Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is currently busy with USA Basketball, preparing his team for the FIBA World Cup later this month. When he returns from that overseas tournament, a family celebration is in order.
The Warriors have tapped Nicholas Kerr as the next head coach of their G League team in Santa Cruz, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Kerr, 30, has served as an assistant coach in Santa Cruz for the last two seasons after working under his father as a video coordinator for the NBA’s Warriors for four years. Now he’ll be tasked with developing players who can rise to the NBA and help support the Warriors’ aging star core.
The Warriors are full of NBA pedigree, with five players whose fathers played in the league. Kirk Lacob, who was named the team’s vice president of basketball operations this summer after Bob Myers’ departure, is the son of team owner Joe Lacob, whose other youngest son Kent was recently promoted to vice president of basketball operations.
The younger Kerr, a former Cal guard, will replace Seth Cooper, who has been promoted to Warriors director of player development after leading the G League team for the last two seasons. Santa Cruz general manager David Fatoki has also been elevated to Warriors director of player development, though he’ll continue to oversee basketball operations of the team’s G League affiliate.
These promotions are only some of the several changes the Warriors have made to their coaching and basketball operation staffs this offseason.
After naming Mike Dunleavy Jr. as the team’s new general manager in the wake of Myers’ departure, the Warriors have elevated Onsi Saleh to vice president of basketball strategy and team counsel and Pabail Sidhu to vice president of basketball analytics and innovation. Ryan Atkinson will now serve as the senior director of basketball development and Nanea McGuigan will be the senior director of basketball administration and player programs.
Golden State also promoted Klint Carlson to player development coach and video coordinator.
The Warriors will also have several new faces around for next season. They hired Bay Area native Chuck Hayes to be the team’s director of basketball operations and Tatiana Lampley as a basketball operations coordinator and added Everett Dayton to be the team’s video coordinator in its player development department.
Hayes, who was born in San Leandro, starred at Modesto Christian before taking his talents to the University of Kentucky. He played 11 seasons in the NBA for three teams: The Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors.
Hayes most recently held a front-office position for the Rockets.
In other news, Steve Kerr didn’t have to look far to replace Jama Mahlalela, who left this summer to take a lead assistant position for his hometown Toronto Raptors. Kerr has promoted Kris Weems to a front-bench position on his staff.
Weems spent six years on Santa Cruz’s coaching staff, including two seasons as the team’s head coach, before earning a spot as a player development coach in the NBA.
