PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns today announced the promotion of Kevin Young to associate head coach, as well as the additions of Bryan Gates, Jarrett Jack and Steve Scalzi as assistant coaches.
Young served as an assistant coach in his first season with the Suns in 2020-21, helping the team win the Western Conference and advance to the NBA Finals. He joined the Suns following four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers, helping the Sixers qualify for the playoffs in each of his final three seasons with the team. During the 2018-19 season he worked alongside Suns Head Coach Monty Williams in Philadelphia. Young also served as the Sixers’ head coach at NBA Summer League in 2018.
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 prior to his coaching career.
Gates joins the Suns following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves. An NBA assistant coach since 2009, he also holds experience on the bench of the Sacramento Kings from 2016-2019, a first tenure with Minnesota in 2015-16, five seasons with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010-2015 and a first tenure with Sacramento in 2009-10. Gates served as an assistant coach on Williams’ staff for each of their five seasons in New Orleans.
Before beginning his career as an NBA assistant coach, Gates spent three seasons as head coach of the NBA G League’s Idaho Stampede from 2006-2009, compiling a 101-51 (.644) record, twice winning the NBA G League Coach of the Year Award and guiding the Stampede to the 2008 NBA G League Championship. A graduate of Boise State University, Gates also has experience as an assistant coach in the G League and as head coach of the Oklahoma Storm in the United States Basketball League, Hickory Nutz in the Carolinas Basketball League and Beirut Blues Stars in the Lebanese Basketball League.
Jack joins the coaching ranks after a 13-year NBA career as a player from 2005-2018. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.6 assists over 867 career regular season games with Portland, Indiana, Toronto, New Orleans, Golden State, Cleveland, Brooklyn and New York. Jack played two seasons with Williams as his head coach in New Orleans, teaming with Chris Paul to make the playoffs in 2010-11 and averaging a career-high 15.6 points in 2011-12. Jack and Williams also were together in Portland from 2005-2008, Jack’s first three NBA seasons as a player and Williams’ first three NBA seasons as an assistant coach.
Most recently, Jack averaged 8.9 points in 15 appearances for the NBA G League Ignite during the 2021 NBA G League season held at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida this past February. Entering the NBA as the 22nd overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Jack played collegiately at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he led the Yellow Jackets to a national runner-up finish in 2004.
Scalzi joins the Suns following seven seasons on the coaching staff of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He served as a player development coach for the Thunder the past two seasons, which followed five seasons as director of analysis and opposition scouting from 2014-2019, including when Williams was the team’s associate head coach in 2015-16. Scalzi first joined the organization as an assistant coach with the Tulsa 66ers, then the Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate, in 2013-14.
Prior to joining Oklahoma City’s organization, Scalzi spent seven years as the director of basketball operations for the men’s basketball program at Northeastern University. A graduate of Boston College, he was a student assistant for the men’s basketball team during the winningest period in the Eagles’ school history from 2002-2006.