ATLANTA SPIRIT, LLCOwnership........................................6Executive Management. ..................9
FRONT OFFICEBernard J. Mullin............................10Billy Knight .....................................11Dominique Wilkins .........................12Basketball Operations ...................14Mike Woodson / Coaching Staff ....18Community Development ..............24
PLAYERSHawks Roster ................................28Esteban Batista .............................30Josh Childress ...............................32Speedy Claxton .............................34Royal Ivey......................................36Joe Johnson ..................................38Solomon Jones..............................40Tyronn Lue.....................................42Zaza Pachulia................................44Josh Smith.....................................46Salim Stoudamire ..........................48Marvin Williams .............................50Shelden Williams ...........................52Lorenzen Wright ............................54Hawks Career Stats/Highs ............56
2005-06 REVIEWSummary .......................................62Final Statistics ...............................63High Games...................................64Game By Game Results................66Quarter By Quarter Results...........68Hawks - Opp. Team Stats..............70Miscellaneous Numbers ................742005-06 Transactions ....................78
RECORDSHawks Yearly Leaders...................80Hawks Individual Records. ............84Hawks Team Records....................87All Time Career Leaders................89All Time Season Leaders ..............91Ind. Opp. Single Game Records ...94Team Opp. Single Game Records ..96Atl. / Opp. Highs & Lows ...............98Atl. Select Circle ............................99Opp. Select Circle........................100NBA Stat Leaders........................101Starting Lineups ..........................102
Sundry Hawks Records ...............103The Last Time..............................104
PLAYOFFSAll-Time Playoff Results ...............1962006 Playoff Results....................199Hawks Playoff Highs....................200Hawks Individual Records. ..........201Hawks Team Records..................202Opp. Individual Records...............204Opp. Team Records.....................205Yearly Stats..................................207
NBANBA Directory..............................214NBDL Directory............................2162006 NBA Award Winners.............217Final NBA Stats ...........................2192006 NBA Draft ...........................224Past NBA Champions..................225All-Time Award Winners................226All-Time NBA Leaders...................227All-Time NBA Team W-L ...............230Officiating Staff ..............................231
OPPONENTSTeam-by-Team.............................234Hawks All-Time vs. Opp. .............292
MEDIAMedia Information........................294Hawks Radio / TV........................297Media Personnel..........................298
(Atlanta Hawks / Atlanta Thrashers / Philips Arena)
Bruce Levenson, Michael Gearon, Steve Belkin Ed Peskowitz, Rutherford Seydel, Todd Foreman Felix Riccio, Michael Gearon, Sr., Beau Turner
Executive ManagementPresident and Chief Executive Officer........................Bernard J. MullinExecutive Vice President .....................................................Billy Knight
and General Manager, HawksPresident of Philips Arena.................................................Bob WilliamsExecutive Vice President ..................................................Don Waddell
and General Manager, ThrashersExecutive Vice President and CMO...................................Lou DePaoliExecutive Vice President and CFO .........................................Bill DuffySenior Vice President of Communications ........................Tom HughesSenior Vice President of Broadcast and ............................Tracy White
Corporate PartnershipsVice President of Ticket Sales and Service..............Brendan DonohueVice President of Community Development ..........LaVerne HendersonVice President of Business Development..............................David Lee Vice President of Strategic Planning .........................Ailey PenningrothVice President of Marketing, Advertising & Branding...........Jim PfeiferVice President of Human Resources ....................................Ginni SilerVice President and Chief Legal Officer / ......................Scott Wilkinson
Assistant General Manager, HawksVice President of Basketball ....................................Dominique Wilkins
Basketball OperationsVice President / Assistant General Manager............Gary FitzsimmonsDirector of Basketball Operations ...................................Mike McNeiveExecutive Assistant to Executive VP/GM .....................Carole Harding
and Manager of Basketball OperationsPlayer Relations Coordinator................................................Julie HoggScouting Coordinator .......................................................Lalita HaynesVideo Coordinator ...............................................................Luke SteeleAssistant Video Coordinator .............................................John BeckettEquipment Coordinator .........................................................Zac Walsh
Coaching StaffHead Coach ...................................................................Mike WoodsonAssistant Coaches .....................Larry Drew, Herb Brown, Bob BenderAssistant Coaches/Player Development ...........................Greg Ballard
David Fizdale
Scouting StaffMinor-League Coordinator/Scout.........................................Harold EllisFull-Time Scouts...................Stephen Giles, Terry Knight, Herb LivseyInternational Scouts..........................................Mark Crow, Ron Meikle
Training StaffHead Athletic Trainer ..........................................................Wally BlaseAssistant Coach/Player Performance............................Pete RadulovicStrength and Conditioning Coordinator ...............................Chattin Hill
Medical StaffTeam Physicians ......................................................Dr. Michael Bernot
Dr. Milton Frank III, Dr. Robert MarmerTeam Dentist ..........................................................Dr. Louis Freedman
Public RelationsVice President of Public Relations ....................................Arthur TricheDirector of Media Relations .............................................Jon SteinbergSenior Manager of Media Relations .................................Jason RooseTeam Photographer..................................................Scott Cunningham
AdministrationExecutive Assistant to President and CEO .......................Teresa Utley
and Business ManagerExecutive Assistant to Executive VP/CFO ...........................Susan DullExecutive Assistant to Executive VP/CMO........................Monica DaleSenior Receptionist / Office Assistant / .........................Michele Pierre
Business DevelopmentManager of Business Development & .............................Curtis Franks
Community Facility Branding
BroadcastingSenior Director of Radio Operations / .................................Dan Kamal
Radio Play-by-Play Announcer, ThrashersDirector of Speakers Bureau/ ...........................................Bob Rathbun
Television Play-by-Play Announcer, HawksDirector of Community Hockey Development/....................Darren Eliot
Television Analyst, ThrashersRadio Play-By-Play Announcer, Hawks ..........................Steve HolmanTelevision Play-By-Play Announcer, Thrashers............JP DellacameraCoordinator, Radio Operations ...........................................Mary Moran
CommunicationsPublicist, Philips Arena....................................................Kenan WoodsCoordinator, Communications................................................Julie Petri
Community DevelopmentDirector of Community Development ..............................Andrea Carter Senior Manager of Fan Development ............................Reagan CareySenior Manager of Thrashers .......................................Kris Thompson
Community DevelopmentManager of Basketball Community Development..........Matt SchweersCoordinator of Thrashers Community Development ..........Robyn BoroCoordinator of Hawks ..........................................Courtney Wheatman
Community DevelopmentAssistant, Community Development....................................Jen LehrenAssistant, Hockey Community Development........................Chris UberLiaison, Basketball Development ......................................Charlie CrissLiaison, Community Development................................Jim Washington
Terri CameronDirector of Corporate Partnership Services .......................Chris Carter Senior Manager of Corporate Partnerships...................Stewart TannerManagers of Corporate Partnerships ..............................Chris Beaudin
Tamara Siemon, Larry JonesManager of Broadcast Services........................................Diana CorbinCoordinators of Corporate Partner Services ...................Brandi Burton
Brooke KingAdam Lapham
Alainna SchianoCoordinator of Broadcast Services ....................................Kellie BrownAssistant, Broadcast and ..........................................Tonthalell Walters
Human ResourcesSenior Manager of Human Resources ..............................Tony DonatoManager of Organizational Development ...............LaKesha WilkersonHuman Resources Manager ............................................Pamela ShahHuman Resources Coordinator ...................................Kimberly Stokes
Atlanta Spirit, LLCCentennial Tower101 Marietta St. NW, Suite 1900Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Information TechnologyDirector of IT.....................................................................Charles GoreManager of IT .....................................................................Jon HalsethSenior Systems Administrator...........................................Bobby JonesSystems Administrator ........................................................Marc Baron
LegalCounsel .....................................................Caren Cook, Melissa LinskyLegal Assistant ...................................................................Kayrn Davis
Marketing, Advertising & BrandingSenior Director of Game Operations...............................Peter Sorckoff Senior Director, WIRED....................................................Kyle BrunsonDirector of Advertising and Promotions.......................Kimberly HartleyDirector of Publications and Creative Services..............Matt MusgroveSenior Manager of Web Sites...................................Kevin McCormackSenior Manager of Database Marketing..............................David ElginManager of Thrashers Advertising and Promotions ..............Tony KingManager of Hawks Advertising and Promotions...........Michelle McVayManager of Game Operations ....................................Ralph HumphlettManager of Special Events............................................Debbie GoldenManager of Thrashers Game Presentation.......................Scott BrooksManager of Hawks Game Presentation ............................. Matt PayneGraphic Design Manager...............................................Jason DuignanWeb Site Manager................................................................Micah HartSenior Research Analyst........................................................Jerry Tsui Coordinator, Talent ...........................................................Donni FrazierCoordinator of Interactive Marketing & Email..................Ericka DudleyMascot Coordinators ........................................................Melvin Banks
