New team makes several hires to front office
NBA in OKC: Presti fills six positions
New Oklahoma City NBA team makes several hires to front office
Comments
92
By Mike Baldwin
Published: August 26, 2008
Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti announced several additions to the new NBA team's front office staff on Monday.
Presti announced Rob Hennigan, who was the San Antonio Spurs Director of Basketball Operations, has been hired as director of College and International Player Personnel. Presti also announced Dr. Donnie Strack has been hired as Director of Medical Services. Other staff additions included Joe Sharpe as head athletic trainer, Brian Facchini as Director of Basketball Communications, Vin Bhavnani as Video Coordinator and Ayanna Clinton as Manager of Player Appearances and Services. Strack has been a physical therapist at Orthopedic Physical Therapy in Wellesley Hills, Mass. While serving as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Indiana Pacers for three years, Strack also served as an assistant trainer during the 2002 World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis. Sharpe has served as the Charlotte Bobcats' head trainer since the team's inception in 2004. Before working in Charlotte, N.C., Sharpe was the assistant trainer, strength and conditioning coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also was the head trainer for the University of Connecticut for nine years. Facchini spent six years with the Portland Trail Blazers as manager of Sports Communications before joining the Spurs in 2003, where he served as manager of Media Services. He has spent the past two years as the U.S. communications manager for Nike in Beaverton, Ore. Bhavnani has spent the last two years with the Spurs as the Assistant Video Coordinator. He started his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers as an intern in the video department in 2004. Clinton joined the organization in 2004 as the Video Coordinator for the WNBA's Seattle Storm. She served the NBA team last year in Seattle as the Player Services Coordinator. Clinton began her career in the NBA as an intern in the video department with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2000. "We are pleased to add this caliber of professionalism and experience to our basketball operations staff,” Presti said. "Our mission in Oklahoma City is to build an elite basketball organization; we feel that has to occur on and off the court. Today's additions will help us as we continue to build and define our franchise.”
Related Topics:
Basketball, Sports, Health and Fitness, Medicine, Medical Treatments and Procedures, Women's Basketball, Men's Professional Basketball, Women's Professional Basketball, Physical Therapy

Prev

Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
_________________________________________________________________
House Speaker Chris Benge "assured House members that no state funds are going to the team. 'There is no money in the treasury right now going to this basketball team if they come .... Absolutely no money is going to this organization.'”
_________________________________________________________________
FALSE: While there isn't any money in the treasury RIGHT NOW. Benge described this deal as a "rebate" (you don't get money back until you've paid it in). Combined LOCAL and State is going to get an estimated $11.2 million in revenue and then turn around and "rebate" $60 million. In case you missed it, that is a LOSS to the State of $48.8 million. State funds ARE going to be going to the team, every year for 15 years (about $4 million a year).
Siegfried Grawert was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail for failing to pay fines for walking around in natural beauty spots in the buff.
Grawert has now been given a single cell where he serve his time without clothes.
"I do not offend anyone - being naked is the most natural thing in the world," Grawert says.
Nancy, Moore - Aug 26, 2008 11:44 AM"...speaking of dummies, you wouldn't by chance be the holder of this gem, would you??
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,400562,00.html