The Los Angeles Lakers filled out their coaching staff today, as General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced in a press release that Paul Pressey, Jim Eyen, and Mark Madsen will serve as assistant coaches on head coach Byron Scott’s staff.
Additionally, it was announced that Clay Moser (assistant coach/head advance NBA scout), Larry Lewis (assistant coach/director of player development), Thomas Scott (assistant coach/player development), Tom Bialaszewski (video coordinator/coach), and J.J. Outlaw (video coordinator/player development) will round out Scott’s staff.
“I’m excited to have completed my staff with a group of individuals who each possess unique skills, but all share my vision for the future of this team,” said Scott. “Paul is a great basketball mind with vast experience and someone with whom I have worked before, while Jim returns to the Laker family with a proven track record and a tremendous amount of respect around the league. Thomas has worked very hard through the ranks of the video department, player development and the NBA Development League to earn this position. I’m delighted to retain Mark, Clay, Larry, Tom and J.J., who are all highly qualified and have worked tirelessly with our players throughout the summer to prepare for next season. I can say with certainty that our staff is dedicated to upholding the winning culture and tradition of the Los Angeles Lakers.”
Pressey, Madsen, and Eyen are all familiar names to NBA observers, with Madsen and Eyen being particularly recognizable to Lakers fans because they previously worked for the franchise.
Pressey, who brings 31 seasons of NBA experience as a coach and player, previously worked with Scott as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2010-13, and the New Orleans Hornets for three seasons from 2007-10.
Prior to New Orleans, he was an assistant coach with the Celtics as a member of Doc Rivers’ staff from 2004-06 and served as advance scout for Boston during the 2006-07 season. Pressey also spent time with the Orlando Magic (2000-04), San Antonio Spurs (1994-2000), and Golden State Warriors (1992-94) as an assistant coach, including helping the Spurs win their first-ever NBA Championship in 1999. He was originally named an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors prior to the 1992-93 season, but injuries forced him back into uniform, where he appeared in 18 games.
Pressey was drafted 20th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1982 NBA Draft and played the first eight of his 11 NBA seasons in Milwaukee, followed by stops in San Antonio (1990-92) and Golden State (1992-93).
Pressey was one of the original "point forwards," as he often ran coach Don Nelson's offense on those excellent Bucks teams of the 1980's.
In 724 career games (420 starts), Pressey, the father of Celtics guard Phil Pressey, averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. The 6’5’’ guard/forward was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team during both the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons and All-Defensive Second Team in 1986-87.
Eyen originally worked with the Lakers as an assistant coach to Pat Riley during the 1989-90 season and remained with the team from 1990-92 as an assistant coach to Mike Dunleavy, helping Los Angeles to the NBA Finals in 1991. In an assistant coaching capacity, he followed Dunleavy to Milwaukee from 1992-96, then to Portland from 1997-2001, and finally back to the Clippers (the franchise with which he began his NBA journey as an assistant coach in 1988-89) as lead assistant from 2003-09. In between coaching stints, Eyen remained in the NBA, spending the 1996-97 season as a pro and advance scout for the Knicks and the 2002-03 campaign as a college scout, also for New York.
Most recently, the University of California at Santa Barbara alumnus and letter-winner was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings for four seasons from 2009-13, totaling 24 seasons of NBA experience as a coach and scout, and 31 years of combined coaching experience at the professional, collegiate (UCSB and Santa Barbara City College), and high school (Dos Pueblos in Goleta, CA) levels. He has also served as a consultant for professional clubs in the Netherlands, Germany and Japan, in addition to working with the Japanese National Team in 1996.
Scott, Byron’s eldest son, brings a combined nine seasons of experience as an assistant coach and video coordinator at the NBA and NBA D-League levels to his position. Last season, he served as an assistant coach with the Western Division Champion Los Angeles D-Fenders, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Lakers. Working closely with the parent club, Scott had a variety of duties, including aiding the development of current Lakers players Xavier Henry and Ryan Kelly while on assignment.
In additional moves, the basketball operations department announced the promotion of Rondre Jackson to director of player development and the hiring of Jordan Wilkes as basketball operations assistant.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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