University of Denver men’s basketball head coach Rodney Billups announced the hiring of Bacari Alexander and Raman Sposato on Monday. The duo will join the Pioneers for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
Alexander and Sposato bring high-level experience to the program, with each having spent several years at major institutions or at the professional level.
“Bacari comes in with 18-plus years of college basketball experience,” Billups said. “He played at Detroit Mercy and the Harlem Globetrotters for years. He has the skill, experience and entertaining personality. Having his two years as a head coach at Detroit Mercy and Final Four experience at Michigan, where he was at for six years, it means a lot. For me, to have another guy like him on the staff, it’s extremely important for the youth of our team and for the youth of our staff to be able to learn from him and grow with him.”
Alexander joins the Crimson and Gold after spending two seasons as head coach at Detroit Mercy from 2016-18. In his first season at Detroit, Alexander started to put together his program both on and off the court. The offseason brought such announcements as games against in-state rival Michigan at the brand new Little Caesars Arena.
“My family and I are very excited to be a part of the Pioneer Family,” Alexander said. “I was personally thrilled to hear the vision that Coach Billups has for the program and how hungry our student-athletes are. I sense that we want to pursue and win championships. The city of Denver is such an attractive destination for prospects. I’m eager to get started and assist Coach Billups, our staff, administration and our fine student-athletes with doing great things.”
The Detroit native also spent six seasons with Michigan under head coach John Beilein from 2010-16. In his six years with the program, Alexander helped the Wolverines to five NCAA Tournaments, highlighted with a trip to the 2013 Final Four and national title game — the first for the program in 20 years.
Sposato joins Denver after spending the last three seasons at Tulane as an assistant under famed coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. While with the Green Wave, he was responsible for practice planning, skill development, scouting, game preparation and recruiting efforts.
“I met Raman when he was working in the NBA,” Billups said. “With his 14 years of experience of working in the NBA, guys come onto campus and they want to be pros and I thought it was necessary to get a former pro coach. He can pour into our guys what a pro looks like, how he works in the offseason, how he prepares himself for games and for the real world. I’ve known him for six or seven years. He is an unbelievable person with terrific character and is a perfect addition to our staff.”
Prior to his time at Tulane, Sposato spent the 2015-16 year as a regional scout for the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets after serving as an assistant coach for the 2015 Developmental League Champion Santa Cruz Warriors. Before that, Sposato spent eight seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, helping serve as a player development coach. He began working in the league in 2003 for the Portland Trail Blazers as a video coordinator.
“What excites me about the opportunity here at the University of Denver is Coach Billups’ philosophy in developing young men in a holistic sense,” Sposato said. “Not just on a basketball court, but helping them become fine young men and members of our society that will last a lifetime.”
Denver will return to the hardwood in the fall.
University of Denver Staff Update
