The Washington Wizards announced their re-structured coaching and training staff for the 2018-19 season today.
Joining Scott Brooks and Tony Brown on the front of the bench will be Robert Pack and Ryan Richman, while Kristi Toliver will join David Adkins, Mike Terpstra and Maz Trakh on the back of the bench as an assistant coach/player development. Additionally, Alex McLean and Landon Tatum have both been promoted to assistant coach/player development.
“We’re excited to begin the season with a revamped, versatile staff of coaches and trainers,” said Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks. “We have a good mix of returning veteran NBA coaches, valuable new additions and promotions from within the organization that will help our players improve.”
Pack joins the Wizards after spending last season as a scout with the Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to that, he spent the previous two seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, his second stint with the organization. Pack spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Brooks’ staff from 2013-15. He began his coaching career in New Orleans, serving as an assistant coach during the 2009-10 season before spending three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers in a similar role.
Richman, who served as the Wizards’ 2018 Summer League head coach, is entering his fifth season with the team. Following two seasons in the video room, Richman transitioned into a player development coordinator/assistant coach role for the 2016-17 season under then-new Head Coach Scott Brooks. He began his coaching career with the University of Maryland basketball program prior to joining the Wizards’ staff in 2014.
Toliver comes to the Wizards’ bench after helping to lead the Washington Mystics to the 2018 WNBA Finals. She also assisted the Wizards’ coaching staff during 2018 NBA Summer League and training camp. The 10-year pro, two-time All-Star (2013 and 2018) and WNBA champion (2016 with Los Angeles) has averaged 12.3 points and 3.4 assists over her WNBA career and posted 13.9 points and 4.4 assists for the Mystics last season. She was originally drafted third overall by Chicago in the 2009 draft out of Maryland, where she led the Terrapins to the 2006 national championship.
McLean spent last season with the Wizards’ player development staff, assisting with on-court work for Wizards players and travelling/training with players on G-League assignment. Tatum is in his third season with the Wizards, spending time as both an assistant video coordinator and as part of the team’s player development staff.
In addition to the changes to the coaching staff, the Wizards announced that they have added Blair O’Donovan as director of physical preparation and have promoted Jeff Bangs to athletic trainer, joining Steve Smith, Jesse Phillips and Navin Hettiarachchi on the team’s training staff, headed by Dr. Wiemi Douoguih of MedStar Health.
O’Donovan has trained elite athletes in the DC metro area and around the world, including time spent with both the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Capitals. Bangs enters his third season with the Wizards after spending the previous two years working with the training staff and has also worked with the training staffs of the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat.
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