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Whirlwind month for new coach

BY JEFF EVANS, Californian staff writer
jevans@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, Aug 25 2009 11:19 PM

Last Updated Tuesday, Aug 25 2009 11:34 PM

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Frost Heaves

Will Voigt spent Tuesday getting acquainted with some of the Bakersfield Jam boosters. He figures he's got a little time before his hectic season begins.

"We're just trying to get as situated as we can before basketball season rolls around," said Voigt, 33, hired on July 30 as the new Jam head coach. "You know, after that, it's nothing but basketball."

Voigt is trying to pin down where he and his fiancée -- and soon to be wife, Jessica Bennett -- will live in Bakersfield.

She has had two job interviews as a nurse, Voigt added. And the two will return to their home state of Vermont to get married on Sept. 6.

After that, it will be back to Bakersfield.

"Vermont is not the easiest commute," Voigt said with a chuckle. "We're probably looking to relocate permanently in mid-September."

By then, the 16-team NBA Development League figures to have its first list of prospective D-League players distributed to each team.

The Jam has first crack at its players who finished out last season in Bakersfield. But Voigt said fans can expect few returnees.

"It's too early to tell," Voigt said of the potential roster. "We already know a number of them have signed overseas and likely won't be back. That's very typical."

He added: "I think there will be a lot of new faces on this year's team."

Once the Jam receives a list of prospective D-League players for 2009-10, the homework begins. Voigt called it "researching."

"For us, background is very important," he said. "I'm really big on character. It takes some digging to find out who this player is off the court."

The Jam will shortly provide the D-League with a list of last year's players, ranked in order of preference.

"If we list him and he wants to come back, we'd have first rights to bring him back," Voigt said.

And then there's the allocation players -- players with ties to this area or possibly Southern California that the D-League could award to Bakersfield to help generate interest with local fans.

Again, the Jam must provide a list of potential players who fit into that category.

Most potential players will be selected in the annual D-League draft in early November. The draft date has not been announced, according to Jam owner David Higdon.

Voigt was hired following a vote from select season-ticketholders, the media (The Californian did not vote) and the Jam.

He has six years of professional head coaching experience, three years with the Vermont Frost Heaves of the Premier Basketball League (formerly the American Basketball Association) and three years with the Ulriken Eagles from Bergen, Norway, who competed in Norway's highest professional league.

"It's exciting to get back to California," said Voigt, who earned his degree at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Claremont. "I get to reconnect with some friends out here."