2016-17 Sioux Falls Skyforce Media Guide
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STAFF DIRECTORY Greg Heineman ............................................................................................... Owner Mike Heineman ............................................................................... Owner/President Jeremy DeCurtins .................................................. Vice President/General Manager Mike Gorsett ................................................................... Assistant General Manager Kyle Kapitan ......................................................... Business Development Executive Matt Dykstra ........................................................... Sports Media Relations Director Kylie Hrdlicka ........................ Director of Game Day Marketing and Communication Kathy Leonard ............................................................................. Business Manager Jack Ridgway ........................................................................ Group Sales Executive Kelsey Junget ....................................................................... Group Sales Executive Ryan Heuer ...................................................................................................... Intern Wendy Anderson ............................................................................................. Intern Austin Ewing .................................................................................................... Intern Ross Hegge ..................................................................................................... Intern Tyler Rosenbaum ............................................................................................ Intern Taylor Staab .................................................................................................... Intern Conner Ubben ................................................................................................. Intern Nathan Wilson .............................................................. Basketball Operations Intern Billy Hunter ................................................................... Basketball Operations Intern Anthony Beaumont ....................................................... Basketball Operations Intern Adam Simon ............................................. General Manager, Basketball Operations Nevada Smith ........................................................................................ Head Coach Anthony Carter ................................................................................ Assistant Coach Kasib Powell .................................................................................... Assistant Coach Brian Lankton ....................................................... Director of Basketball Operations Dustin Schramm ................................................................................ Athletic Trainer Dr. Stephen Foley ............................................................................ Team Physician Adam Simon General Manager, Basketball Operations Adam Simon is entering his 21st season with the HEAT organization and his third in the role of Assistant General Manager/General Manager, Sioux Falls Skyforce. Simon will continue to assist HEAT Sr. V.P., Basketball Operations/General Manager Andy Elisburg in all areas of the HEAT’s basketball operations department as well as heading the basketball operations department for the Skyforce. Simon has held a number of positions in the HEAT organization since arriving in 1995 as an intern in the video room under current HEAT coach Erik Spoelstra. Prior to his most recent promotion he spent three seasons as the HEAT’s Director of Player Personnel. The St. Thomas University graduate has also served the HEAT as director of college/international scouting (2004-11), scout/director of college scouting (2003-04), scout (2002-03), scouting coordinator (2001-02), administrative assistant (1997-01) and basketball operations intern (1996-97) where he organized information for the NBA Draft which he has continued to do throughout his years with the HEAT. Nevada Smith Head Coach Nevada Smith begins his first year with the HEAT organization and his first as Head Coach of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA Development League affiliate. Smith returns to the NBA D-League sidelines after previously serving as head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for two seasons (2013-15) where he compiled a 57-43 (.570) record. In his first season with the Vipers, Smith led the team to a postseason berth after recording a 30-20 (.600) record and setting a then NBA D-League single-season record for most three-point field goal attempts per game at 45.3. The following season he posted a 27-23 (.540) record as his teams averaged an impressive 123.2 points per game in his two-season stint. Prior to entering the professional ranks, Smith served as the head coach at NCAA Division III Keystone College. The Giants were 39-16 (.709) in Smith’s two seasons at the helm and managed to reach the only two CSAC championship game appearances in school history. From 2002-11, Smith held numerous assistant coaching positions at Ithaca College, Allegheny College, SUNY Canton and St. Lawrence University. Smith is a graduate of Bethany College, where he graduated with a degree in sports management in 2002. A two-sport athlete in basketball and golf for Bethany, he earned All-PAC honors on four occasions, three in basketball and one in golf. He finished his basketball career as the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (313) and free throw percentage (.870). Smith is currently engaged to Lindsay Brown with wedding ceremonies set for August 2017. Anthony Carter Assistant Coach After a 13-year NBA playing career, Anthony Carter begins his first year as assistant coach of the HEAT’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Carter spent the first four seasons of his playing career with the HEAT, appearing in 246 regular season games (80 starts) and averaging 5.5 points, 4.3 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.06 steals and 22.2 minutes. He also helped Miami earn a pair of postseason appearances, where he saw action in 13 games (four starts) and averaged 7.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.08 steals and 26.5 minutes and set the franchise record for most assists in a three-game series. After concluding his playing career which spanned 623 career games (181 starts) and included stops in Miami, San Antonio, Minnesota, Denver, New York and Toronto, Carter served as assistant coach of the NBA D-League Austin Spurs for two seasons (2013-15) before joining George Karl’s staff as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings for the 2015-16 season. Carter resides with his wife Cassie and their two sons, Devin and Joshua. Kasib Powell Assistant Coach Kasib Powell begins his first year as assistant coach of the HEAT’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Powell previously spent two seasons (2007-09) with the Skyforce as a player where he earned the 2007-08 NBA D-League MVP award. In addition to his stint in Sioux Falls, Powell was signed by the HEAT on March 22, 2008 to a 10-day contract and later was re-signed for the remainder of the season on April 8 where he appeared in 11 games (four starts) with Miami and averaged 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 27.6 minutes. Additionally, his professional playing career spanned over nine seasons which included stops in the NBA, D-League, CBA, USBL and overseas. Upon his retirement in 2013, Powell served as the director of the South Dakota Basketball Network, which focuses on the development of AAU players, and as head coach of the Dakota Magic of the National Basketball League of America. Powell resides in South Dakota with his three children, Kaevon, Janiyah and Jamre. Brian Lankton Director of Basketball Operations Brian Lankton is entering his first season as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, having spent last season as a Basketball Operations Intern. Lankton has now been working within the NBA Development League since 2014, having worked with the Iowa Energy prior to coming to Sioux Falls. Originally from St. Charles, Illinois, Lankton played basketball for two seasons at Phoenix College in Arizona from 2008-09, helping the team reach the NJCAA Final Four before transferring and graduating from the University of Iowa in 2013. Lankton returns to his home in St. Charles during each offseason. Dustin Schramm Athletic Trainer Dustin Schramm, entering his 16th season with the organization, serves as the team’s athletic trainer. Schramm is a full-time employee of Sanford Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and covers area high schools in the spring and fall. During the summer, he works with high school athletes from the surrounding area that are part of the Sanford POWER program, a program designed to provide athletes ages 11-adult with the unique training tools, environment and motivation needed to obtain their maximum athletic performance and to achieve their desired fitness goals. A native of Winner, South Dakota, Schramm graduated from Dakota Wesleyan in 1998 with a degree in Sports Medicine. While attending DWU, he served as a student athletic trainer for various athletic programs. Dustin and his wife, Lisa, reside in Sioux Falls with their twin boys, Kemmer and Dagen, daughter, Tierney and son, Bronson. He also has a son, Chase, who lives in North Carolina. SKYFORCE 2016-17 OPENING DAY ROSTER No. Name Pos Ht Wt DOB From Acquired 5 Keith Benson C 6-11 235 08/13/88 Oakland Returning 21 Vashil