Kirk Johnson, James WoodCoordinator of Promotions ..............................................Charley SmithGraphic Design Coordinator ................................................Matty RyanSpecial Events Coordinator ...............................................Emily AppenMarketing, Advertising & Branding Assistant ................Yomand BrownGame Operations Assistant ............................................Doug WasiuraAssistant Web Site Editor ....................................................Ben Wright
Ticket Sales and ServicesSenior Director of Premium Seating .......................................Tim Stolz Senior Director of Ticket Services ..................................Wendell ByrneDirector of Group Ticket Sales and Service........................Chris ZaberDirector of Premium Seating Service...............................Debbie CagleDirector of Service and Retention ................................Brad HamacherSenior Manager of New Season Ticket Sales ................Keith BrennanSenior Manager of Ticket Services .................................Gilda CarlysleSenior Manager of Inside Sales ...................................Keith BradshawSenior Manager of Service and Retention .................Jonathan Tillman Manager of Group Sales...................................................Denise GoveManager of Premium Seating Sales....................................Matt WallerManager of Rental Suites ...................................................Sasha VeceManager of Service and Retention ................................Shayna Hoppe
Manager of Suite Services ..............................................Lauren FisherSenior Ticket Sales Account Executve...........................Jason SomersSenior Service and Retention Executives........................Barry Kessler
Rob McCalebb Premium Seating Accounts Executives........................Andrew Murphy
Hockey OperationsVice President and Assistant General Manager ...........Larry Simmons Director of Amateur Scouting ...............................................Dan Marr
and Player DevelopmentDirector of Player Personnel ............................................Mark DobsonSenior Director of Team Services................................Michele ZarzacaExecutive Assistant to Executive VP/GM ........................Leisa Ludwin
Medical StaffTeam Physician and Orthopaedic Surgeon.................Dr. Scott GilloglyAssistant Team Physician and Internist...................Dr. William WhaleyOral and Maxillofacial Surgeon ...................................Dr. Glenn MaronTeam Dentists ..................Dr. Lawrence Saltzman, Dr. Brett Silverman
Public RelationsSenior Director of Public Relations ........................................Rob KochAssistant Director of Media Relations.................................Brian PotterManager of Media Relations..................................................John Heid
Executive ManagementSenior Vice President.........................................................Trey FeazellVice President of Building and Event Operations............Barry HensonVice President of Leisure Services ................................Lenny McNallyVice President of Operations .............................................Patrick Lane
AdministrationExecutive Assistant to President .....................................Dee Caporale Executive Assistant to Senior VP ..........................................Rita CobbOffice Assistant ................................................................Tracy Warren
Bookings/Box Office/MarketingSenior Director of Marketing and Business Development...............................................Kevin PreastSenior Director of Ticket Operations................................Sam WilliamsDirector of Marketing.................................................Anne-Marie DixonBox Office Managers ................................Rick Scholla, David ScruggsManager of Premium Seating Ticket Operations ...............Cindy ByrneBox Office Coordinator .........................................................Joan HicksMarketing Specialist .......................................................Tyler GambrellBox Office Assistant .........................................................Mary Ann HillPremium Seating Ticket Assistants ................Jennifer Hall, Paul KvidtTicket Seller..............................................................Charlotte Cowings
Building and Event OperationsDirector of Event and Building Operations ..................Chuck RobinsonManager of Building Operations ...............................Stephen WillmannManager of Environmental Services .............................Anthony WilderManager of Event Conversions.......................................Johnny BrownManager of Event Operations ........................................Paul KrajewskiAssistant Managers of Conversions .................................James Lewis
Willie WilliamsAssistant Managers of Environmental Services .............Robert Rankin
Bobby HeadAdministrative Assistants...........................Avis Copeland, Debbie RaySupervisors of Environmental Services .............................Betty Ansley
Pedro MojicaConversion Leads ............................................................Kendall Davis
Jack Jordan, Fred WhiteElectrician Lead .................................................................John GarrettEnvironmental Services Leads .............Marie Crews, Minerva Franklin
Betty Giles, Damon Stone, Sharon WhiteHVAC Lead .......................................................................William UtleyGeneral Maintenance Lead...........................................Gregory PickettBMT I .................................................Jeffrey Hazzard, Kenneth Holder
Keith Rebmann, Rodney RichardsonElectrician I ...................................................................James BradfordElectrician II ..........................................................................Eddie Clay
Titus MincyHVAC I.............................................................................Brian JacksonHVAC II ........................................................Javits Britt, Steve Gardner
Levern TaylorLocksmith.......................................................................Steve WascherPainter II .............................................................................Tom WarnerPlumber...............................................................................Robert Vine
Customer ServiceSenior Director of Customer Service and Operations ......Jason ParkerSenior Manager of Customer Service and Operations ......Keith WenteManager of Customer Service Planning ...............................Ken ButlerManager of Premium Services............................................Larry TaylorCoordinator of Customer Service ................................Chanda Dabney
Leisure ServicesDirector of Leisure Services.......................................Russell FergusonDirector of Retail Merchandising........................................Kathy HakikiAssistant Director of Leisure Services...............................Bob McNallyManager of Arena Store .................................................Destra TontalaManager of Concessions Operations...................................Brad SmithManager of Warehouse/Purchasing, Concessions ..........................................Mickey McCauleyManager of Warehouse, Retail .......................................Dennis ShoupBeverage Manager ...................................................Jonathon JacksonAssistant Manager of Concessions Operations ................Dollie HesterAssistant Manager of Arena Store........................................Jacob HiteOffice Manager....................................................................Judy EvansBeer Supervisor................................................................Kenny HayesCrew Supervisor ..................................................................Leroy RossWarehouse Distribution Supervisor ...................................John BrooksExecutive Chef..................................................................Reese JonesSous Chef ......................................................................Lorenzo MooreChef, Hawks Players Lounge.........................................Bradley RouseCook ..................................................................................Kim Jackson
SecurityDirector of Security .........................................................Richard TofaniAssistant Director of Security .............................................Pam McIverAssistant Manager of Security ...................................Sharonda O'Rear
Richard WheatSupervisors of Security ....................................................Darriel Bailey
Thomas Dryer, Chris Dunlop Demetrice Jones, Fred Jones, Marquis Lamb
Bill LaPorte, Chris Lee, Gwendolyn Lee Betty Lesaine, Courtney Lupoe
Wilhelmenia McFashion, Joseph Olenya Victor Parks, Darnisca Porter
David Price, Joseph Tate Marilyn Walls Sam West, Craig Willis, Dameon Woods
Video ProductionDirector of Video Production.........................................David SchindlerManager of Video Production ............................................Robert CaliaVideo Systems Engineer .......................................................David BellAudio/Visual Engineer .....................................................Mike KnowlesProducer, Video/Graphics .....................Andy Labesky, Stephen Welsh
PHILIPS ARENA
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Levenson co-founded United Communications Group (UCG), a group of professional publishing companies, along with Ed Peskowitz in 1977. UCG,which is now one of the largest privately held business information companiesin the world, provides specialized information to more than two million clientsin numerous business sectors, including healthcare, technology, energy, andfinancial services. Involved in many philanthropic endeavors, Levenson hasserved as president of the “I Have a Dream Foundation,” and the boards ofHoop Dreams and the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.A native of Chevy Chase, Md., he is a graduate of Washington University in St.Louis and the American University School of Law. From 1994-99, Levensonand Peskowitz owned a minority interest in the Washington Capitals,Washington Wizards, Capital Centre and MCI Center. Levenson resides inPotomac, Md., with his wife, Karen. They have three sons.
A native of Atlanta, Gearon started the successful telecommunications enterprise Gearon Communications in 1990 at the age of 25. After growingthe site acquisition company into a multi-million dollar business with morethan 150 employees in five years, he merged his company with AmericanTower, one of the largest providers of communications towers in the world, in1998. Gearon now serves as President of American Tower International andremains one of the largest individual shareholders. He also maintains several business interests in Latin America. A graduate of Georgia StateUniversity, Gearon is an avid lifelong Hawks fan. He resides in Atlanta withhis wife and three children.
Belkin is the founder and chairman of Trans National Group (TNG), a privatelyheld direct response marketing and investment company headquartered inBoston. Founded in 1974, TNG now has more than 250 employees and hassales of more than $200 million annually. Belkin, who created the concept of theaffinity credit card, has started more than 20 companies under the TNG umbrella, eight of which have been sold. Belkin serves on the board of trusteesfor Cornell University, the Boston Medical Center, the Sports Museum of NewEngland and is on the board of directors for the Hoffman Institute. He also sitson the Harvard College Visiting Committee, as well as the Committee onUniversity Resources. A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., he is a graduate ofCornell University and holds a master’s of business administration from HarvardUniversity. He and his wife, Joan, have two daughters, Julie and Amy, andreside in Boston.
MICHAEL GEARON
STEVE BELKIN
BRUCE LEVENSON
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Peskowitz co-founded United Communications Group (UCG), a portfolio ofbusiness information and software solutions companies, with longtime friend and business partner Bruce Levenson in 1977. Today, UCG, withheadquarters in Rockville, Maryland, is one of the largest providers of business solutions to vertical markets in the country. He is a graduate of theState University of New York. Peskowitz served with the 25th InfantryDivision in the Republic of Vietnam. He and his wife and two children live inWashington, D.C.
A lifelong Atlantan, Seydel is a partner in the law firm of Lawson, Davis, Pickren& Seydel and is active in the firm’s fast growing real estate, franchising andbusiness transactions practices. A graduate of the University of Georgia and theMercer University School of Law, Seydel is a director and vice-chairman of TheConservation Fund, co-founder and CEO of the Upper ChattahoocheeRiverKeeper Fund, Inc. and is a member of the Georgia State PropertiesCommission. He also sits on the board of directors of Southern EnvironmentalLaw Center and Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University School ofLaw, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Sports Council.Seydel has been a season ticket-holder of the Hawks for almost 20 years andof the Thrashers since the team’s Inaugural Season in 1999. He and his wife,Laura, have three children, John, Laura Elizabeth and Vasser.
Foreman is a partner is the United Communications Group (UCG), the businessinformation group founded by Bruce Levenson and Ed Peskowitz. Foreman, whojoined the company in 1992 to head their financial operations, oversees UCG’sbusiness and acquisitions strategy along with Levenson. He also runs the UCGFoundations, a charitable institution that provides money to organizations thatserve the community. A Certified Public Accountant, Foreman spent two years inpublic accounting and five years in real estate consulting prior to joining UCG.He is a native of Baltimore, Md. and received a bachelor’s degree from EmoryUniversity and a master’s degree from George Washington University. He andhis wife, Tracy, reside in Potomac, Md., and have three children, Samuel, Joshuaand Katelyn.
RUTHERFORD SEYDEL
TODD FOREMAN
ED PESKOWITZ
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Riccio, who serves as a representative of the Boston ownership, is senior vicepresident of corporate development for Trans National Group (TNG), a directresponse and investment company founded by Steve Belkin. In his position, heoversees the corporate development activities of several operating companiesunder the TNG umbrella. Prior to joining TNG, Riccio practiced corporate lawwith Goodwin, Procter & Hoar, LLP in Boston, where he focused on venture capital financings, public offerings and mergers and acquisitions, and served asan investment banker with Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York. A native ofAmsterdam, NY, Riccio holds an undergraduate degree from PrincetonUniversity and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He and his wife,Moira, have four children, Thomas, Andrew, Catherine and Nicholas, and residein Wenham, Mass.
Gearon has spent almost 30 years in various capacities with the Atlanta Hawks,including general manager (1977-79), president (1977-1986) and chairman ofthe board (1986-2004). Gearon, who engineered the trades that brought TomMcMillen and the late Terry Furlow to Atlanta, helped the Hawks qualify for theplayoffs in both seasons as general manager. A successful entrepreneur who retired from business at age 37, Gearon built one of the top real estatedevelopment companies in the country. Gearon & Company, which pioneeredthe concept of large-scale suburban office parks, was responsible for many ofthe business developments in Atlanta today, including the Coastal StatesBuilding and the Perimeter Center complex. A longtime associate and closefriend of Ted Turner, Gearon is a former director of Turner Broadcasting.
Turner is involved in endless charitable organizations related to environmentalconservation and preservation around the world. He currently serves as theChairman of the Board of Trustees for the Turner Endangered Species Fund andis the fish and wildlife manager for Turner Enterprises, Inc., the land holdinggroup for the Turner family. Turner also serves as a Trustee for the TurnerFoundation, a private family foundation that focuses on environmental and population-related causes. In that role, he is involved in all aspects of theFoundation’s programs and special initiatives. Extremely active in the non-profitcommunity as well, he currently serves on the board of directors of Tall Timbers,an organization that promotes sound stewardship among land owners in the RedHills region of Georgia and Florida, the Wetlands America Trust, the PeregrineFund, the Land Trust Alliance and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
MICHAEL GEARON, SR.
