Nate Bjorkgren appointed as the new head coach of Dakota Wizards: NBA Development League Update
The assistant coach of the Iowa Energy, Nate Bjorkgren has officially been named as the new head coach of the NBA Development League team Dakota Wizards. The development finalized on Wednesday after the 36-year old accepted the
proposal.
Golden State Warriors recently purchased the D-League franchise Wizards during the off-season. Being the new owner and parent club affiliate of Dakota Wizards, the Warriors have replaced Rory White and appointed Nate to carry the
responsibilities of the coaching positions.
The general manager of the Golden State Warriors Larry Riley released a statement in this regard.
"We're really pleased with the selection of Nate as our head coach. We believe he is a quality young coach and the right individual to lead the Wizards and, most importantly, oversee the development of our team in Bismarck. The
tremendous success he enjoyed in Iowa and his overall knowledge of the D-League will be an added benefit and certainly aid him in this transition."
A Buena Vista University Graduate, Nate started his coaching career in Arizona at the high school level. Bjorkgren coached Cactus Shadows High School in Cave creek and received his first big success in the early stages of his career,
when he was named ‘Coach of The Year’ for the Arizona State high School in the 2005-2006 season.
In the 2007-2008 season, Bjorkgren’s success took him into the NBA Development League, where he became the associate coach of Iowa Energy. In four seasons with Iowa Energy, Nate posted a record of 124 wins and guided the franchise
towards the D-League Championship last season.
Under the guidance of Bjorkgren, Iowa captured three successive Eastern Conference titles in the last three years. The franchise also posted a record of 37 wins and 13 defeats in each of the last two seasons which is the best performance
by any team in the history of the Development League.
After replacing Rory White, Nate will become the ninth head coach in the history of the Dakota Wizards and he expressed his excitement at the appointment.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity to lead the Wizards and provide the fans of Bismarck with a hard-working and exciting team." Nate said.
Under the leadership of White, Dakota managed to win only 19 games in the last season and were defeated 31 times. Having Nate Bjorkgren as the new coach, the Wizards will definitely receive a much needed boost up to challenge their
foes in the next season.
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