Roosevelt Lakers men’s basketball coach Dee Brown officially unveiled his full staff for the 2022-23 season Thursday ahead of the team’s season opener on Saturday.

Tre Lesley joins Brown’s staff as the associate head coach while also serving as the team’s defensive and recruiting coordinators. Brandon Benson has been named an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator for the Lakers. Reggie Hamilton rounds out the on-court staff as the third assistant coach in Brown’s first year.

Lesley arrives at Roosevelt from the University of Illinois Chicago where he served as the graduate manager during the 2020-21 season then was elevated to the team’s director of scouting in advance of the 2021-22 season. In that role, the Joliet native was responsible for film breakdown, junior college and portal recruitment, and analysis of practices and games to help further develop the team on the court.

Before his stint with the Flames, Lesley spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at Northeast Community College. He helped the program finish the season as the 17th-ranked team in the country while topping the nation in defensive field goal percentage. Lesley helped create practice plans, run drills, and conduct individual player workouts and recruiting for the Hawks during his season in Nebraska.

“Tre has a special talent for relating with players,” Brown said. “Being from Illinois, his understanding of the junior college and local high school scene will make him an outstanding recruiter for our program.”

Benson joins the Lakers staff after two years as a graduate manager at Northwestern University. In his two seasons with the Wildcats, Benson assisted the coaching staff with day-to-day operations, including preparing scouting edits, coordinating film exchange, on-court workouts, and various practice duties.

He joined Northwestern after spending four years as a student manager at Middle Tennessee State University. In 2019, Benson was selected as one of 12 student managers nationwide to assist in the inaugural NCAA Basketball Academy hosted by the University of Illinois. During the academy, Benson worked with over 200 high school recruits while assisting coaches across all divisions of basketball during drills and games while handling day-to-day tasks throughout the academy.

“Brandon brings passion and knowledge for the game after being around really good coaches his entire career,” Brown said. “I know he will do a great job and he has a bright future in this business.”

Hamilton, a native of nearby Harvey, spent last season as a graduate manager at Oakland University, his alma mater. He returned to his alma mater in 2021-22 after a successful eight-year professional career that took him to both Europe and the NBA G-League. After starring at Thornwood High School, he began his college career at the University of Missouri Kansas City before transferring to Oakland University to finish his collegiate career.

During the 2011-12 season, Hamilton became the first NCAA scoring champion in Oakland and Summit League history at 26.2 points per game. That year, he also set a new single-season Summit League scoring record with 942 points and won the 2012 Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the top college basketball in the nation that is 6 foot tall or shorter. 

“Reggie brings a lot of knowledge and passion for the game of basketball to this program,” Brown said. “After playing eight years professionally, he can relate to our student-athletes and provide them with the knowledge of how to be a professional in this sport.”

Rounding out Brown’s staff are two support staff members who will aid Brown’s first season in charge. Jay Pocious, a 2011 Roosevelt graduate, returns to the Lakers as a special assistant to the head coach, mainly responsible for player scouting along with practice and game planning. Garrett Hill returns for his second season as a graduate assistant, helping with every facet of the Lakers program while also pursuing his master’s degree in Student Affairs Leadership at Roosevelt.

“Jay is a Roosevelt alumni who has a passion for this institution and this basketball program,” Brown said. “His voice and presence will have a great impact on our student-athletes. Garrett is trustworthy, hard-working and dedicated to his craft. He comes to work every day with a smile and does his job at a high level. He also has a very bright future in this business.”

https://www.rooseveltlakers.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/releases/20221027l0byih