If you are watching the Golden State Warriors this season, there’s a good chance you’ll see some familiar faces.
Of course you know former IU star Trayce Jackson-Davis was drafted by the Warriors, signed a multi-year contract, and is expected to play a role for the team this season.
But did you know, working behind the scenes, and in same cases in direct support of Jackson-Davis, are multiple individuals with ties to IU basketball?
Seth Cooper is the Warriors Director of Player Development after serving as their G-League affiliate head coach. He’ll be working in his new role primarily with young players like Jackson-Davis. Cooper was at Indiana under Tom Crean from 2010-14, first as a graduate assistant and then as part of the strength and conditioning program. Victor Oladipo has credited Cooper for playing a major role in his development while he was at Indiana.
Cooper’s move up to the NBA franchise helped to create an opportunity at the Santa Cruz G-League squad. Former IU star Bracey Wright is an assistant coach and holds a player development role with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Wright was drafted in the NBA by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2005, and he played professional basketball, mostly overseas, into 2020. While at IU, Wright scored 1,458 points over three seasons. He was the ninth fastest to 1,000 points in Indiana history.
Finally, Will Sheehey, who was at IU the same time as Cooper and Oladipo, is entering his third season with the Warriors. He started with Golden State as an assistant video coordinator now holds the title player development analyst. Sheehey had multiple stints as a player in the NBA’s G-League and summer league, and he spent six years playing professionally overseas in four countries — Montenegro, Greece, France and Portugal. He retired as a player in 2020 and took a job outside of basketball briefly before he was hired by the Warriors.
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