BEAU TURNER
FELIX RICCIO
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Bernard J. MullinPresident
and Chief Executive Officer
Billy KnightExecutive VP /
General Manager, Hawks
Bob WilliamsPresident ofPhilips Arena
Don WaddellExecutive VP / General
Manager, Thrashers
Lou DePaoliExecutive Vice President
and Chief Marketing Officer
Bill DuffyExecutive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer
Tom HughesSenior Vice President of Communications
Tracy WhiteSenior VP of Broadcast
and Corporate Partnerships
Scott WilkinsonVice President and ChiefLegal Officer / Assistant
General Manager, Hawks
Brendan DonohueVice President of Ticket
Sales and Service
LaVerne HendersonVice President of
Community Development
David LeeVice President
of Business Development
Ailey PenningrothVice President
of Strategic Planning
Jim PfeiferVice President
of Marketing, Advertising and Branding
Ginni SilerVice President
of Human Resources
Dominique WilkinsVice President of Basketball
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BERNARD J. MULLIN - PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERDr. Bernie Mullin is considered to be a leading expert in sport marketing and sport management
with 28-plus years of experience in the sport and entertainment industry. He is a noted builder ofoutstanding start-up professional sports franchises and is equally adept at turning around and building back up existing franchises that previously suffered from declining fan support, which hehas accomplished in various markets throughout the United States.
Since 1986, Mullin has held executive positions with professional sports teams in Major LeagueBaseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL),and the International Hockey League (IHL) as well as NCAA Division 1 Athletics. Mullin came toAtlanta in April 2004 as Atlanta Spirit, LLC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, where he wascharged with structuring the parent company for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, NHL’s Atlanta Thrashersand the world-class Philips Arena.
In this role, Mullin is in charge of all facets of the Spirit's operations, including all team and business functions for the Hawks and Thrashers, and overseeing the management of Philips Arena.Under his leadership, Atlanta Spirit has significantly improved the economic stability and performance of both team brands. Attendance at Hawks and Thrashers games is steadily rising andthe in-arena entertainment experience for fans at Philips Arena has been significantly upgraded,while maintaining the superb customer service and southern hospitality that the arena is famous for.
Prior to his arrival in Atlanta, Mullin served as the NBA's Senior Vice President, Marketing andTeam Business Operations for four years. There, his responsibilities included managing and marketing the NBA, WNBA and NBDL brands. He also directed the Team Marketing and BusinessOperations group that provide management consulting services and strategic information to teamson all business and revenue generating initiatives, most specifically ticket sales, sponsorship sales,marketing, advertising, branding and promotional strategies.
Mullin began his professional sports team career in 1986, serving as Senior Vice President ofBusiness for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he quickly helped turn around a team that was losingmulti-millions of dollars annually by taking the team's attendance and business revenues to all-timefranchise record levels. In 1991, Mullin joined the expansion Colorado Rockies as Senior VicePresident of Business Operations where he oversaw all business functions and developed theteam's business and marketing plans, recruited and trained the business staff and directed the execution of the programs that produced MLB’s all-time attendance record of just below 4.5 millionfans in one season, a record that still stands today. Mullin also acted as the owner's representativeon the design and construction of the award-winning Coors Field. At the end of 1993, Mullin becamePresident and General Manager of the expansion Denver Grizzlies of the International HockeyLeague. There, he oversaw all business and team operations, won a Turner Cup Championship andcreated a model for successful expansion in the IHL with an average attendance of more than14,000 fans per game and a 72-20-6 win/loss record.
Prior to and intertwined with his tenure in professional sports, Mullin spent more than a dozenyears in intercollegiate athletics and higher education. He served as the Vice Chancellor of Athleticsfor the University of Denver in the mid-to-late 90's, where he directed the institution’s move to NCAADivision I status and nearly $300 million in athletic and recreational facility construction. Mullin wasa Professor of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts from 1977-86, where hehelped build the academic program to international prominence and he also operated a thriving sportmarketing and facility management consultancy business. Additionally, he published the best-sell-ing text, Sport Marketing, which is now in its third edition.
The Liverpool, England native played semi-professional football (soccer) for the Oxford CityFootball Club from 1969-73, and captained his varsity team to back-to-back British PolytechnicChampionship finals in 1972 and 1973. Mullin earned a Ph.D. in Business, an MBA and an MS inMarketing from the University of Kansas, where he was elected to membership in Beta GammaSigma, the national honor society in business. He also graduated from Coventry University inEngland with a BA in Business Studies.
Mullin is active in the Atlanta community, serving on the boards of Central Atlanta Progress, theAtlanta Sports Council, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He resides with his wife,Valerie, in Chastain Park and has three children, Julie, Lara and Steven, a stepson Chad, and twograndchildren, Ian and Niame.
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BILLY KNIGHT - EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGERDetermined more than ever to create a winning attitude in Atlanta, Executive Vice President and
General Manager Billy Knight has total faith in his transformation of the Hawks following four seasons ofsignificant changes at the helm.
Ultimately, he knows the wins will come, and with last year’s team showing 100% improvement in vic-tories from the year before, Knight has patiently crafted a young and up-and-coming team that is seekingto reverse the results of the past seven seasons and challenge for a positive finish in 2006-07.
Knight understood change would not happen overnight. By removing underachieving players from theroster and avoiding the desire to take on potentially inflated salaries that affects a franchise’s ability tomaintain flexibility, he has stayed the course and is committed more than ever to see his plan through.That’s a credit to Knight’s fundamental belief of developing one’s own talent and maintaining enough finan-cial room to acquire the best talent mix without handicapping the future of the franchise.
A tough, yet confident player as a professional in 11 ABA/NBA seasons, Knight has taken those samequalities to the front office, as he coordinates all aspects of the team’s basketball operations, includingcoaching, player personnel, contract negotiations and salary cap management, and the re-organization ofthe basketball operations department.
This offseason, Knight has continued to reshape the look and future of the Hawks. He selected Duke'sShelden Williams with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 Draft and added agile center Solomon Jones in thesecond round, and acquired free agents Craig "Speedy" Claxton and Lorenzen Wright to fill necessarypositions on the Atlanta roster.
By drafting outstanding talents in Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire a year ago, and obtaining thefranchise's biggest free agent acquisition in recent memory in Joe Johnson, the primary core of this teamis believed to be ready to reach its potential. In Johnson, the Hawks have one of the best unknown tal-ents in the league, and he is poised to capitalize on his international success and lead the Hawks back toprominence. Williams became the third Atlanta player in successive seasons to earn league All-Rookie(second team) honors, and the second overall pick in last year's Draft continued his improved play this off-season by capturing MVP honors this summer in the Rocky Mountain Revue.
Knight has transformed the Hawks by building through the draft and complementing the lineup throughfree agency and trades. While the end-of-season record in 2004 left Atlanta towards the bottom of theleague, Knight’s ensuing draft picks yielded second-team NBA all-rookie selections in Josh Childress andJosh Smith.
A former Indiana Pacer executive, Knight prefers to build a roster of long and athletic players, similarto what the Pacers enjoyed during the mid-to-late ‘90s when they won three division championships andultimately reached the 2000 NBA Finals.
Originally the team’s Director of Basketball Operations when he was hired by then-GM Pete Babcockprior to the 2002-03 season, Knight replaced him on April 2, 2003 when Babcock was relieved of his duties.During that offseason, Knight’s rebuilding plan started with the selection of Boris Diaw and Travis Hansenin the 2003 Draft, and his impressive changes continued when he obtained the $12 million contract ofTerrell Brandon from Minnesota in a four-team trade that sent Glenn Robinson to Philadelphia and includ-ed a future first round draft pick. Brandon’s contract came off the Hawks’ books when the team releasedhim on February 19, 2004.
In another clever move, Knight’s trade of Rasheed Wallace to the Detroit Pistons (also on Feb. 19) pro-vided Atlanta with a second first round pick in the 2004 draft, which resulted in the selection of Smith, anearly-entry candidate from Oak Hill Academy who played his high school ball at Powder Springs (GA) High.
