Coaches

Official Release

The Sacramento Kings announced today the members of Head Coach Mike Brown’s coaching staff for the 2022-23 season. Jordi Fernandez has been named associate head coach. Jay Triano, Doug Christie, Luke Loucks and Leandro Barbosa will serve as assistant coaches. Dutch Gaitley will serve as an assistant coach and director of player development, and Lindsey Harding will be an assistant coach and player development coach. Additionally, Deividas Dulkys will serve as a player development coach, Robbie Lemons as senior director of coaching analytics and strategy, Charles Allen as head video coordinator/special assistant to the Head Coach and Garrius Adams as assistant video coordinator.

“We have assembled a diverse and talented group of coaches with unique experiences who will positively impact our players' individual development,” said Head Coach Mike Brown. “Collectively, they all embrace the core values that will be critical to our overall team success. I couldn’t be more excited to work with them.”

Jordi Fernandez joins the Sacramento Kings bench having served six seasons with the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach (2016-22). Prior to his time with the Nuggets, Fernandez was the head coach of the NBA G League’s Canton Charge for two seasons (2014-16), leading the Charge to a 62-38 regular season record in that time, including two appearances in the G League Eastern Conference Finals. He was also the lead assistant for the Charge for a season after working as a player development coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-13), being hired by Brown before the 2009-10 season. A native of Badalona, Spain, Fernandez has served as an assistant coach on the international level, as the lead assistant for both the Nigerian men’s national team at the 2020 Olympics and the Spanish National Team, most recently at EuroBasket 2017 and previously at the 2013 U-19 World Championships in Prague and for Club Basquet l’Hospitalet of the Spanish professional league. Additionally, he also worked as a player development coach with Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.

Jay Triano is a veteran coach with 20 years of NBA coaching experience. Prior to joining the Kings bench, Triano spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets (2018-22) after previously spending two seasons as the associate head coach and interim head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2016-18. A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Triano entered the NBA in 1996 working a variety of roles with the Vancouver Grizzlies. In 2002 he started his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Raptors and served in that capacity until December 2008, when he was named interim head coach. The first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history, he went on to serve as head coach of Toronto for the remainder of that season and two more seasons after that. From 2012-16, Triano was an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers before moving to the Suns as associate head coach in 2016-17. He was Phoenix’s interim head coach for 79 games during the 2017-18 season. Triano has had two stints as the head coach of the Canadian National Team from 2012-2019 and 1999-2004, as he led Canada to a 5-2 record during the 2000 Olympics. In addition, he has experience as an assistant coach with USA Basketball, including at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, where he helped guide Team USA to the gold medal over Turkey. Triano is the only Canadian ever drafted in both the NBA and the Canadian Football League. Additionally, Triano has authored two books and in 2016 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of Calgary.Doug Christie returns to the Kings bench following the 2021-22 season, his first season as an assistant coach with Sacramento. Christie played 14 seasons in the NBA for seven teams, including the Kings from 2000-2005, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2003 and All-Defensive Second Team in 2001, 2002, and 2004 as he helped Sacramento reach the postseason in each of his five seasons with the team. Christie is the Sacramento-era leader in career steals (717) and second on the all-time franchise leaders list in steals for the Kings and Toronto Raptors (664). The 14-year NBA veteran attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Wash., where he led the Vikings to their first state basketball championship in 1988. After graduating from Rainier Beach, Christie headed south to Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., where he played three seasons for the Waves from 1989-92. Christie ranks third in career steals (168) in program history and won back-to-back WCC Player of the Year awards (1990-92). Christie lives in Sacramento with his wife Jackie, son Douglas and new four-legged family member, Ghost.

Luke Loucks joins the Kings staff having already served as an assistant coach under Brown for the Nigerian men’s national team. Loucks worked in basketball strategy and personnel evaluation for the Phoenix Suns during the 2021-22 season. Before joining the Suns organization, he spent five seasons with the Golden State Warriors, winning two NBA Championships (2016-17 and 2017-18) and three Western Conference Finals (2016-19). He worked as a player development coach (2019-21), a two-way development coach (2017-19) and video/player development intern in 2016-17 season. As a two-way player development coach, he specialized in on-court tutelage and instruction for Golden State’s two-way assignment players. Loucks played four seasons at Florida State where he ranks tied for fourth in program history in career games played (136). He was a part of four straight NCAA tournament appearances, won the ACC Championship in 2012, and was third in the ACC in assists. After his time at FSU, he went on to play professionally for four seasons in Latvia, Cyprus, Belgium, Germany and for the Maine Red Claws and Erie Bayhawks of the NBA G League, before joining the Warriors staff.&nbsp;

Leandro Barbosa heads into his first season as an assistant coach with Sacramento following two seasons with Golden State (2020-22), winning the 2022 NBA title with Coach Brown. Barbosa served as a player development coach for the Warriors during the 2021-22 campaign after he was a player mentor coach in 2020-21. Originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft, Barbosa’s NBA career spanned 15 seasons. In 850 career games, he averaged 10.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with the Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and the Warriors. Barbosa is ninth in career games played (553) in Suns franchise history and earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors with Phoenix during the 2006-07 season. He was a member of the Warriors team that won the NBA title during the 2014-15 season and spent the final three years of his professional playing career in his home country of Brazil (2017-20).

Dutch Gaitley comes to Sacramento after four seasons as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets (2018-22), serving as the Hornets Summer League head coach in 2021. A Haverford, Pa. native, Gaitley began his career in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, a tenure that spanned five seasons from 2013-2018. He started with San Antonio as an intern during the 2013-14 season and was part of the 2014 NBA Finals championship team. Following his internship, Gaitley was named assistant video coordinator in 2014 and promoted to head video coordinator in 2016, a role he held until joining the Hornets. In 2019, Gaitley participated in the first ever FIBA Basketball without Borders camp in Columbia as well as assisted in the fifth annual Basketball without Borders Global Camp in Charlotte during the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend. Before working in the Association, he was the video coordinator at Lehigh University (2012-13) and a graduate assistant at Temple University (2011-12). Gaitley played four years collegiately, spending his senior year at Temple after three seasons at Monmouth University (2007-10).

Lindsey Harding remains in Sacramento after spending the previous three seasons with the Kings as an assistant coach/player development coach. In 2021, Harding was appointed head coaching duties for the South Sudan Women’s Senior National Team, leading the team at the FIBA AfroBasket qualifier, the country’s first time entering a women’s tournament. Prior to her time in Sacramento, Harding was promoted as a player development coach with the Philadelphia 76ers after working as a pro personnel scout for the club during the 2018-19 season following a nine-year career in the WNBA. The Houston, Texas native made 270 career appearances in the WNBA while also playing internationally in Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and at the 2016 Summer Olympics for the Belarus women’s national basketball team. Harding was selected first overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft following a standout career at Duke (2002-07) where she was named 2007 Naismith College Player of the Year and had her No. 10 retired and enshrined into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

Deividas Dulkys, a Šilutė, Lithuania native, joins the Kings as a player development coach after he was an assistant coach for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League during the 2021-22 season. He played collegiately at Florida State University from 2008-12, helping the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons. Dulkys ranks third all-time in made 3-pointers (203) in FSU program history and went on to enjoy a 10-year international playing career through 2021. He played professionally in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Turkey, Italy and Spain and earned Polish League All-Star honors in 2014 after leading the league in scoring.

Robbie Lemons begins his seventh season with the Kings and first as senior director, coaching analytics and strategy. In this role, Lemons will serve on the coaching staff providing analytical insights and strategy to Coach Brown and his staff. He will also support the front office during the offseason free agency and draft periods. Prior to this role, Lemons worked in the front office as a pro scout, college scout and supported basketball administration. Before joining the Kings, Lemons graduated with honors from Stanford University in 2015 with a BA in Economics and a MA in Public Policy. Lemons played on Stanford’s basketball team (2010-2014) and was awarded First Team PAC-12 All-Academic selection and the PAC-12 Leadership Award. Subsequently, he completed a MSC in Banking and Finance from Newcastle University with distinction, while competing for the university’s inter-collegiate and national level teams.

