Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand announced today promotions and staff additions for the team’s basketball operations department ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season.
PERFORMANCELorena Torres joins the team as Performance Director. She will oversee sports science, strength and conditioning, psychology, nutrition and load management, among other areas. Torres previously served in a sports science leadership role for Spurs Sports & Entertainment since 2015. She also worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sport Scientist in various sports, including in basketball at F.C. Barcelona. Torres holds a doctorate, focusing on sports science and strength and conditioning from Pablo de Olavide University, as well as three master’s degrees in sports science fields. Additionally, Torres, who was recently named to the NBA’s Sports Science Committee, will oversee the implementation of sports science and technology designed to help 76ers’ athletes further maximize their performance.Adam Petway has been promoted to Lead Biomechanist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist. In his new role, he will provide kinetic and kinematic assessment of 76ers players, while continuing to assist with the physical preparation of the athletes on a day-to-day basis. Petway joined the team prior to the start of the 2018-19 season and worked in the strength and conditioning department. For the previous five years, Petway served as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the men’s basketball team at the University of Arkansas. He earned his undergraduate degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy, his MBA from Universidade Europeia and is currently pursuing his PhD in biomechanics from Universidad Católica de Murcia.
Craig Whitworth-Turner has been hired as Sports Scientist and Strength and Conditioning Associate. He will support Torres, assisting across the 76ers and its G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Whitworth-Turner joins the 76ers after spending the last year with U.S. Soccer, serving as a Sport Scientist. Prior to U.S. Soccer, he held sports science roles at North Carolina State University, Nike and NK Istra 1961 F.C. (Croatia). Originally from Oldham, England, Whitworth-Turner holds both his bachelor’s degree in science and football, as well as a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University.
MEDICAL
Scott Epsley has been promoted to Medical Director, a role in which he will lead the medical staff, including trainers, physical therapists and soft-tissue specialists. Epsley, an Australia native who originally joined the 76ers prior to the start of the 2016-17 season and most recently served as the team’s Director of Physiotherapy and Clinical Diagnostics, has more than 20 years of experience working in sports medicine, both in Australia and the U.S., across a wide range of sports. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Cam Hodges, Eric Hughes and Andrew Jones III have been hired as Player Development Coaches. In this role, they will primarily be responsible for monitoring and continuously developing players’ skillsets through on-court training and daily film breakdown. Hodges spent the last three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs as a Player Development Assistant on Head Coach Gregg Popovich’s staff. Prior to joining the Spurs, Hodges spent one season as an intern within the Erie Bayhawks organization, then the NBA G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic. He played collegiately at Minneapolis Community and Technical College and Minnesota State University, Mankato before enjoying a three-year professional career in Slovenia, Romania, Hungary and Luxembourg. Hodges served eight years in the United States Army Reserve before being honorably discharged in 2014. Hughes most recently served as an Assistant Coach for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014-18. Prior to joining the Bucks, Hughes was an Assistant Coach for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2013-14 season. Hughes spent the prior six seasons with Toronto, first serving as a Basketball Development Consultant, before transitioning to Assistant Coach/Basketball Development. Prior to his stint with the Raptors, he worked as the Director of Summer Player Development for Goodwin Sports Management in Seattle, training several NBA players, including All-Star Kevin Durant and current 76er Al Horford. Hughes began his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant at Illinois State (1989-91) and has also coached at the University of California (Assistant, 1991-93), the University of Washington (Assistant, 1993-2002) and Spokane Community College (Head Coach, 2002-07). Jones III joins the team after spending the last five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder organization. Most recently, Jones served as Oklahoma City’s Senior Lead in Performance Analysis/Player Development Coach for four seasons, following one season as an Assistant Coach for the team’s G League franchise, the Oklahoma City Blue. Before joining the Thunder, Jones was a Graduate Assistant at his alma mater, Penn State, for the 2013-14 season. During that time, he earned his master’s degree in educational leadership. A West Philadelphia native, he played professionally in Slovakia, Greece and Ukraine after starting 118 of 134 career games for the Nittany Lions during his collegiate career. Remy Ndiaye has been promoted to Player Development Specialist after working within the department for the past two seasons in various roles. A native of Dakar, Senegal in West Africa, Ndiaye previously worked at the NBA Summer League in 2016 and 2017 before joining the 76ers. He studied at the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEED) Academy in his native Senegal, honing in on both his athletic and academic careers. Ndiaye played collegiately at Dallas Baptist University, where he scored over 400 points and collected more than 300 rebounds between 2012-14. He earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from DBU before completing his master’s in sports management, while he worked as a Graduate Student Assistant with the basketball program. Roy Hibbert has been hired as a Player Development Specialist, a role in which he will aid coaches on the floor during player development sessions and in practice. In addition to several other responsibilities, Hibbert will also ensure the development of players daily by assisting with individual skill work, team development and film analysis. Prior to coaching, Hibbert spent nine seasons playing in the NBA with Indiana, the L.A. Lakers, Charlotte and Denver. A two-time NBA All-Star, Hibbert tallied 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.8 minutes per game. He was originally selected by Toronto with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Jason Love and Max Rothschild have been hired as Player Development Associates. In their new roles, they will help the department ensure the development of players daily by assisting with individual skill work, team development and film analysis. Love, originally