D-League team Reno Bighorns hires former Charlotte Bobcats’ assistant coach Paul Mokeski: NBA News
The National Basketball Association D-League team Reno Bighorns will now avail the services of former Charlotte Bobcats’ assistant coach Paul Mokeski, who was announced as their new head coach on Thursday, 29 September, 2011. The
major stake owner in Reno Bighorns, Herb Santos Jr. made the announcement at South Reno Athletic Club. The details of the pact were not revealed, however.
Bighorns owner Herb Santos Jr. said, "Coach Mokeski is the total package. He had a great career in the NBA as a player, he has coached at the collegiate, Olympic, NBA and NBA D-League levels, and throughout his career he has shown
his commitment to giving back to the communities he has lived in."
Prior signing Mokeski, Santos had officially interviewed over 30 candidates for the head coaching job, in which some have the NBA coaching experience too. Santos didn’t mention their names, but he told that he used to receive roughly
five calls every day from the potential candidates.
Santos also had a meeting with his other associates in Sacramento, Atlanta and Memphis, before Mokeski’s hiring and according to reports, the decision was unanimous.
The 54 year old Mokeski brings along with him more than a decade of playing and four seasons of coaching experience. Apart from remaining an assistant coach with the Bobcats, Mokeski had also worked in the same capacity with the
Dallas Mavericks. However, it was 12 years ago when Mokeski last worked as a head coach and that was in Continental Basketball Association.
Mokeski’s last job was with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, another D-League team, where he worked as an assistant. Therefore getting a head coaching job after having this kind of resume was pretty likely.
Mokeski, a 7-foot former Kansas star, said, "It's a natural step for me. I've been an assistant in the developmental league. I've been an assistant in the NBA, so it was a natural step. The last couple years, I've been waiting
for an opportunity like this."
Mokeski becomes the third coach of the Bighorns in just three years life of this team, after their previous coach Eric Musselman took over the Los Angeles D-Fenders job last month. The new coach, Mokeski will definitely be looking
to improve Bighorns record, which achieved 34 wins in the previous season.
To achieve his goal Mokeski will start the work on immediate basis, as in the first phase he’ll hire new staff members to assist him, as Reno’s will play their first game on November 25, 2011 at Bakersfield. For coaching staff
hiring Mokeski will first go to Memphis then to Atlanta and afterwards to Sacramento.
Tags: