SACRAMENTO - Dave Joerger has his staff. The Sacramento Kings officially announced a group of four new assistant coaches and two holdovers from George Karl’s staff on Friday morning. Headlining the group is a familiar name. Elston Turner, who worked in Sacramento under Rick Adelman from 2000-2006 during the golden age of Kings basketball, will act as Joerger’s lead assistant.
“We’ve united a tremendously dedicated, hard-working coaching staff with a unique, collective set of experiences and strengths that I’m confident will serve the team well moving forward,” Joerger said in a statement.
Joining Turner on the staff is Bryan Gates, who is also back for another tour of duty in Sacramento, as well as Duane Ticknor, Jason March and returning coaches Corliss Williamson and Nancy Lieberman.
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Turner spent the last three seasons working with Joerger in Memphis after two seasons in Phoenix and four in Houston. Known for his defensive acumen, Turner interviewed for the head coaching job in Sacramento this summer before Joerger was named head coach.
Gates spent last season working with Sam Mitchell in Minnesota after five years in New Orleans on Monty Williams staff. He broke into the league with the Kings under Paul Westphal during the 2009-2010 season.
Ticknor is a coaching lifer, spending the last 30 years in the game at one level or another. Like Turner, Ticknor spent the previous three seasons in Memphis working on Joerger’s staff. Before making it to the NBA, he had stints in the D-League, South Korea, CBA and the IBA.
After spending the previous nine seasons in Memphis, March joins the staff as an assistant coach with a background in advanced scouting. He spent six seasons in the video room for the Grizzlies, working his way to the title of director of basketball information and technologies.
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Williamson returns for his fourth season on the Kings coaching staff. He’s part big man coach, part DeMarcus Cousins whisperer and part survivor. This is the fourth head coach that Williamson has worked under in Sacramento. Before joining Michael Malone’s coaching staff, he worked as a head coach at Arkansas Central for three years after a three year stint as an assistant at Arkansas Baptist College. Williamson spent 12 years in the NBA, including two stops in Sacramento and he is a legend in the college game, leading the Arkansas Razorbacks to an NCAA title in 1994.
Lieberman returns for a second season with the Kings after becoming just the second female assistant coach in NBA history. A basketball legend, Lieberman is a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame and one of the true pioneers of the women’s game.
In addition to the coaching hires, CSN California has confirmed that longtime NBA scout Bill Pope will return for his fourth season in Sacramento and has been promoted to Pro Personnel Scout. Dan Hartfield has been added to the scouting department as well, after last serving as the head video coordinator for the Grizzlies.