New University of Nevada head men’s basketball coach Steve Alford has named five members to his coaching staff for the 2019-20 season. Craig Neal will be the associate head coach while Kory Barnett and Bil Duany (DWAY-knee) will serve as assistant coaches for the Wolf Pack. Kory Alford will be the Pack’s director of player development. Brandon Chambers will remain the Pack’s director of operations spot he has filled the past two seasons.
“I’m extremely fortunate to have assembled this staff,” Alford said. “The common theme of these men are exactly what I want in leading our student-athletes. They are men of faith, they have a love for family and all have a terrific history of winning. I’m so anxious to work alongside a group of men who are so well connected. Beginning day one we will start building our culture of Nevada basketball.”
Neal and coach Alford have been good friends since grade school as both were coached by their fathers in high school. The past 10 months Neal worked in Monaco as the country’s director of sport where he oversaw 23 youth teams for the ASM Basketball Association comprised of players from age nine to 21. He was tasked with helping improve youth basketball in Monaco. During his time in Monaco he worked closely with U18 players and the Espoirs Team of the LNB Pro A League. He was instrumental in making basketball history in Monaco by helping secure the NBA Global Camp which was a huge accomplishment bringing the NBA to the country and making Monaco relevant on the world basketball stage.
Neal was the head coach at the University of New Mexico from 2013-17 and led the Lobos to a 76-52 record. He spent three years as the associate head coach under Alford at Iowa and six at New Mexico. He was promoted to head coach at UNM when Alford accepted the head coaching job at UCLA.
Barnett worked for Alford at UCLA for six seasons, the last two as the director of basketball operations and the previous four as the program’s video coordinator. In 2012-13 he was a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Indiana University. From 2009-2012 he played for the Hoosiers and earned a degree in sports communications.
During his time at UCLA the Bruins reached the Sweet 16 three times. The Rochester, Ind. native helped lead the Hoosiers to a Sweet 16 appearances his senior year in 2008. Three times he earned All-Big Ten Conference academic honors.
Duany comes to the Wolf Pack after four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of New Orleans. In 2016-17 he helped the Privateers to a 20-12 record as the team captured the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles. In 2017 New Orleans advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Kory Alford spent the past four seasons at UCLA as the video analytics coordinator after playing two seasons for the Bruins and two seasons at New Mexico. As a player he helped four teams reach the NCAA Tournament and the 2014 and 2015 squads advanced to the Sweet 16. During his prep career at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque he was part of two state championship teams.
Chambers has spent the past three seasons on the Nevada basketball staff, the last two as the director of basketball operations. He has helped the Wolf Pack capture three consecutive MW regular season titles and make three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
The past two seasons the Pack has tied the school record with 29 victories. The 58 wins in the past two years are the best two years in school history. Nevada has gone 86-17 overall and 44-10 in MW play during his time with the Wolf Pack.
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