Budenholzer brings five coaches from Atlanta
Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has finalized his coaching staff.
The new Bucks head coach brought on five members of his staff from the Atlanta Hawks according to a team announcement on Thursday. Those coaches are Darvin Ham, Taylor Jenkins, Ben Sullivan, Patrick St. Andrews and Charles Lee.
"I’m a huge believer in my group that’s been with me the last five years," Budenholzer said at his introductory press conference after being hired May 17, expressing hope that he'd be able to bring them to Milwaukee.
He also retained Sean Sweeney, who has been on the Bucks' coaching staff since 2014.
“I’m thrilled to have my staff together again as we work to help improve our players and build sustained success here in Milwaukee,” Budenholzer said in a statement. “I am also excited to work with Sean, who is highly thought of in the league. All six coaches are great people and each brings a variety of expertise and experience. They all possess a tremendous work ethic and have great track records in player development. I know our players will benefit from their coaching.”
Sweeney has been highly involved with the Bucks' defensive scheme during his time in Milwaukee both under Jason Kidd and following Kidd's firing in January. Milwaukee's defense was the fourth best in the NBA during the 2014-'15 season but has been ranked 19th or worse in defensive efficiency each season since.
Sweeney has also forged a strong bond with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo over the past four seasons. The two have been virtually inseparable during that time, with Sweeney accompanying Antetokounmpo to workouts at all hours of the day and around the world during the off-season. He's put in countless hours in the film room helping Antetokounmpo grow as a player.
The two profess to share an insatiable appetite for winning, one that resulted in a sideline altercation during a November game in Salt Lake City. The next day, Antetokounmpo
downplayed that incident as something that happens between brothers.
"Me and Sweeney we’re so tight," Antetokounmpo said in November. "He always speaks the truth to me and I always speak the truth to him."
Sweeney's name isn't the only one among the new coaches that will be familiar to Bucks fans.
Ham was with the Bucks from 19992002, playing in 134 games and averaging 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds while putting together the best stretch of his eight-season NBA career. He was a fan favorite known as "Dunkin' Darvin" for his "Ham Slamwich" dunks.
Since his playing days, Ham has made a name for himself in the NBA coaching ranks. Starting in 2011, he spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, then linked up with Budenholzer and took a job with the Hawks in 2013, working mostly with the team's frontcourt players. He rose to the role of lead assistant in 2016 when Kenny Atkinson left to become the coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
Ham's success in Atlanta brought interest from other teams as well as acclaim from players, including Bucks veteran guard Jason Terry, who went to Twitter shortly after Budenholzer's hiring to stump for Ham — his former teammate in Atlanta during the 2002-'03 season.
Of the other four coaches coming to Milwaukee, Sullivan may be the most widely known. While in Atlanta, Sullivan, a disciple of renowned San Antonio Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland, drew acclaim as the team's main shooting coach.
Jenkins has spent the past five seasons with the Hawks and coached their 2016 summer league team. Prior to that, he held multiple coaching roles with the Austin Toros of the NBA G League, the San Antonio Spurs affiliate. Lee joined the Hawks in 2014 after spending two years on the coaching staff of his alma mater, Bucknell. He was Atlanta's summer-league coach last year.
St. Andrews is the newest member of Budenholzer's staff. Over four years from 2013-'17, he worked his way up the Hawks' organization ladder from the operations staff to head video coordinator before joining the coaching staff for the 2017-'18 season.