There's been no official announcement yet but a look at the Nets front office directory shows a new title for Patrick Spurgin, the Nets video coordinator: "player development," as in player development coach. The position has been used in the past as a stepping stone to full assistant. Doug Overton had the job most recently before being elevated.
Spurgin, 27, was hired prior to last season. He formerly worked for Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, where he served as an assistant video coordinator and assistant coach for the Spurs' summer league teams. Among those he worked with: DaJuan Blair and George Hill. In New Jersey, He worked closely with Avery Johnson and the assistant coaches and attended coaching meetings. A techie, he's been responsible for much of the team's video technology support. The Nets are his third NBA team. He got his start as an intern for the Washington Wizards, then was manager for the Pepperdine men's basketball team. He is a graduate of the California school.
At 27, Spurgin will be one of the NBA's youngest assistants. He will also be the fourth Nets coach with a Spurs background. Johnson and Mario Elie won championship rings in 1999. P.J. Carlesimo won three rings as a Spurs assistant coach. The Nets dumped Tom Barrise, the last link to Lawrence Frank's tenure last month.