Rhode Island men’s basketball head coach David Cox has added veteran assistant coaches Kevin Sutton and John Carroll to his 2018-19 staff. Ryan McCloskey has been added to the staff as the team’s video coordinator, and Chase Campbell was named as the team’s Director of Basketball Performance.
“We have assembled a strong staff that has experienced significant success in all facets and at all levels of basketball,” Cox said. “From scouting and recruiting to player development, this is a group that understands what it takes for this program to build on what has been accomplished here in recent years.”
Sutton comes to Rhode Island after spending the last two seasons at Pitt. He has 11 seasons of coaching at the collegiate level, including stops at Georgetown (2013-16), George Washington, James Madison and Old Dominion.
“Coach Sutton is someone I have known and admired for a number of years,” Cox said. “As a first-year head coach, it was important to bring in seasoned, veteran coaches who have a deep understanding of college basketball. Kevin brings that and much more to our staff. He is well connected in all aspects of recruiting, and he is an exceptional teacher and mentor for young student-athletes.”
Sutton has spent three different stints coaching for USA Basketball. He was an assistant coach for two years at the Hoop Festival for the East, helping the Junior Developmental Team (U16) win gold at the FIBA Americas Tournament in Argentina. He also was the head coach for the Nike/USA Basketball Hoop Summit, which showcased the top 10 international players against the top 10 U.S. players.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Sutton coached at five nationally-ranked high school programs – Flint Hill Prep (1988-90), Harker Prep (1990-92), St. John’s Prospect Hall (1992-98), Montrose Christian and Montverde Academy (2004-11) – amassing a 489-102 record and winning two national championships. In 1998, he was the associate head coach on the USA Today Super 25 National Championship team and in 2007, he was the head coach of the Montverde Academy Hoops.com National Championship team.
At Montverde Academy, Sutton coached seven nationally ranked teams and compiled a 186-33 record, while turning out 55 Division I scholarship athletes and three All-America selections. As a high school coach, Sutton built a reputation of being an outstanding teacher of the game, helping more than 130 student-athletes earn college scholarships.
Carroll also brings a wealth of coaching experience to Cox’ staff. He was the head coach at Duquesne from 1989-95 and also spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Boston Celtics (1997-2004). He was the A-10 Coach of the Year in 1990-91, and in his final season with the Celtics, he had a 36-game stint as interim head coach, leading the team to the first round of the playoffs after Jim O’Brien resigned.
“The depth of knowledge and experience Coach Carroll provides is exceptional,” Cox said. “He has been a head coach and an assistant coach in both the collegiate and professional ranks. His years of involvement at the AAU level offer an exceptional network for recruiting, and his understanding of player development will benefit the program in all areas.”
Carroll also spent seven as an assistant at Seton Hall under P.J. Carlesimo. He was the chief recruiter for the Pirates’ program that earned its first NCAA Championship appearance in 1988 and reached the national title game the following season.
Carroll later joined Carlesimo’s staff as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and, and he also has been an advance scout for the NBA’s Orlando Magic. Before that, he was the head coach for NAIA school Bloomfield College, leading the Deacons to the NAIA District Finals twice in three seasons. Most recently, Carroll has been coaching with the New England Playaz, an AAU power in western Massachusetts.
McCloskey spent the last five seasons with the University of Florida men’s basketball program, working for Billy Donovan and Michael White. For the last two seasons, he was a graduate assistant, helping in the day-to-day operations of the program, including practice and game set-up, gear management and distribution and more. As an undergrad, he assisted with day-to-day video operations, filming practices and breaking down film for coaches. He also was part of the support staff for USA Basketball from June 2014 through June 2015, working under Donovan and Sean Miller.
Campbell replaced Daniel Marshall, who left for a similar position at Arizona State. Campbell has experience at the NBA and college levels. He worked with Indiana Pacers Director of Sports Performance Shawn Windle, one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in the profession. While there, Campbell worked closely with the likes of George Hill, Roy Hibert, Lance Stephenson and Paul George, giving him insight into developing elite level basketball players during both in-season and off-season cycles.
Campbell also spent two years at St. Vincent Sports Performance, where he worked closely with Butler University athletic teams, including men’s basketball. He spent the 2015-16 season with Miami University and also was an intern working with Vanderbilt men’s basketball during the summer of 2015.
http://www.gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20180701gedi99
