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Big day for the Nets development strategy.
On Friday, Long Island Nets coach Will Weaver was named NBA G League Coach of the Year and Trajan Langdon was named Executive of the Year. Weaver and Langdon are the first ever Long Island coach and executive to win the awards.
Weaver led the Nets to a 34-16 regular season record, tied with the Rio Grande Vipers, for the best regular season record in the G League this season and was the best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets clinched the Atlantic Division awarding them a first-round playoff bye. Long Island’s success landed them their first ever playoff berth and the number one seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Long Island will begin their playoff run when they face Raptors 905 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals Friday. The game begins at 7 p.m. this evening at the Nassau Coliseum.
Weaver will be leaving the Long Island Nets following the Playoffs to take over as head coach of the Sydney Kings of the NBL, Australia’s pro league. The head coaching job is one of the most prestigious coaching positions in the NBL.
He also serves as an assistant coach to the Australian Boomers, the Australian national basketball team. Weaver has been an assistant for the Boomers since 2014.
Langdon, a former NBA and EuroLeague professional basketball player, has been with the Nets organization since 2016, being Sean Marks first outside hire. Langdon had worked for both the Spurs and Cavaliers before the Nets. Langdon is in his third season as Long Island Nets General Manager and also serves as the Brooklyn Nets assistant General Manager.
In his three seasons with Long Island, five players have earned NBA Call-Ups, including two this season: Mitch Creek and Tahjere McCall.
Some notable moves made from Langdon this season was bringing in Okaro White in January, Josh Newkirk and acquiring returning player rights to Will Davis in February.
More importantly, the two did a solid job in developing Nets assignee Dzanan Musa as well as two-way players Theo Pinson and Alan Williams, having the two split some time with their senior club.