The 54-year-old Knight came to the Hawks after a successful stint as the General Manager of theVancouver/Memphis Grizzlies. His background as a proven talent evaluator led to a number of key acqui-sitions in his two years with the Grizzlies, one of which ironically, involved the Hawks. On June 27, 2001,Knight — then with Memphis — sent Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Atlanta for Lorenzen Wright, Brevin Knightand the draft rights of Pau Gasol. Gasol’s outstanding rookie season culminated in the first-year sensationwinning the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
Prior to his stint with the Grizzlies, Knight spent several productive seasons as a player and executivewith the Indiana Pacers. A former player dating back to their days in the American Basketball Association(ABA) and the NBA, he ended his eight-year career as the Pacers’ all-time leading scorer with 10,780points. Currently the franchise’s third all-time leading scorer, Knight’s contributions to the Pacers have himlisted in the team’s top five lists in five statistical groups, and ranking among the top 10 in 14 categories.
Named an NBA All-Star in the Pacers’ inaugural season in the league (1976-77), Knight finished thatyear as the league’s second-leading scorer (behind Pete Maravich) with an average of 26.6 points pergame. Over his 11 pro seasons he averaged 16.9 ppg as a player with Boston, Buffalo (Braves), KansasCity (Kings) and San Antonio, as well as Indiana. He earned two other berths on the NBA All-Star teamand one appearance in the ABA All-Star game. In 1975, Knight was selected to the ABA’s All-Rookie team.
A five-year executive with the Pacers, he spent the last two years as the team’s Senior Vice Presidentfor Basketball Operations in charge of pro, college and international scouting, a well as all daily operationswithin the basketball department, under the direction of President Donnie Walsh. An All-American at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, Knight was the seventh overall pick in the 1974 ABA Draft. The Pittsburgh nativeattended Braddock High School. He has previously competed as a state-ranked tennis player.
Knight, born June 9, 1952, is married. He and his wife Danita have two daughters, Olivia and Erika.
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DOMINIQUE WILKINS - VICE PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALLThe most celebrated player to ever put on a Hawks uniform, newly-minted Basketball
Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins enters his third season as the Hawks’ Vice President-Basketball.Previously the team's special assistant to the executive vice president and player developmentassistant, Wilkins reports to team President/CEO Bernie Mullin and works in various managementfunctions within the organization's basketball and business areas.
Wilkins is responsible for advising the senior management team on basketball-related issues,working as a strong voice in the community, and serving as a member of the executive committeeand the Hawks' Free Agent Acquisition Committee. The 6-8 forward, who concluded his NBA careerwith 26,668 points, is the ninth all-time leading scorer in league history and his 24.8 career scoringaverage is 11th on the all-time charts. Wilkins' 23,292 points with the Hawks are the franchise'sbest, and he ranks second overall in team history in steals (1,245), sixth in assists (2,322) and fifthin blocked shots (592). One of league's true marquee players, his outstanding contributions on thecourt were recognized by the organization in January 2001 when he became the third player in clubhistory to have his uniform number (#21) retired, joining Hawks legends Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson.
Familiar to area sports fans from his collegiate days at the University of Georgia, Wilkins entered the1982 NBA Draft after his junior season with the Bulldogs. He ended his Georgia career as the school's all-time scoring leader with averages of 21.6 points to go along with his 7.5 rebounds. A three-time All-SECperformer who also took home the Most Valuable Player award from the 1981 Southeastern Conferencetournament, he was selected as the third overall pick in the first round by the Utah Jazz.
Hawks officials valued his talents enough to send two players (John Drew and FreemanWilliams) and cash to the Utah Jazz on September 2, 1982 for his draft rights, and the end resultwas beneficial for both parties. As a result, Wilkins was able to continue his career in front of familiar faces, and Atlanta had its first superstar since Pete Maravich.
Instrumental in the team's success in the mid-to-late '80s, Wilkins electrified Atlanta sports fansas the club recorded 50-win seasons in four straight seasons from 1985-86 to 1988-89. He averaged 29.1 points over that period, and in the 1988 All-Star Game he ripped the nets for 29 pointsin 30 minutes of action.
A playoff participant in eight of his 12 seasons with the Hawks, his finest hour came in duringthe 1988 postseason when Atlanta narrowly missed reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, as theBoston Celtics eked out a two-point victory in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. Wilkins averaged 31.2 points in 12 playoff contests that year, and having participated in ten years of playoffcompetition, scored 25.4 points per game.
After missing only 18 of a possible 738 regular season games his first nine years, Wilkins' durability took a serious blow when he suffered a season-ending tear of Achilles tendon midwaythrough the 1991-92 season. While it was unsure if he would return to his old high-flying self, Wilkinsresponded the next season by scoring 29.9 points per game to finish second only to Michael Jordanfor the league scoring title.
He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1983 and was named to seven All-NBA teams,nine consecutive All-Star squads and was a two-time winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Championship.
On November 6, 1992 against the New York Knicks, a patented baseline jumper led to Wilkinsbecoming the 17th person in league history to join the 20,000-point club, and later that season(February 2, 1993 against Seattle) he supplanted Pettit as the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Hisstellar career in Atlanta came to an end on February 2, 1994 when the Hawks traded him to the LosAngeles Clippers for Danny Manning. At the conclusion of the year, Wilkins decided to test the freeagent market and signed with the Boston Celtics.
Discouraged with his performance in 1994-95, which resulted in career lows in scoring and fieldgoal percentage, Wilkins joined Panathinaikos Athens of the Greek League the following season(1995-96). He was named MVP of the European Final Four after averaging 20.9 points and 7.0rebounds and leading the team to the European Men's Championship.
Seeking a return to the States, Wilkins signed a free agent contract with San Antonio and provided more than the Spurs possibly imagined, leading the David Robinson-less Spurs in scoringwith an 18.2 average and grabbing 6.4 rebounds.
He returned overseas for the 1997-98 campaign, signing with Italy's Teamsystem before rejoining the NBA for his final professional season (1998-99), as Wilkins saw action in 27 games forthe Orlando Magic.
Extremely active with local and national charity endeavors, Wilkins has done work with theJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Special Olympics, MuscularDystrophy Association and American Lung Association.
Wilkins, 46, was born on January 12, 1960 in Paris, France. He and his wife Robin have twoboys together, and he is also the proud parent of four daughters. He joined basketball’s immortalswith his entry into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this past September 8, was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on April 3, 2004, and into the Atlanta Sports Hall ofFame’s inaugural class on June 10, 2005.
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DOMINIQUE WILKINS, HALL OF FAME INDUCTION
September 8, 2006
NBA stars Joe Dumars (Detroit), Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta) and Charles Barkley (Philadelphia) were threeof six inducted into the 2006 class.
Wilkins delivers his speech as his presenter, Julius “Dr. J” Erving looks on, and visits patients atSpringfield Hospital with other Hall of Fame inductees.
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GARY FITZSIMMONS - VICE PRESIDENT / ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER
Gary Fitzsimmons is in his third season with the Hawks, and his first as VicePresident/Assistant General Manager. He assists Billy Knight in all facets of the day-to-daydirection of the basketball operations department, including salary cap analysis as well asall player transactions, both amateur and professional.
Associated with the game his entire life, Gary is the son of the late Hawks and PhoenixSuns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who passed away in July, 2004 from a lengthy illness.Gary has more than 26 years of experience in the NBA, and as a college player at SouthernIllinois University.