from Philadelphia, spent the past year-plus working as a Graduate Assistant for the University of Louisville men’s basketball team. Love also served as a Graduate Assistant in 2011-12 at his alma mater, Xavier University, where he played four collegiate seasons from 2006-10. He left the school as the Musketeers’ all-time winningest player and then played professionally in Belgium, Israel, Turkey and Ukraine between 2012 and 2017. Rothschild joins the team following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. A native of Chicago, he saw action in 112 games (55 starts) over four seasons, posting 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. In 2018, Rothschild helped lead the Quakers to the Ivy League Tournament championship, as UPenn captured its first conference title since 2007. BLUE COATS Matt Lilly has been promoted to General Manager, Delaware Blue Coats, after serving last season as Interim General Manager. In this role, Lilly will continue to oversee Blue Coats basketball operations, working closely with the 76ers to ensure a strong relationship between the NBA team and its G League affiliate. Lilly originally joined the 76ers organization prior to the start of the 2015-16 season and has held several roles at the G League level. In his four-year tenure, Lilly has played a key role in the team’s rebrand, move to Wilmington and the opening of 76ers Fieldhouse. Prior to joining Delaware, Lilly spent two seasons with the G League’s Erie franchise, serving first as an intern before being promoted to Video Coordinator/Director of Basketball Operations and Analytics. Lilly holds a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Towson University. Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, who originally joined the team in 2018 as a Technical Scout, has been promoted to Assistant General Manager of the Delaware Blue Coats. Boumtje Boumjte will support General Manager Matt Lilly in helping lead the front office of the 76ers G League affiliate. A native of Cameroon, he played 10 years of professional basketball, including three in the NBA. Originally selected with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Boumtje Boumtje spent three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers (2001-04), before continuing his career in Greece and Germany. Prior to joining the 76ers, he worked as a Data Scientist and Strategy Consultant for Siemens from 2015-18. A graduate of Georgetown University, Boumtje Boumtje holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in applied mathematics and statistics from the school. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Sergi Oliva has been promoted to Vice President, Strategy after previously serving as Senior Director, Analytics and Strategy. Oliva, who’s entering his sixth season with the 76ers, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the 76ers’ Research & Development staff. A Catalan native, he coordinates all research and analysis in support of the team’s front office and coaching staff. SCOUTING Vince Rozman has been promoted to Vice President, Scouting, after previously serving as Senior Director of the same department. This coming season will be Rozman’s 14th with the organization, and in his elevated role, he will oversee the scouting process, including the team’s draft preparation. He joined the team prior to the 2006-07 season. Phil Jabour has been promoted to Director, Scouting, after previously serving as Scout. Jabour will be heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the scouting department in his new role. He will continue to analyze and evaluate players, while also gathering intel and interacting daily with the team’s scouts. Jabour joined the 76ers organization in 2014, after serving as a Scout for the Orlando Magic the previous two seasons. He’s scouted at the collegiate, professional and international levels. Prior to joining the Magic, Jabour worked in several different roles for the Houston Rockets from 2006-11, after serving as a support staff member with USA Basketball during the summer of 2006. Jabour completed his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University and holds a master’s degree in international business from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Danny Mills has been promoted to Director, International Scouting, after previously serving as Scout. In his new role, Mills will lead the global scouting group, while maintaining a focus on professional and college scouting as well. He originally joined the 76ers organization in 2014 as an International Scout, before transitioning stateside from 2016-19. Prior to joining the 76ers, Mills spent the 2013-14 season with the Bakersfield Jam, then of the NBA G League, as Video Coordinator. Between 2010-13, Mills spent time serving as an Assistant Coach for a couple of Italian League teams: Capo D’Orlando (2010-12) and Sigma Barcellona (2012-13). A native of Perth, Australia, he recently served the Australian National Team in a scouting role as the team participated in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Mills played college basketball at the Oregon Institute of Technology, as he pursued his degree in business marketing. Kevin Owens has been promoted to Scout after previously serving as Scouting Coordinator. In his new role, Owens will focus on player evaluation and intel collection as he supports the scouting department. He originally joined the organization with the 76ers’ G League franchise in 2014 and has since held several roles within the team’s basketball operations department. Owens served as the Head Manager of the Maryland Terrapins’ men’s basketball team for two seasons as he pursued his degree in computer science. Drew Nicholas has been hired as Scout and will focus on both identifying and analyzing basketball talent. Nicholas joins the 76ers after spending the past three seasons as a Scout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played collegiately at the University of Maryland from 1999-2003 and helped lead the team to the 2002 NCAA Championship. Nicholas has played professionally in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece and Russia. While playing abroad, he captured multiple titles, including the 2009 and 2011 Euroleague championships with Panathinaikos, based in Athens, Greece. Kevin Anstett has been hired as International Scout after working for the Phoenix Suns the last two years in the same position. A Paris native, Anstett played professionally for Aix Maurienne Savoie Basket (LNB Pro B) in France, following his high school career. He studied new energies at school in Paris, while continuing to play semi-pro basketball. Anstett then began scouting French and African prospects after school, before receiving the opportunity to join the Phoenix Suns as an International Scout in 2017. COMMUNICATIONS Dave Sholler has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Communications and Team Spokesman. Sholler, who joined the organization in 2016, will take on an expanded role in basketball operations, including providing periodic updates and information to the media as official spokesman for the 76ers organization.