BROOKLYN – The Brooklyn Nets have named Kevin Ollie, Will Weaver, Jay Hernandez and Ronnie Burrell as assistant coaches and Corey Vinson as assistant coach/player development. They join assistant coach/director of player development Adam Caporn and assistant coaches Trevor Hendry and Ryan Forehan-Kelly on head coach Jacque Vaughn’s staff.
Ollie joins Brooklyn’s staff from Overtime Elite, where he served as head of coaching and basketball development for two seasons (2021-23). Prior to his stint with Overtime Elite, Ollie spent six years (2012-18) as the head coach of the men’s basketball program at the University of Connecticut. After leading UConn to a 20-10 record in his first season at the helm in 2012-13 when the program was ineligible to participate in postseason competition, Ollie directed the Huskies to a 32-8 record in his second season in 2013-14. UConn earned a seven seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament and became the second-lowest seed to win a national championship when he directed the Huskies to their fourth of five titles in program history. Before he became the head coach at UConn, the Los Angeles native was an assistant coach with the Huskies for two years (2010-12), helping lead the team to a national championship in 2011. Prior to the start of his coaching career, Ollie played in the NBA for 13 seasons (1997-2010) with 11 teams, including a 19-game stint with the Nets during the 1999-2000 season. In 662 career games with Orlando, Dallas, Sacramento, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Indiana, Chicago, Seattle, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Minnesota and Oklahoma City, Ollie recorded averages of 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 15.6 minutes per contest. He logged playoff action five times in his career, including helping lead the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001. Ollie went undrafted in 1995 and began his playing career as a member of the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for two seasons (1995-97). As a collegian, Ollie played at UConn for four years (1991-95), helping the Huskies advance to the NCAA Tournament three times. As a senior, he earned All-Big East Third Team honors.
Weaver rejoins the Nets organization after spending two seasons (2016-18) as special assistant to the head coach and one season (2018-19) as the head coach of Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Weaver led Long Island to a 33-17 regular season record, tied for the best record in the NBA G League, and guided the LI Nets to an Eastern Conference Championship before the team fell short against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League Finals. Weaver became the first head coach in franchise history to earn NBA G League Coach of the Year honors. The Austin, Texas, native also spent three seasons (2013-16) on the Philadelphia 76ers staff, first as a video coordinator and basketball operations assistant and then as special assistant to the head coach (2014-16) and served as an assistant coach for two seasons (2020-22) with the Houston Rockets. He has also spent time abroad, working for a season (2019-20) as the head coach of the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League, where he led the Kings to a first place finish in the regular season and a trip to the NBL Finals. Most recently, Weaver served as head coach of Paris Basketball in LNB Pro A, France’s first division, during the 2022-23 season. Weaver has also spent time as an assistant coach with the Australian national basketball team, including at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Weaver began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State University for two years (2010-12). Prior to his stint with Sam Houston State, Weaver earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in three years and a Master of Education in kinesiology from the University of Texas, where he served as a graduate assistant and then as a special assistant with the men’s basketball program.
Hernandez joins the Nets after spending the past five seasons (2018-23) with the Charlotte Hornets as assistant coach/director of player development. In addition to his responsibilities with Charlotte, Hernandez led the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, in the NBA G League bubble in 2021. Hernandez landed in Charlotte after working four seasons (2014-18) as assistant coach/player development with the Orlando Magic. Prior to beginning his NBA coaching career, the Long Island, N.Y., native ran Pro Hoops Inc., a program he established in 2004 to train players and teams looking to improve their on-court performance, including overseeing pre-draft training for NBA Draft prospects. Hernandez played four years of college basketball, starting his career at the University of New Hampshire (1996-97) before finishing his career at Hofstra (1998-2001), where he served as team captain and led the program to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000 and 2001. He earned a Master of Business in both marketing and management from Hofstra. After college, Hernandez played professionally for three seasons in Puerto Rico.
Burrell joins Brooklyn’s staff after spending the 2022-23 season as head coach of the Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Burrell led Long Island to a 23-9 overall record in the regular season, tied for the second-best record in the NBA G League. The team finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and clinched its third playoff berth in franchise history, with Burrell joining Weaver as the only coaches in franchise history to earn NBA G League Coach of the Year honors. He had previously spent two seasons in the Nets organization, first as a player development and video assistant with Brooklyn in 2018-19 and then as an assistant coach with Long Island in 2019-20. Prior to rejoining the Nets organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, Burrell spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, and the previous season as a player development coordinator with the Chicago Bulls. Before he began his Nets tenure in 2018, Burrell worked as a graduate assistant with the men’s basketball team at Florida Atlantic University while earning his Master of Business Administration. The Montclair, N.J., native previously played 11 professional seasons (2005-2016) in France, Germany and Poland after a four-year collegiate playing career (2001-05) at UNC Greensboro.
Vinson arrives in Brooklyn after working in the Phoenix Suns organization for three seasons (2020-23). He started with the Suns as assistant video coordinator with player development responsibilities before being promoted to player development coach/video coordinator. He spent his final season in Phoenix as a player development coach. Vinson was a part of staffs that helped lead the Suns to three playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2021. Prior to beginning his career in Phoenix, Vinson served as a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball program at Louisiana State University, where he had previously worked as a manager for the Tigers. The Atlanta native played collegiate basketball at the University of New Orleans and then transferred to LSU, where he completed his bachelor’s degree.