Charles Allen is the new head video coordinator for the Kings after working with the Utah Jazz for the last three seasons. Along with his duties as head video coordinator, Allen will serve as a special assistant to the head coach. He spent the last two seasons in Utah as the team’s head video coordinator from 2020-22 after working as the assistant video coordinator for the team during the 2019-20 season. During his three seasons with the Jazz, he focused on player development, advance scouting and video analysis. Allen was also an assistant video coordinator with the Houston Rockets (2018-19) and Phoenix Suns (2017-18). Before his time in the NBA, Allen worked as an assistant video coordinator (2017) and basketball student assistant &amp; analytics team member (2014-17) at the University of Houston after playing two seasons at Dallas Baptist University.

Garrius Adams returns to Sacramento for his second season with the Kings as assistant video coordinator. He heads into his fifth season in the NBA after also spending two seasons as assistant video coordinator with the Charlotte Hornets (2019-21) and the 2018-19 season as a coaching associate for the Los Angeles Lakers. A former international player, Adams played three seasons in Europe throughout Belgium, France and Montenegro. He graduated from the University of Miami in 2014 after a four-year playing career for the Hurricanes.

kings-announce-coaching-staff-for-2022-23-season

Kings Announce Coaching Staff for 2022-23 Season

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The Sacramento Kings announced today staff additions and promotions within the basketball operations department for the 2019-20 NBA season.

New additions include Craig Slaunwhite as Head of Performance, Tommy Brice and Aisling Toolan as Physical Therapists, Wes Bohn as Advance Scout and Alexander Sigua as Director, Media Relations. Promotions include Teena Murray as Vice President, Health and Performance, Greg Stratton as Director of Scouting, Melanie Stocking as Director, Team Travel and Logistics, Mark Toyoda as Director, Basketball Administration, Analise Langford as Basketball Facility Operations Manager, Robbie Lemons as Manager of Basketball Administration, Akachi Okugo as Player Development Manager and Michael Martinez as Media Relations Coordinator.

Murray has been promoted to Vice President, Health and Performance where she leads a growing interdisciplinary high-performance team including strength and conditioning, analytics, performance medicine, mental health, performance psychology, and performance nutrition (including the Kings culinary team). She is building a unique ecosystem of academic, research and development, and technology partners to support the delivery of elite care to all Kings players.

Slaunwhite joins the Kings as Head of Performance after spending the past five seasons (2014-19) with the Winnipeg Jets as the Director of High Performance. Prior to the Jets, Slaunwhite spent five seasons as the Strength &amp; Conditioning Coach of the Florida Panthers. Slaunwhite holds a Doctor of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University in 2003. He also holds a license in Chiropractic Medicine both in Canada and the United States. A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Slaunwhite is an accomplished athlete who served as captain of both basketball and track &amp; field teams while attending Dalhousie University. He set several school and provincial records at Dalhousie in pentathlon, pole vault, shot-put, discus, and decathlon, and achieved All-Canadian honors in track and field. Following his collegiate career, Slaunwhite competed on the Canadian Track &amp; Field Team for events in Africa, Europe, and South America and earned a bronze medal in decathlon at the 2008 Canadian Olympic trials.

Brice begins his first season with the Kings as Physical Therapist. Brice hails from Bloomingdale, IL and played college basketball at Marquette University. After completing his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Marquette in 2010 he worked in an outpatient clinic in Milwaukee for five years. In 2015 he accepted a two-year residency at Palo Alto Medical Foundation before moving into a Division I Sports Medicine Fellowship at USC where he has spent the past two years. His fellowship included a season with the UCLA Men’s Basketball and Football programs.

Toolan joins the team as Physical Therapist after spending the 2016-18 seasons with the Brooklyn Nets as Director of Rehabilitation. Prior to joining the Nets, Toolan spent six years as a physical therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center. In addition, Toolan served as a physical therapist for New York City FC in 2015 and has worked with U.S. Soccer national teams since 2011. In 2014, Toolan completed a rotation at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, working with National Team gymnasts, fencers, wrestlers and weightlifters. A native of Dublin, Ireland, Toolan received her Bachelor of Science degree in physiotherapy from Trinity College, a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Stony Brook University and an athletic training degree from Hofstra in 2016. She is working towards a Master’s in High Performance Sport at Australian Catholic University. The former Irish international soccer player is also a board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy and a certified strength and conditioning coach.

