Soaring Down South
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Hawks, Lloyd Pierce Complete New Coaching Staff for 2018

By Chris Guest

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 5: John Collins #20, Tyler Dorsey #2, Kent Bazemore #24, and Lloyd Pierce Coach of the Atlanta Hawks watch the Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun on June 5, 2018 at Hank McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 5: John Collins #20, Tyler Dorsey #2, Kent Bazemore #24, and Lloyd Pierce Coach of the Atlanta Hawks watch the Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun on June 5, 2018 at Hank McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Atlanta Hawks and new head coach Lloyd Pierce have announced the hiring of Greg Foster, Matt Hill and Nate Babcock to the coaching staff, which completes Pierce’s cabinet of coaches and administrative staff.

The team had already announced that Chris Jent will be the sole assistant coach to remain on the team, as former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer retained the services of each of his assistants save for Jent, who worked with Lloyd Pierce when both of them were on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ staff.

Foster, Hill and Babcock join Jent and Marlon Garnett and Melvin Hunt on Pierce’s coaching staff.

Philadelphia 76ers connections abound in these hires, which makes sense, as Pierce was a highly valued member of the team during the “Process” era as Brett Brown’s lead assistant coach.

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Pierce and Greg Foster worked together on the Sixers during the 2013-14 season, when Foster was the player development coach for the Sixers. Following that, Foster went to the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach, where he worked with burgeoning superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to help develop the Greek Freak’s incredible skill set.

Foster is a 13-year NBA veteran, having played in 656 career games, including a stint in Atlanta during the 1992-92 season.

Matt Hill most recently worked as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic, though his background is as a dedicated player development guru, which is perfect for a Hawks team that will likely welcome multiple rookies on the team this offseason on both full NBA contracts or two-way deals.

Hill began his tenure in Orlando as a video analyst in 2012 and was later promoted to manager of advanced scouting/player development.

Nate Babcock most recently worked with the Brooklyn Nets as a video coordinator. Before that, he was with the Orlando Magic and was also previously a head coach for the Atlanta Hawks G-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks.

Babcock’s father, Rob, is a former NBA GM, and his brother, Chris, is a player development coach with (you guessed it) the Philadelphia 76ers.

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With the full stable of coaches, assistants and player developers, Lloyd Pierce and his staff can focus on molding what will be another young Hawks team, though this one should be full of more upside than last year’s thanks to the influx of young talent through the 2018 NBA Draft.

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