Santa Cruz Warriors Announce 2024-25 Coaching Staff

SANTA CRUZ, CA – The Santa Cruz Warriors have announced the coaching staff under second-year Head Coach Nicholas Kerr for the 2024-25 NBA G League season. Hilton Armstrong and Ben Stelzer have both been named assistant coaches. Zach Harris has been hired as assistant general manager. The Golden State and Santa Cruz Warriors have also announced other promotions and additions within their basketball operations and scouting departments ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Armstrong is entering his fourth season within the Warriors organization. He served as a player development coach for Golden State for the past two seasons. In his first year with the Warriors, Armstrong acted as an assistant video coordinator on the 2021-22 championship team. Armstrong, who was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 12th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, appeared in 292 games over six seasons with the Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, and Golden State Warriors. He also played two seasons with the Santa Cruz Warriors, earning All-NBA G League Second Team and NBA G League All-Defensive Second Team honors during the 2013-14 season.

Stelzer is entering his second season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, his first as assistant coach. Last season, Stelzer served as a coaching associate/basketball operations coordinator for the Sea Dubs. Prior to joining the Warriors organization, Stelzer served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Michigan Technological University, his alma mater, for two years. Stelzer also worked for the Dallas Mavericks as a player development intern from 2019-2021.

Harris is starting his first season with the Santa Cruz Warriors with four years of NBA G League experience, working for the Grand Rapids Gold as a basketball strategy coordinator for the 2022-23 season, the Capital City Go-Go from 2018-20 as a basketball operations assistant, and interning for the Iowa Wolves in 2017. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Kentucky in 2017, where he also worked as a manager for the men’s basketball team.

Additionally, Cody Hamane has been named head performance coach for the Sea Dubs. Santa Cruz has also hired Jordan Brooks, Mark Tollefsen, and Alec Vucinich as basketball operations/coaching associates. Noah Robotham has been promoted to manager of basketball operations after spending last season as a coaching associate/basketball operations coordinator in Santa Cruz.

Lastly, the Golden State Warriors have announced the promotion of four former Santa Cruz Warriors employees. Noel Hightower, who has been with the Warriors for the past two seasons and spent last year as an assistant coach in Santa Cruz, has been promoted to player development coach. Former Santa Cruz Warriors Associate General Manager Jonnie West has been promoted to senior director of pro personnel in his 13^th season with the Warriors. Maclean Osborne and Michael Salame have both been named scouts for Golden State. Osborne, who is entering his sixth season with the Warriors, spent his first three years within the organization in Santa Cruz, serving as a basketball operations associate and later as the manager of basketball operations & player development from 2019-2022. Salame, also entering his sixth season with the Warriors, served as director of basketball operations & player personnel in Santa Cruz for the past two seasons.

The Santa Cruz Warriors – the reigning and four-time NBA G League Franchise of the Year (2017-18, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2023-24) – currently have a variety of ticket plans on sale. Limited full-season memberships start at just $19.90 per game and include exclusive benefits. Fans interested in securing the best seats at the lowest price are encouraged to call (831) 713-4400 or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information. Stay up to date with the latest Santa Cruz Warriors news, scores, and exclusive content by downloading the official Santa Cruz Warriors app for iOS and Android. Sign up HERE for Insider access and additional information.