Sigua returns to the Kings as Director, Media Relations after beginning his career with the franchise during the 2004-05 season as an intern and growing into several roles including Public Relations Manager through 2011. Throughout his career, Sigua has executed integrated communications strategies across the United States in the areas of sports, entertainment, healthcare, technology and corporate social responsibility. He has also managed PR campaigns on behalf of Fortune 500 companies affiliated with the Olympic Winter Games, FIFA World Cup and NFL, and led media relations for several national and global charity programs.

Martinez has been promoted to Media Relations Coordinator as he enters his fourth season with the Kings. A Sacramento native, Martinez started as an intern during the 2016-17 season, then continued as the team’s Media Relations Assistant through the 2018-19 season. Martinez graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Psychology in 2017.

Stratton enters his 26th year in the NBA and first as the Director of Scouting for the Kings. Stratton joined the Kings in 2016 as a College Scout and has served in that capacity for the past three seasons. He began his career in the NBA as an intern for the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to the 1993-94 season which led to various positions within the organization and ultimately served as team division coordinator from 1994-2001. In 2001, Stratton moved to California and began a five-year stint with the Golden State Warriors, serving first as the Manager of Basketball Operations and then as Manager of Scouting. In 2006-07, Stratton became a college scout for the Orlando Magic until 2013 when he then became a college scout for the LA Clippers.

Bohn begins his first season with the Kings as Advance Scout after spending the 2018-19 season with the Milwaukee Bucks as Assistant Video Coordinator. Prior to that, Bohn served in various roles as a member of the scouting departments with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx, Connecticut Sun, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Erie BayHawks and New York Knicks.

Stocking has been promoted to Director, Team Travel and Logistics in her 14th season with the Kings after serving as Senior Manager in the same area during the 2018-19 season. In her tenure with the organization, she has served as Manager of Basketball Operations and in various other capacities. A native of Winters, California, Stocking is a Sonoma State University graduate.

Toyoda has been promoted to Director, Basketball Administration. A former intern, Toyoda is responsible for administrating day-to-day legal, finance, and basketball operations tasks. The Chicago native graduated from Northwestern University in 2011 and the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University in 2014.

Langford has been promoted to Basketball Facility Operations Manager in her 19th season with the Kings after serving in various roles with the organization, including Operations Senior Systems Administrator, Operations Administrator, Operations Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to the Director of Operations.

Lemons has been promoted to Manager, Basketball Administration after spending the 2018-19 season as the Scouting Coordinator. Lemons has also served in a Basketball Operations role during the previous two campaigns. A Sacramento native, the 2015 Stanford graduate earned First-Team PAC-12 All-Academic honors as a member of the Cardinal basketball team (2010-2014). Lemons secured his public policy MA in Palo Alto and MSC in banking and finance from Newcastle University.

Okugo has been promoted to Player Development Manager after serving as an Assistant Player Development Coach for the past two seasons. Okugo is tasked with assisting with player workouts before, during and after practices during the season and offseason. Okugo is a graduate of California State University, San Marcos where he was a basketball standout, ranking second in school history for threes made.

sacramento-kings-announce-basketball-operations-additions-and-promotions

Sacramento Kings Announce Basketball Operations Additions and Promotions

The Sacramento Kings announced today the members of Head Coach Luke Walton’s coaching staff for the 2019-20 season, naming Igor Kokoskov, Bob Beyer, Jesse Mermuys, and Roy Rana as assistant coaches. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Rana will serve as chief of staff facilitating interdepartmental communication and a streamlined system within the coaching staff. Also named to Walton’s staff are Bobby Jackson as assistant player development coach, Jonah Herscu as advance scout, and Will Scott as head video coordinator and player development coach.