While a member of the SIU basketball team, Fitzsimmons was a teammate of formerHawks Mike Glenn and Joe C. Meriweather, and prior to his senior season, he joined thecoaching staff as an assistant and earned a degree in administration of justice.
Following his graduation in 1978, he began his tenure in the NBA as a scout with theKansas City Kings and one year later was named an assistant coach. After six seasons on thesidelines with Kansas City — where he served under his father's tutelage and coached thelikes of Otis Birdsong and Eddie Johnson, as well as current Hawks GM Billy Knight and headcoach Mike Woodson — Fitzsimmons joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach andchief scout in 1984 (his father was the Spurs head man for two seasons, 1984-86).
He worked in that capacity with the Spurs until 1986, when he assumed the position ofDirector of Player Personnel with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs reached the playoffs ineight of the 11 seasons Fitzsimmons spent in Ohio.
He has been associated with 16 playoff teams, including the 1980-81 Kings, who made it to the Western Conference Finals and the 1991-92 Cavaliers, who challenged theeventual World Champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Heavily involved in the drafting or draft night acquisition of many outstanding players intothe NBA, including point guards Terrell Brandon, Kevin Johnson, Mark Price and BrevinKnight, Fitzsimmons has also encouraged trades which have netted such players as BillyKnight (twice), Mike Woodson, current Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew, Tyrone Hill, LarryNance and Dan Majerle. As Golden State’s primary scout (collegiate, international and NBA) and resident salary cap expert/manager, he also organized the club’s annual summer league roster and preseason schedule. With the Warriors, he played an integral role in the acquisitions of Antawn Jamison, Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Gilbert Arenasand Mike Dunleavy.
A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, the 52-year-old enjoys traveling and following the St. Louis Cardinals. Fitzsimmons also enjoys spending time outdoors and is an avid runner.He has a son, Timothy Ryan (18), and a daughter, Kelley Lynne (16).
SCOTT WILKINSON - VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER /ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER, HAWKS
Recently promoted to Assistant General Manager/Basketball, Scott Wilkinson’s dutiesinclude, among other things, the negotiation and drafting of contracts for players, coachesand other staff; trade research; salary cap management; collective bargaining agreementissues; insurance/risk management; and scheduling of the club’s preseason games.
Wilkinson also maintains his responsibility as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, withoversight of all legal matters for the Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers, HTPA Holding Company,Atlanta Hawks Foundation and Atlanta Thrashers Foundation.
Prior to joining Atlanta Spirit, Wilkinson was Assistant General Counsel for Turner Sports,Inc., providing legal support to all Turner Sports properties, including the Hawks, Thrashers,Atlanta Braves, World Championship Wrestling and The Goodwill Games.
Before his tenure at Turner, Wilkinson practiced law with Moore & Van Allen in Durham, NC,and was also a founding member and sports agent for Buoniconti Sports Management Group,LLC. Prior to that, he was an Associate at Ginsburg, Feldman and Bress in Washington D.C.,and a Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps. Wilkinson recently retired from theU.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel following 20 years of service.
Wilkinson attended Duke University on a football scholarship and earned his A.B. degree,cum laude, in 1985. He earned his J.D. from Duke in 1988.
Wilkinson and his wife, Beth, have two children and reside in Atlanta. He serves as aboard member for the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the Atlanta Hawks Foundation andAtlanta Thrashers Foundation.
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Former NBA and Morehouse College guard Harold Ellis begins his fifth season asa scout for the Hawks, and second as the club’s minor league coordinator. Ellis focus-es on minor-league and college scouting. He previously was an assistant coach in2001-02 on the inaugural staff of the National Basketball Association DevelopmentLeague's Roanoke Dazzle.
A former pro player who has played in four leagues (the NBA, ContinentalBasketball Association, the U.S. Basketball League and Greece), Ellis is a 1992 grad-uate of Morehouse who spent three seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers(1993-94 and '94-95), where he was a teammate of Hawks legend and Hall of FamerDominique Wilkins, and Denver Nuggets (1997-98). The 6-5 guard-forward averaged5.8 points in his NBA career.
An outstanding NCAA Division II player who led the Maroon Tigers in scoring ineach of his four seasons (1988-92), Ellis became only the fifth player from a historical-ly black college or university (HBCU) to have his uniform number (#30) retired.Morehouse had a 90-30 record in Ellis' four years there.
This past summer, Ellis led the Rome (GA) Gladiators of the World BasketballAssociation (WBA) to their second consecutive league title. He earned Coach of theYear honors in the process for the second straight time, and has led the club to a 42-6mark over that span. Also the team’s General Manager, Ellis was recently named byProBasketballNews.com as the second-best coaching talent currently in the minors.Additionally, he has spent time coaching with Rockford (CBA) and Las Vegas (IBL).
Ellis, the son of educators, has a master's degree in sports management and admin-istration from the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. He is pursuing a Ph.D. insports psychology at San Diego University for Integrative Studies. He attendedFrederick Douglass High School in Atlanta.
The last three summers, Ellis has participated in the NBA's Basketball WithoutBorders Africa tour.
HAROLD ELLIS - MINOR LEAGUE COORDINATOR/SCOUT
MIKE MCNEIVE - DIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS
A 13-year NBA staff veteran, Mike McNeive begins his fourth season with the Hawks and first year as Director of Basketball Operations. His responsibilities includeoversight of the Hawks’ pro, college, minor league and international scouting.
McNeive has served as Director of Pro Personnel the last two seasons, after originally joining the franchise as an assistant coach during the 2003-04 campaign.
He worked the previous five seasons in Milwaukee, where he served as a scout/assistant.
During his stint, the Bucks reached the playoffs four times, punctuated by a CentralDivision championship and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.
Prior to that, McNeive was with the Seattle Sonics for four seasons as a video coordinator/advanced scout. Seattle recorded a 239-89 mark during that time, wonthree Pacific Division titles and advanced to the NBA Finals in 1996 after winning afranchise-record 64 games.
McNeive got his start in the NBA with the Orlando Magic, where he interned in thevideo scouting department in 1993-94, as the club reached the playoffs for the first timein franchise history.
A Freeport, Illinois native, McNeive received his undergraduate degree in PhysicalEducation in 1992 from Monmouth College (IL), where he was a four-year letterman inboth basketball and baseball for the Fighting Scots. In 1993, he received his MastersDegree in Sports Management and Administration from Georgia Southern University.
Mike and his wife Maggie have three children, Ryan, Ally and Danny.
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STEPHEN GILES - ADVANCE SCOUT
Twelve years as an NBA scout, third season with the Hawks • Also worked forGolden State, Denver and Orlando • Former collegiate assistant coach at Marquette,Florida State and Georgia Southern • With Marquette in 2003, coached Dwyane Wade,won Conference USA and reached Final Four • Graduate of University of North Carolina(1990), where he was a volunteer assistant • Master's degree in Sport Managementfrom Georgia Southern • Born January 17, 1968 in Dunn, NC.
TERRY KNIGHT - SCOUTBeginning his third season as a Hawks scout • Has five years of NBA scouting
experience, having also spent time with the Indiana Pacers • Played four years atUniversity of Pittsburgh • Second-team All-Conference as a senior • Drafted by Spursin sixth round of 1979 NBA Draft • Born September 21, 1956 in Pittsburgh, PA • Has ason and a daughter.
HERB LIVSEY - SCOUT
Longtime basketball veteran has worked 40-plus years in coaching, scouting andplayer development • A former Portland Trail Blazers scout • Coached at the highschool, community college and Division I college level • Also served as Director ofPlayer Development for the CBA • A graduate of Florida Southern College, and has amaster's degree from University of Nevada • Married with two sons and a daughter •Born August 24, 1936 in White Plains, NY.
