Next Jam coach will be 'chosen' one
| Friday, Jul 17 2009 10:29 PM
Last Updated Friday, Jul 17 2009 10:29 PM
A look at each of the Jam's 11 finalists for head coach:
Name Current or previous job
Rodney Baker Rochester Razorsharks (Premier Basketball League) head coach
Brian James Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach (2008)
Bob MacKinnon Colorado 14ers (D-League) head coach
Paul Mokeski Anaheim Arsenal (D-League) assistant coach
Casey Owens Colorado 14ers (D-League) assistant coach
Ed Pinckney Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach
Jeff Ruland Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach
Bob Thornton Oklahoma City Thunder advance scout
Will Voigt Vermont Frost Heaves (PBL) head coach
Rory White L.A. Clippers assistant coach
Paul Woolpert Tulsa 66ers (D-League) head coach
The owners of the Bakersfield Jam didn't take long in finding a suitable coach to lead the team into its new era.
But there was a problem: They found another. And another. And another.
By the time Stan Ellis and David Higdon, owners of the NBA Developmental League team, were finished, they had 11 good candidates.
"I kept writing down in my notes, 'This guy's great! This guy's great!'" Ellis said. "And I thought, 'Wow, what a group to choose from.'"
And so the Jam is taking a unique step. Ellis and Higdon announced Friday their plan to allow select season-ticket holders and members of the media to vote for the team's new coach.
"Since I've never been involved with sports except for the last three years, I'm not very knowledgable about individual coaching staffs," Ellis said. "The reason we want to include (the media), we think (it's) a wealth of knowledge. We think (it's) intelligent in the community."
The fan vote and media vote are each weighted at 25 percent. The ownership group, which includes Ellis, HIgdon and chief operating officer Gary Hunter will account for the other 50 percent.
Ellis said a group of about 20 fans who have held season tickets since the team's inaugural season in 2006 will be sent a ballot next week. They'll have one week to name their top three choices.
Local media members -- from The Californian, KGET-TV, KERO-TV, KBAK-TV and KGEO (1230 AM) -- were given ballots Friday.
Californian Editor Mike Jenner said the newspaper would abstain from voting on the Jam's new coach.
"With all due respect, we'd prefer to cover the selection process while not becoming a part of it," Jenner said.
After the voting is tallied July 29, the list of candidates will be narrowed to three. At that point, Ellis said he'd bring in each finalist and have a final round-table discussion with voters to choose the Jam's man.
"We felt we had a great coach in Scott Roth; unfortunately he decided not to come back this year," Ellis said. "We wanted to involve the people who have been with us, because it only make sense. Let's profit from collective intelligence."
The 11 candidates include Bob MacKinnon, who led the Colorado 14ers to last spring's D-League championship. The 14ers have moved to Frisco, Texas, for next season.
The candidates also include Will Voigt, head coach of the Vermont Frost Heaves of the Premier Basketball League. Voigt, who was an assistant for Norway's men's national team, was selected to be the Frost Heaves' coach in similar fashion -- beating one other finalist in a fan vote.
"At the end of the day, it's similar to any selection," Voigt said. "You present who you are and ... somebody else chooses if you're the right guy. I felt like I already had a great meeting with Stan and Dave and Gary and felt like I was able to express what my strengths are.
"How they choose to go about the process is their perogative."
Whether Voigt wins this ballot measure remains to be seen. But whatever decision it makes, the Jam can be certain of one thing -- it's not in this alone.
"It's a little outside the box," Ellis said, "but really, it's about getting resources that can make intelligent decisions."
