PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns today announced the coaching staff for Head Coach Frank Vogel, naming Kevin Young as associate head coach and David Fizdale, Quinton Crawford, Miles Simon, Greg St. Jean, John Lucas III, Dru Anthrop and Jon Pastorek as assistant coaches.
“I am thrilled with the coaching staff that we have assembled,” said Vogel. “Each person brings their own unique skills and experiences to form this dynamic group that will connect with and elevate our players as we set out to develop a championship culture.”
Young remains as associate head coach with the Suns, a title he has held with the team since the 2021-22 season after initially joining the organization as an assistant coach prior to the 2020-21 season. In the three seasons since Young first joined the team’s coaching staff, the Suns have recorded the NBA’s best regular season record of 160-76 (.678) with three playoff appearances, two division titles and one conference championship. Young joined the Suns following four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers, helping the Sixers to the playoffs in each of his final three seasons with team.
Prior to his time on the Sixers’ coaching staff, Young spent nine seasons as a coach in the NBA G League, including time as head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats, Iowa Energy and Utah Flash. His first coaching position in pro basketball was as head coach of the Shamrock Rovers in the Irish Super League for the 2006-07 season, which followed time as an assistant coach at Utah Valley University and Oxford College. Young played collegiately at Clayton State University and Middle Georgia College before his coaching career.
Fizdale joins the Suns with over two decades of NBA experience, most recently serving as associate general manager for the Utah Jazz during the 2022-23 season. A former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, guiding the Grizzlies to the NBA Playoffs in 2017, Fizdale was an assistant coach on Vogel’s staff with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22. Before joining the Grizzlies for his first NBA head coaching assignment, he spent eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat from 2008-2016, including as assistant head coach for the final two of those seasons. Fizdale contributed to Heat teams that won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013, and Miami won 70 playoff games and 15 playoff series during his time on the team’s bench.
His first job as an NBA assistant coach came with the Golden State Warriors for one season in 2003-04, then Fizdale spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks before joining Miami’s staff. Fizdale first worked in the NBA as a member of the Heat’s video department for the 1997-98 season, prior to three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego, his alma mater, and one season as an assistant coach at Fresno State. Fizdale was a three-year starter as a player at San Diego, earning All-West Coast Conference Team honors as a senior in 1995-96.
Crawford joins the Suns following one season as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2022-23 season. He was an assistant coach on Vogel’s staff with the Lakers the prior three seasons, including being a member of the 2020 NBA Championship staff. Before joining the Lakers’ coaching staff in 2019, Crawford served as head video coordinator and player development coach for the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19. He previously worked as the head video coordinator for the Orlando Magic for two seasons after beginning his NBA career as an assistant video coordinator with the Sacramento Kings.
Prior to his coaching career, Crawford played collegiately including two seasons as a walk-on at the University of Arizona from 2011-2013. He opened his college career by playing two seasons at Middlesex County College before moving to Tucson and joining the Wildcats’ basketball program.
Simon joins the Suns following two seasons as head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. In his two seasons as head coach of the Lakers’ G League affiliate, he guided them to consecutive playoff appearances and a combined 64-30 (.681) record in regular season and Showcase Cup games. Before becoming South Bay’s head coach, Simon served four seasons on the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching staff, having been a member of the 2020 NBA Championship staff under Vogel. Prior to joining the Lakers’ staff, Simon spent time as director of the Nike Basketball Academy, served on the coaching staffs for multiple junior national teams with USA Basketball and spent NBA off-seasons working in a player development role for some of the league’s top talent.
A legend at the University of Arizona as a player, Simon won Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors in leading the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship in 1997. Simon’s No. 34 is retired by Arizona and he is a member of the UA Sports Hall of Fame. Following a professional playing career that included one season with the Orlando Magic and time overseas and in the CBA, Simon began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater under head coach Lute Olson.
St. Jean joins the Suns following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks from 2021-2023. During that time, he was a member of the Mavericks’ coaching staff that defeated the Suns to reach the Western Conference Finals in 2022. Before joining Dallas’ bench, St. Jean spent two seasons as a player development coach and advance scout for the Lakers, including on Vogel’s staff that won an NBA Championship in 2020.
Prior to joining the Lakers’ staff, St. Jean was an assistant coach for four seasons at St. John’s University where he helped the Red Storm improve their win total in each of his four seasons. He also spent two years as assistant player development coach for the Sacramento Kings and first worked in the NBA as a basketball operations and video intern with the Brooklyn Nets. As a collegiate player, St. Jean was a three-year team captain at Wesleyan University.
Lucas III joins the Suns after serving as an assistant coach on Vogel’s staff with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season. Prior to his time on the Lakers’ staff, he served as a player development coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2017-2019. Lucas III entered the coaching ranks following a professional playing career that spanned from 2005 to 2017 and included time in the NBA, G League and overseas. In total, Lucas III appeared in 242 NBA games across eight seasons with the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons and Timberwolves.
Prior to his professional playing career, Lucas III had a decorated collegiate career at Baylor University and Oklahoma State University. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection at Oklahoma State in both 2004 and 2005, helping lead the Cowboys to a Final Four appearance in 2004.
Anthrop joins the Suns following four seasons as head video coordinator and player development coach with the Lakers, having been a member of the staff that won the 2020 NBA Championship. Anthrop joined the Lakers following one season with the Memphis Grizzlies as assistant video coordinator and player development assistant, and two seasons under Vogel as special assistant to the head coach with the Orlando Magic. He spent one season as a graduate assistant with St. John’s University and was a film coordinating intern for the Indiana Pacers from 2013-2015. Anthrop was a four-year letterman as a player at Purdue University from 2009-2013, helping the Boilermakers win a Big Ten title in 2010.
Pastorek joins the Suns following six seasons with the Lakers organization, serving as player development coach and advance scout the past two seasons. Prior to that, Pastorek spent three seasons as assistant video coordinator and player development coach, a title that he held on Vogel’s Lakers staff that won the 2020 NBA Championship. He began working with the Lakers as a video intern in 2017 following four years as director of basketball operations at Pepperdine University. Pastorek played four collegiate seasons, two at San Diego State University then two at UC Santa Barbara where he helped the Gauchos to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011.
– Suns.com –