Nets bring in European shooting coach as summer help

Brose Bamberg, one of Germany’s top teams, is “lending” its well-regarded player development coach Stefan Weissenbock to Nets for the summer, according to reports out of German and Austria. Weissenbock, a 44-year-old Austrian, has been the personal trainer and shooting coach for several NBA players including Tomas Satoransky of the Wizards, Paul Zipser of the Bulls, Maxi Kleber of the Mavericks and Jakob Poltl of the Raptors.

According to a local newspaper in St. Polten, his hometown, Weissenböck will be a “part-time employee” of the Nets, traveling to New York several times during the summer, then again during the season to work individually with players. In return, Weissenböck told a reporter, Bamberg will receive a “rental fee” and he will return there in the fall.

“The players are transporting my reputation,” he told APA, the Austrian news agency Tuesday. The NBA commitment makes him a bit “proud,” he added.

Weissenböck has been working in Bamberg since 2010. In January, he spent nearly two weeks in the U.S. The former player of the Austrian national team exchanged knowledge with the Nets as well as the Thunder, Wizards and Celtics. The Nets have apparently formalized the arrangement.

Satoransky, who backed up John Wall this year, credits Weissenböck with helping him improve his shooting. The 6’7” guard went from shooting 24.3 percent from deep his rookie year to 46.5 percent last season.

It’s not uncommon for NBA clubs to bring in international coaches for summer gigs. The Spurs have done it for years and the Nets, with their bias for development and diverse inputs, have been quietly doing it since Spurs alumnus Sean Marks arrived two years ago.

Last summer, Sasa Obradovic, the Serbian-born coach of Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia and Damir Mulaomerović, the coach of Cibona Zagreb in Croatia, worked with Kenny Atkinson at the Las Vegas Summer League, according to reports out of Europe — the Nets haven’t publicized any of this. .

Two years ago, Julien Espinosa of the Antibes Sharks in France and Maurizio Buscaglia of Aquila Trento in Italy were identified by local media as coaches who were working with the Nets summer league team.

All are in their 40’s with reputations as rising stars in Europe, having sent several of their players to the NBA. In each case, like Weissenbock, the appointment was reported by overseas media, not by the Nets.

The Nets believe the hirings build good will and connections and provide the team with a European flavor. For the Europeans, it’s a chance to gauge their skills against the NBA standard.

Of course, the Nets hired two South Americans, Pablo Prigioni of Argentina and Tiago Splitter of Brazil in recent weeks as well. Prigioni will serve as an assistant coach and Splitter as a scout and part-time development coach