The Golden State Warriors have hired Jerry Sichting and Robert Werdann as assistant coaches, hired Mark Price as a shooting coach, and moved Special Assistant Calbert Cheaney into the role of assistant coach, the team announced today. They will join returning assistant coach Stephen Silas on the staff of new Head Coach Keith Smart.
Sichting, who enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career, has served as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves organization for 13 of the past 14 seasons, including 11 of those years as an assistant coach. Most recently, in 2009-10, he served as the Timberwovles Director of Pro Player Personnel, during which time he was responsible for scouting and evaluating current NBA players. His lone season away from the T-Wolves in the last 14 years came in 2006-07 when he served as an assistant coach at Marquette University.
Cheaney, a 13-year NBA veteran, moves to the bench to serve as an assistant coach for the first time after working in the team’s front office last season as a special assistant. He rejoined the Warriors prior to last season after playing the final three years of his NBA career with the team (2003-04, 2004-05 & 2005-06). During his playing days with the Warriors, Cheaney teamed with current Warriors Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins.
Werdann has spent the last six seasons with the New Orleans Hornets, where he served as an assistant coach in 2009-10. For the five years prior, he served as an advance scout for the Hornets, and was the team’s Summer League coach at the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. As a player, Werdann was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 46th overall selection in the 1992 NBA Draft out of St. John’s and appeared in 47 NBA games over three seasons with the Nuggets and the New Jersey Nets.
Price, the NBA’s all-time leader in free throw percentage in the regular season (.904) and in the postseason (.944), has served as a shooting consultant for the Atlanta Hawks in each of the last two seasons after spending the 2007-08 campaign with the Memphis Grizzlies in a similar position. During his 12-year NBA playing career, Price was named All-NBA First Team in 1992-93 and earned All-NBA Third Team honors three times.