MARK CROW - INTERNATIONAL SCOUT
Veteran international scout Mark Crow, based in Rimini, Italy, is in his sixth seasonas the Hawks’ primary overseas talent evaluator.
Prior to his stint with the Hawks, Crow worked in a similar capacity for the LosAngeles Clippers from 1993-2000.
Crow, a four-year letterman at Duke (1974-77), averaged 9.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg in 87career contests, and was voted to the school’s all-decade team for the ‘70’s. He wasselected in the sixth round of the 1977 NBA Draft by New Jersey, and played in 15games for the Nets that season.
In 1978, he began his European basketball career, which would take him to Italy,Portugal and Spain. He finished his 12-year playing career in Udine, Italy in 1988.
Crow moved into player management following his playing retirement, working withNBA and international player agent Herb Rudoy, scouting and recruiting for the firmthen known as I.B.C., now called Interperformances.
A graduate of Benedictine High School in Richmond, VA, where he was all-state inbasketball and football, Crow was a teammate of longtime NBA assistant coach JohnKuester (currently with Orlando).
The 52-year-old Crow speaks fluent Italian, as well as Spanish and Portuguese.He has a daughter, Erica, and a son, Jack.
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Luke SteeleVideo Coordinator
John BeckettAsst. VideoCoordinator
Zac WalshEquipmentCoordinator
Carole HardingExecutive Assistantto the Executive VP /GM and Manager ofBasketball Operations
Lalita HaynesScoutingCoordinator
Julie HoggPlayer RelationsCoordinator
RON MEIKLE - INTERNATIONAL SCOUT
Begins his second season with the Hawks • Has worked 19 years in the NBA,including nine with Cleveland, and eight with Golden State, including two as theWarriors' Director of Scouting • The 48-year-old is a former head coach at Scottsdale(AZ) Community College, and was a Division I college assistant for seven years • A graduate of Cameron (OK) University, where he was part of the 1980 NAIA nation-al championship team • Holds a Master’s degree from Sam Houston State • He and wifeMaureen have four children, McKenzie, Ryan, Brittany and Paulina • A native of DoorCounty, WI.
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MIKE WOODSON - HEAD COACH
On July 8, 2004, Mike Woodson became the Hawks’ tenth head coach since the franchise moved to the Atlanta area in 1968. After coaching Atlanta to a 13-69 record in hisinaugural season, Woodson and the Hawks doubled that total of victories in year two, winning 26 of their 82 contests.
With an overall mark of 39-125 (.238 winning percentage), Woodson hopes the upcoming 2006-07 campaign provides him with the best opportunity to succeed, as hecontinues to instill the values he learned as an assistant under of the league’s all-time greatcoaches – Larry Brown – working hard, putting the team first and dedicating themselves tobecoming the best players they can possibly be, as together they work to build a winningorganization, on-and-off the court.
“Woody” joined the Hawks after spending one year (2004-05) as the top assistant on Brown’s staff in Detroit, where they led the Pistons to the franchise’s third NBA championship, dismantling the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
The 48-year-old Woodson has two decades of NBA experience as a player and coach,and served three seasons as an assistant under Brown in both Philadelphia (2001-03) andDetroit. He also worked as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers (1999-01) and the Milwaukee Bucks (1996-99).
“As many assistant coaches around the league would tell you, we all strive to reach thislevel,” said Woodson, upon taking the Hawks job. “Becoming a head coach in the NBA hasbeen a goal of mine for many years and I’ve patiently waited for an opportunity like this one. I am very appreciative of the support I’ve received thus far from (Hawks GM) Billy (Knight) andthe new ownership group and while there’s a lot of work to do, I am in this for the long haul.
“Working with Coach Brown taught me a great deal about what is necessary to accomplish success in this league, and winning the championship was a tremendousachievement for all of us. I’m ecstatic about the challenge of bringing this program back toa competitive level. While understanding there’s a lot of work to do, it is not going to happen overnight, and if we can put the necessary pieces in place, we will build this product into a winning team for the fans of Atlanta.”
One of the chief architects behind the Pistons’ suffocating defensive effort during the2003-04 regular season and the playoffs, Detroit held the opposition to 84.3 points per gamethis past year, which equaled the league’s best total defensively (along with San Antonio).
In addition, the Pistons’ point differential of +5.84 was the second-best in the NBA andthey limited opponents to 41.4 field goal shooting, the league’s third-best performance.During their 23 postseason games, Detroit intensified their efforts defensively, holding teamsto 80.7 ppg and 39.2 FG shooting, and in the five-game Finals series against Los Angeles,the Pistons kept the Lakers more than 16 points under their regular season average andhounded them into shooting 41 percent from the floor.
The 11-year veteran and 6-5 guard played for seven teams in the NBA after he wasselected in the first round of the 1980 Draft by the New York Knicks with the 12th overallpick. In 786 career games, Woodson averaged 14.0 points (10,981 career points), 2.3rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25.5 minutes of action, enjoying his best campaign in 1982-83when he played for the then-Kansas City Kings and posted 18.2 points per game. Woodsonand Knight were teammates the following year and helped the Kings to a third-place finishin the Midwest Division (38-44) and a first round playoff berth against the LA Lakers.
In addition to the Knicks and Kings (both in Kansas City and Sacramento), Woodson alsoplayed with New Jersey, the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston and Cleveland, before retiringfrom the game in 1991. His teams advanced to the playoffs five times, where he averaged12.2 ppg, 2.6 apg and 2.3 rpg.
Drafted out of Indiana University, Woodson, in his junior season, helped lead theHoosiers to the 1979 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship with a 53-52 victory over conference foe Purdue and was named to the All-Tourney team.
During the summer of that year, he played for Bob Knight and captained the UnitedStates team that participated in the Pan Am Games, joining teammates Isiah Thomas andRay Tolbert in winning the gold medal.
A two-time All-American (1979 and 1980) and four-year letterman, Woodson suffered aherniated disk in his back after five games (and a No.1 ranking) into his senior campaignand had to undergo surgery. Upon losing Woodson, Indiana went 7-5 in the Big Ten, butonce he returned, IU finished the conference season at 6-0 and captured the Big Ten title.Despite the limited action, Woodson took home the league’s 1980 MVP award.
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MIKE WOODSON, CONT.
Larry Drew, who is entering his 24th year in the NBA as a player or assistant coach,joined the staff of the Atlanta Hawks on August 24, 2004. Since retiring from the game afterthe 1990-91 season, he has spent the last 13 years on the sidelines as a coach.
Before arriving in Atlanta, Drew was an assistant with the New Jersey Nets after spending the previous three seasons with the Washington Wizards in a similar capacity(2000-03). Prior to that, he re-joined one of the teams he previously played for, the DetroitPistons, as an assistant coach in 1999-2000. Drew returned to Detroit for the first time since
playing with the team as a NBA rookie with the Pistons in 1980-81. His coaching careerbegan in 1992-93 when he broke into the ranks with another of his former teams, the LosAngeles Lakers, whom he played for from 1989-91.
A 10-year pro, Drew averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists in 714 career games for fourNBA teams. After one season in Detroit, he played the next five years with the Kings, inKansas City and Sacramento (1981-86), and his final four in Los Angeles (1986-91), for theClippers and the Lakers. He was a teammate of Hawks head coach Mike Woodson and GM
Billy Knight in Kansas City (1983-84). Drew averaged 16.4 ppg, Woodson totaled 14.5ppg and Knight added 12.8. In addition, Drew was a member of Scavolini of the ItalianLeague in 1988-89.
