Mokeski Joins Great Britain 20 and Under Team Staff
Published on March 11, 2011 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
MCALLEN, TEXAS - The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced Thursday that assistant coach Paul Mokeski will serve as an assistant coach for the Great Britain Under 20s Team this summer before resuming his duties as an assistant coach for the Great Britain Senior National Team.
Mokeski's responsibilities begin on June 1 with five weeks of training and friendly games in London, England, before traveling to Sarajevo, Bosnia, for the European Championships. The Under 20s Team's first round group includes Portugal, Finland, Luxemburg, Norway and the Czech Republic.
He will then enter his second season as an assistant coach on the Great Britain Senior National Team, where he works with Chris Finch, who is both the head coach of the team and of the Vipers, and Nick Nurse, who is an assistant coach for Great Britain and the head coach of the NBA Development League Iowa Energy.
"I am very excited to be on the staff of the Great Britain Under 20s Team this summer and for the opportunity to work with head coach Tim Lewis. I really enjoyed my experience with the Great Britain Senior team last summer and continuing to work with head coach Chris Finch. This gives me a chance to work with and evaluate some of the younger players in the GB program before I join the senior team at the end of July for our run at the 2012 Olympics. We will also be doing clinics around the London area for younger players to spread the word about Great Britain basketball. I want to thank Coach Finch for not only having me on his staff for the Great Britain National team but for also recommending me for the staff of the 20 and under team. I love the game of basketball and am really looking forward to a great summer with GB Basketball," Mokeski said.
A second round pick (20th pick, 42nd overall) of the Houston Rockets in the 1979 NBA Draft, Mokeski played in 12 games for the Rockets during the 1979-80 season before moving onto Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Golden State during a 12-year career that saw him make the playoffs in each of his last nine seasons, advancing as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice. Mokeski averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 694 games.
A native of Spokane, Washington, Mokeski was a high school All-American in 1975 and played his college basketball at the University of Kansas, where he was a two-time All-Big Eight selection, before playing in the NBA. Mokeski spent time as the head coach of the Hartford Hellcats (Continental Basketball Association) and Connecticut Skyhawks (United States Basketball League) before serving as an assistant coach at Stony Brook University and the University of Southern California for one season each. Starting in 2001, Mokeski spent five seasons with the Dallas Mavericks in a dual role as a player development coach and advance scout. He got his first experience in the NBA Development League as an assistant coach for the Fort Worth Flyers during the 2006-07 season. He spent the 2007-08 season as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats before returning to the NBA Development League to serve as an assistant coach for the Anaheim Arsenal during the 2008-09 season. Mokeski joined the Vipers the following season.
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