great fit with all our coaches and our players. I am very excited for our group to get started with our team soon.”
Prior to joining the 66ers, Tibbetts spent four seasons with Sioux Falls, also of the D-League. He served as head coach of the Skyforce from 2007-2009, recording a 53-47 (.530) record after spending the two previous seasons as an assistant coach. Tibbetts coaching career started at the University of Sioux Falls where he was an assistant coach for four seasons (2001-2005) following a successful collegiate career at the University of South Dakota, where he ranks second all-time in career assists (678) and steals (215).
McCreary brings over 35 years of basketball experience, ranging from high school to the NBA with a focus on skill development. He has served as a personal player development coach for some of the NBA’s top talents, including Los Angeles Lakers’ Derek Fisher, Utah’s Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap and New Jersey’s Deron Williams. In addition to his player development background, McCreary has served as an assistant coach on staff with the Reno Bighorns of D-League (2010-11) and Louisiana Tech University (2008-09). He has participated in various capacities with Adidas Nation since 2004, most recently serving as an assistant coach in 2011 for their Global Nations Championship, which is comprised of the world’s top 18 and under players.
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