66ers head coach, staff announced

[Betts]

Thunder announces NBA affiliate staff
The Associated Press
Published September 26, 2008 at 5:40 p.m.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/sep/26/thunder-announces-nba-affiliate-staff/

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The Oklahoma City Thunder has added several staff members to its NBA development league affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers.

Thunder General Manager Sam Presti said Friday the club has added Paul Woolpert as head coach, Greg Minor as assistant coach, Brandon Barnett as manager of minor league operations and Anthony Aldridge as athletic trainer.

Woolpert joins the 66ers from the Continental Basketball Association where he won two consecutive Stan Novak CBA Coach of the Year Awards in 2007 and 2008.

During his eight-year stint as a head coach in the CBA, Woolpert led the Yakima Sun Kings to three CBA championships.

Minor joins the Tulsa 66ers from the Lawton-Fort Sill's Cavalry in the CBA where he served as an assistant coach.

[StormFan93]

I've heard of Paul Woolpert. He's a really, really good coach. He wins everywhere he goes, and he's developed some good talent (Raja Bell). Here his bio from the (now defunct) Yakima Sun Kings:



Paul Woolpert returns as the Sun Kings Head Coach. Woolpert originally came to the Sun Kings during the 1994-1995 season as McHone's assistant coach. The two led the Sun Kings to the single best season record (36-20) in franchise history and the club's first CBA Championship, defeating Pittsburgh in the CBA Finals in six games. After spending two-plus seasons as an assistant coach in Sioux Falls, Woolpert returned to Yakima as head coach on January 28, 1998 and led the team to a 14-10 finish. After leading the Sun Kings into the CBA Playoffs after the 1998-99 season, he put together the impressive roster that won the 2000 CBA Championship.

He went to Sioux Falls in 2001-2002, leading the Skyforce to a league-best 33-23 record despite losing 12 starters throughout the season. Decimated by player loss, Sioux Falls fell to Rockford in the American Conference Finals.

In his CBA coaching career, Woolpert has coached several players that went on to play in the NBA, including: Raja Bell, Chucky Brown, Anthony Carter, Anthony Goldwire, Reggie Jordan, Randy Livingston, Eldridge Recasner, Larry Robinson, Jason Sasser, Lonnie Baxter, Horatio Llamas, Devin Gray, Mark Blount, Gary Grant, Tremaine Fowlkes, Henry James, Art Long, and Leon Smith.

He began his career as a scout and video coordinator for the Seattle Supersonics where he spent eight seasons. He also worked as a scout for the Portland Trail Blazers. More recently, he had worked as an advance scout for the Atlanta Hawks. He has also coached the San Antonio Spurs summer league team, has been a head coach in the Philippines Basketball Association (PBA), and coached a touring team in China in 2005.

Woolpert is the son of Hall of Fame coach Phil Woolpert, who coached Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, and the University of San Francisco to an NCAA Championship in 1955 and again in 1956. Paul resides in Yakima. He has one daughter, Naomi (13).