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To make room for these new voices, Kleiman insisted Jenkins replace five of the assistant coaches who'd been with him throughout his time in Memphis: Brad Jones, Blake Ahearn, Scoonie Penn, Vitaly Potapenko and Sonia Raman. Jenkins went along with the request, in an effort to be a good partner, said a league source, who added, "Taylor shouldn't have allowed that to happen." The coach was so upset at the news he'd have to deliver to each of his longtime assistants, he invited each over to his house in Memphis for individual sessions. The front office felt the new approach needed space to get off the ground, according to a source. So the club cut ties with virtually everyone associated with the team's ways of the past.
For Jenkins, who was hired by Memphis as a first-time head coach in the summer of 2019 and went on to record more wins than any coach in the franchise’s 30-year history (250-214), that meant saying goodbye to Blake Ahearn, Brad Jones, Scoonie Penn, Sonia Raman and Vitaly Potapenko. Per league and team sources, Jenkins became emotional in those final exchanges with his jettisoned coaching colleagues.
League sources say Morant, in particular, was upset that last summer the team let go of one assistant with whom he was particularly close, Ahearn, who worked with the two-time All-Star more than anyone on staff. This season, Morant worked most commonly with LaRoche, a former trainer with individual players who was in his first season as an NBA assistant and, like Iisalo, played a pivotal part in implementing the new offensive system.
Drew Hill: Ja Morant after practice with assistant Blake Ahearn. He said “that’s my guy” and said Blake leads 7-5 in shooting contests right now. Broke his 3-game winning streak today. Winner gets to choose music, Blake goes country. pic.twitter.com/9EugPEwZKd
After that meeting, Grizzlies assistant coach Blake Ahearn, an avid reader, gave Morant a book called Win in the Dark by Joshua Medcalf and Lucas Jadin. One of several passages caught Morant’s eye: “The dark is where you transform into a version of yourself you never dreamed possible. . . . We quietly and relentlessly train in the dark with complete trust that our moment under the bright lights will come. Welcome to the dark.” Morant ingested the message and made it an offseason ethos, informing his private trainers Trey Draper, Jonathan Thomas and Mo Wells that his regimen wasn’t meant for public consumption. Morant didn’t want anyone to witness his progress, be it on social media or in person. “Welcome to the Dark?” Wells says. “That’s album mode.”
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Although the likes of Martin Schiller and Blake Ahearn would definitely be great candidates, they aren’t able to be on this list due to recently being hired to new gigs, with Schiller being hired by Zalgiris Kaunus and Ahearn being added to the Grizzlies’ coaching staff. Stan Heath: Among the four men on this list, Heath by far has the most coaching experience as he started his career way back in 1988-89 with Division II squad Hillsdale Chargers. After thirteen years as an assistant coach for various college teams, he was hired to lead Kent State before the 2001-02 season.
As the Memphis Grizzlies start to prepare for the presumed resumption of the NBA season, they’re making an addition to their staff with a sixth assistant coach. The Grizzlies have hired Blake Ahearn, who leaves his spot as head coach of the Austin Spurs, the G-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. With the Grizzlies, among other duties, Ahearn will participate in player development efforts, including shooting development.
The Grizzlies have hired Blake Ahearn, who leaves his spot as head coach of the Austin Spurs, the G-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. With the Grizzlies, among other duties, Ahearn will participate in player development efforts, including shooting development.
Tom Orsborn: Luka Samanic's hops surprised Blake Ahearn: "The man can jump – that caught me by surprise a little bit. He’s young, but he plays hard. He makes some mistakes, but I like that he’s aggressive....He can play out on the floor and he’s versatile." #Spurs
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Jabari Young: Hearing Blake Ahearn will be the head coach of the #Spurs Summer League squad in Utah. pic.twitter.com/sPTOMDABTr
Chris Reichert: The Austin Spurs will hire Blake Ahearn as their new head coach, per @DavidSTLhss #GLeague
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