DALLAS (Sept. 24, 2026) – The Dallas Mavericks announced today staff updates within the basketball operations department ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Nico Berg has been named Executive Director of Health and Performance. A physiotherapist with experience across the NBA, NFL and NHL, Berg most recently served as the co-owner and physiotherapist at Lynn Valley Orthopedic and Sports Physiotherapy. Additionally, Berg previously worked with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2010-14) as a consultant specializing in core strength, performance and injury prevention. He earned a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from the University of British Columbia and later a masters in physiotherapy from the University of Queensland.
Tim Chung brings more than a decade of NBA operations experience to his role as Director of Basketball Operations. He spent the past three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies as the Senior Manager of Basketball Logistics and Operations and the eight years prior to that with the Toronto Raptors organization, where he began with Raptors 905 before transitioning to the Raptors front office. His experience spans team operations, logistics and day-to-day basketball operations.
Patrick Engelbrecht will serve as Vice President of Global Talent Identification & International Affairs, bringing more than 13 years of experience with the Toronto Raptors. Most recently, he served as director of global scouting & international affairs in Toronto, overseeing international talent evaluation and global basketball initiatives. A South African native, he is known for his extensive worldwide scouting network and expertise in international player evaluations.
Ijeoma Ofomata will begin a dual role as Manager of Scouting for the Mavericks as well as Assistant General Manager of the Texas Legends after spending the past three years with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ofomata played professional basketball around Europe for 12 years before joining the NBA as a basketball operations liaison for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) (2020-21). Ofomata spent two additional years with the NBA (2022-23) as Senior Manager of Basketball Operations, Player Development and Team Management, helping grow the BAL before joining the Bucks with a focus on scouting.
Matt Redfield has been named Assistant General Manager following five seasons (2021-26) as Senior Director of Strategy and Analytics with the Toronto Raptors. Before his time with the Raptors, Redfield served as the director of AI products at Second Spectrum in Los Angeles, where he engaged with NBA teams and the league office on player tracking data and analytics. He has a background in building data-informed processes to improve team performance.
Blaise Ross will oversee Basketball Salary Cap & Strategy as Senior Director after spending the last five years at the NBA league office. There, he served as associate vice president and senior associate counsel, Player Matters. Prior to joining the NBA league office, Ross was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School after earning his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.
As Director of Global Player Strategy, Joseph Tipton brings a background spanning professional sports, investment and entertainment. Tipton most recently was an investor at Helios (London), where he helped grow sports leagues, music IPs and entertainment infrastructure. His portfolio encompassed working on NBA Africa, Afro Nation, the PFL and large-scale sporting facilities.
Joe Touomou has been named Director of Africa/Player Development & Scouting, bringing more than 25 years of international basketball and sports development experience. The former Georgetown student-athlete began his coaching career at the University of Missouri before joining the Indiana Pacers as a scout. Most recently, he served as the technical director of NBA Academy Africa, where he identified and developed elite talent while helping grow the game across the continent.
Ally Wade will serve as Director of Mind Health, bringing experience as a licensed psychologist for Dallas Mental Health and Performance for the past three years. Wade began her career as a doctoral psychology intern with the University of Oklahoma Athletics department before becoming Director of Mental Health Services with SMU Athletics for six years (2017-23). Additionally, Wade is listed on the US Olympic and Paralympic (USOPC) Mental Health registry, specializing in stress, trauma and life transitions.
Michael Finley will transition to Senior Director of Player, Community and Alumni Engagement, where he will provide support to the front office and focus on strengthening relationships among Mavericks players, alumni and the North Texas community. Finley has served in the Mavericks front office since 2013, most recently as Co-Interim General Manager.
The Mavericks also announced the hires of Katie Babcock (Massage Therapist/Athletic Trainer), Chef John Bauer (Director of Culinary Operations), Kevin Clerkley (Assistant Athletic Trainer), Erica French (Mavericks Performance Kitchen General Manager), Matt McGann (Video Scouting Manager), Ron Meikle (pro scout), Justin Serresse (global scout) and Dame Wall (player development).
The club has promoted Marc Oelkers to Senior Manager of Basketball Systems and DJ Sewell to Manager of Basketball Cap & Strategy, Associate Counsel.
Julia Bateman and Cole Emanuel begin new roles as Special Assistant to the President and Special Assistant to the Head Coach, respectively.
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