Kokoskov (kuh-KOS-kov) most recently served as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns during the 2018-19 season and brings 19 seasons of experience in the NBA. He holds the distinction of becoming the first non-American born head coach in the NBA (2018), the first non-American assistant to serve on an NBA All-Star Game coaching staff (2006), and the first full-time, non-American assistant coach in league history (2000). Kokoskov has served as an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz (2015-18), Orlando Magic (2014-15), Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-14), Phoenix Suns (2008-13), Detroit Pistons (2003-2008), and Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03). He has been on the coaching staff of seven teams to reach the Conference Finals, two teams to reach the NBA Finals, and won an NBA title as an assistant coach with the Pistons in 2004, becoming the first non-American assistant coach to be an NBA Champion. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Kokoskov has many accomplishments as an international coach as well. As head coach of the Slovenian national team from 2016-17, he guided the team to a gold-medal finish and perfect 9-0 record at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 as Slovenia captured its first-ever European Championship. Prior to that, Kokoskov was head coach of the Georgian national team from 2008-15, qualifying for EuroBasket three times, a feat which Georgia had never accomplished previously.

Beyer joins the Kings with 35 years of coaching experience at the NBA and collegiate level as he most recently was a part of the Oklahoma City staff as an assistant coach during the 2018-19 season. Before joining the Thunder in 2018, Beyer spent the previous four seasons with the Detroit Pistons as the associate head coach during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons and as an assistant coach from 2014-16. Prior to Detroit, Beyer gained 13 years of NBA experience having been an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats (2013-14), Golden State Warriors (2012-13), Orlando Magic (2007-12), where he helped Orlando reach the postseason five times including a 2009 NBA Finals appearance, and Toronto Raptors (2003-04).

Mermuys (mer-MISS) carries 18 years of basketball prowess at the high school, collegiate, and NBA G League level to go along with NBA experience. Having worked himself from the video room, advance scout, and player development coach, Mermuys rejoins Walton in Sacramento after spending the past three seasons on Walton’s staff as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2016-19. Prior to joining Walton in Los Angeles, Mermuys was named the head coach/assistant general manager of the Toronto Raptors NBA G League affiliate, Raptors 905, for the 2015-16 inaugural season. Before becoming the head coach of the Raptors 905, Mermuys served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors (2013-15) and during the 2013-14 season he was an assistant coach and the director of player development for the Houston Rockets. Mermuys broke into the NBA with the Denver Nuggets (2008-12) as a video coordinator, advance scout, and assistant coach.

Rana brings 25 years of coaching experience at the international, collegiate, and high school level as he most recently served as head coach for Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers where he led Canada to a 10-2 record and a first place finish in Group F to secure a 2019 FIBA World Cup bid. Rana also finished his ninth season as the head coach at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he accumulated a record of 157-60 overall and guided the Rams to a 31-7 record during the 2018-19 season. Rana led Ryerson to five consecutive National Championship Medals. He is also the longest serving and all-time winningest coach in Nike Hoop Summit history with over 25 former players now active in the NBA.

Jackson begins his second season as an assistant player development coach for the Kings. Jackson served as a collegiate scout for the organization from 2015-18 and has also served as a regional scout and player development coach for the Kings (2010- 2012) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2013). The Salisbury, North Carolina native played 12 seasons in the NBA, accruing averages of 9.7 points (.417 FG%, .354 3pt%, .793 FT%), 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.98 steals, and 22.2 minutes per contest in 755 games (started 143), punctuated by an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2003 as a member of the Kings after registering a career-best 15.2 points (.464 FG%, .379 3pt%, .846 FT%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.53 steals, and 28.4 minutes per game. In addition to six seasons in a Kings uniform (2000-05 &amp; 2008-09), Jackson also played for the Denver Nuggets (1997-98), where he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team, Timberwolves (1998-2000), Memphis Grizzlies (2005-06), New Orleans/OKC Hornets (2006-08), and Houston Rockets (2008).

Herscu joins the Kings staff as an advance scout after spending the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers as an advance scout and player development assistant (2018-19), and assistant video coordinator (2016-18). Herscu brings 11 seasons of professional experience having worked in the NBA, NBA G League, and WNBA as an assistant coach or video coordinator.

Scott joins the Sacramento staff as the head video coordinator and player development coach after spending the past three seasons as the Los Angeles Lakers head video coordinator under Walton (2016-19). The Indiana alum was promoted with the Los Angeles Lakers NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, in 2015-16 to assistant coach and video coordinator after assisting in the video room with Los Angeles and South Bay simultaneously during the 2011-12 season. During the summers of 2014 and 2015, Scott was the head video coordinator for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA where he developed scouting reports on opponents and was involved in daily coaching operations.

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