A first round pick in the 1980 NBA Draft (17th overall selection), Drew participated in theplayoff four times in his career, scoring 3.1 points and dishing out 0.5 rebounds in 31 games.His most productive season as a player came during the 1982-83 campaign, when he averaged 20.1 ppg, 8.1 apg and 1.7 spg for Kansas City.
Born April 2, 1958 in Kansas City, Kansas, Drew played four seasons at the University ofMissouri, where he averaged 12.0 points and 2.8 rebounds and prepped at Wyandotte Highin Kansas City. During the summer, Drew runs the Larry Drew Advanced Guard Academy inLos Angeles.
Drew and his wife Sharon have three children, Larry, Landon and Lindsey. Larry Jr., a risingjunior at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, CA is one of the nation’s top-rated prep guards.
The fifth-leading scorer in IU history with 2,061 points, Woodson averaged 19.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 104 gameswith the Hoosiers. He graduated with a degree in physical education.
Woodson, born March 24, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana, attended Broad Ripple High in Indianapolis. He and his wife Terrihave two daughters, Alexis and Mariah. Both daughters are very talented volleyball players who are competing in their secondseasons on the varsity team at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, the five-time defending Georgia AAAA state champions.
Mike Woodson, Joe Johnson, Esteban Batista and Marvin Williams
LARRY DREW - ASSISTANT COACH
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HERB BROWN - ASSISTANT COACH
An experienced coaching veteran, Herb Brown brings 40-plus years of basketballknowledge and championship mettle to Atlanta as he begins his third season as an assistant on head coach Mike Woodson's staff. In 2003-04, Brown and Woodson helpedLarry Brown in coaching the Detroit Pistons to the NBA world championship in a surpris-ing upset of the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers.
A former head coach himself, Brown served as the head man of the Pistons from 1976-78 and led them to two playoff appearances in 1976 and 1977, the only back-to-backplayoff showing for Detroit prior to the Chuck Daly era that began in 1983. Brown's 1976squad was the only Pistons team to advance past the first round of the playoffs beforeDaly's arrival.
In addition to his stay in Detroit, his assistant coaching stops have taken him to sixother teams - the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, the2001 Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers. Healso served as a scout with the Milwaukee Bucks, Pacers, 76ers and Bulls, earning championship rings in 1992 and 1993. Brown also coached in the International BasketballLeague (IBL), Western Basketball Association (WBA) and Continental BasketballAssociation (CBA), where he won two division titles, made four trips to the playoffs andwas named Coach of the Year in the WBA and in the CBA with Puerto Rico in 1984.
Brown also has extensive international experience, leading Israel Sabras, a team consisting of former Boston Celtic head coach and player M.L. Carr, former Hawks and current UNLV head coach Lon Kruger and former UT-Chattanooga coach HenryDickenson, to the championship of the European Professional Basketball League in 1975.He coached in the Puerto Rico Professional Basketball League for 15 summers with his teams appearing in the playoffs each year and winning a CBA championship in 1984with Canovanas.
In 1972, Brown worked under the auspices of the U.S. State Department as a visitinghead coach with the Pakistanian National Team. He also coached in Spain for six seasons,taking his teams to the playoffs five times, and coached Team USA to a gold and twobronze medals in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, including a bronze last summer.
The six-time coach of the year is the author of three books, "Basketball's Box Office,""Preparing for Special Situations," and "Let's Talk Defense" by McGraw-Hill, along with numerous other articles that have been published in the United States, Europe andSouth America.
A 1957 graduate of the University of Vermont, Brown began his coaching career atC.W. Post as an assistant coach from 1960-64. His first head coaching experience was atSUNY Stony Brook from 1964-69, where in 1969, he was named Coach of the Year afterdirecting Stony Brook to the league and playoff championship.
Brown, a 2002 recipient of the Hank Greenberg Sportsmanship Award, was inductedinto the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Commack, NY this past April. Born March 14, 1936in Brooklyn, New York, he and his wife Sherri reside in Vinings, and have a total of fourkids and six grandchildren.
Coaching Staff (left to right): David Fizdale, Herb Brown, Greg Ballard, Mike Woodson, Larry Drew, Bob Bender
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BOB BENDER - ASSISTANT COACH
GREG BALLARD - ASSISTANT COACH / PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Entering his third season in Atlanta as an assistant coach following two seasons with thePhiladelphia 76ers is Bob Bender. Bender joined the 76ers staff in 2002 after 13 seasons asa college head coach and served as the Sixers' assistant coach/player development for the2002-03 season. He was promoted to assistant bench coach prior to 2003-04.
The 1996 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Bender guided the University of Washington to a 116-142 record during his nine-year tenure (1994-2001), a mark that ranks fourth all-time among Washington coaches for career victories. Bender directed the Huskies to fourconsecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1996 to 1999, a feat no other Washingtonhead coach previously accomplished.
His 1998 squad, which featured former Sixers center Todd MacCulloch, recorded a 20-10(.667) record, posting the school's finest winning percentage since 1985. Among their highlights that year was Washington's first 20-win season since 1987, their first NCAA tourney berth since 1986 and their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1984, falling in the finalsecond to UConn.
Bender began his head coaching career with a four-year tenure at Illinois State (1990-93)where he was 60-57, earning two Missouri Valley Conference championships, one conferencetournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 1990. He took home MVC Coach of theYear and Illinois Collegiate Coach of the Year honors in 1992, as the Redbirds posted an 18-11 record overall and a 14-4 mark in league play to share the regular season crown.
Prior to his stint at Illinois State, Bender was an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke(1983-89). The Blue Devils qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of Bender's six seasonson the staff, including four trips to the Final Four. While at Duke, Bender coached former BlueDevil and current Philadelphia GM Billy King and later worked with him at Illinois State.
The Duke graduate (history, 1980) has the distinction of being the only individual to playon two different teams in an NCAA Championship game. He was a freshman on Bob Knight'sundefeated 1976 Indiana team and played point guard at Duke from 1977-80, including anappearance in the 1978 title game against Kentucky. Bender was drafted by the San DiegoClippers in the sixth round before his senior year, but did not play.
Bender, born April 28, 1957 in Quantico, Virginia, and his wife, Alice have two children,Mary Elizabeth and Robert Michael III.
Former NBA forward Greg Ballard, who won a league title in 1978 with the WashingtonBullets, brings 12 years of assistant coaching experience to the bench with the Hawks, having joined Mike Woodson's staff prior to the 2004-05 campaign after nine years inMinnesota. He came to the Timberwolves from the Dallas Mavericks, where he also servedas an assistant coach. Ballard had worked as an assistant scout for Burghy Roma of theItalian League before returning to the NBA to serve on Quinn Buckner's staff in Dallas.
The fourth overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft out of the University of Oregon, Ballardplayed eight seasons with the Bullets before he was traded to Golden State in June 1985.He spent two years with the Warriors before heading to Italy to serve as an assistant coachon the 1989-90 Il Messagero Roma team, which featured former NBA players Danny Ferryand Brian Shaw. He recorded a career high average of 18.8 points a game in the 1981-82season with the Bullets, and totaled career numbers of 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 802games. Ballard enjoyed seven years of playoff competition, six seasons with Washington,averaging 7.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg. As a rookie, he was part of the 1977-78 NBA title team.
The 6-7 Ballard is a member of the University of Oregon Hall of Fame and was inductedinto the state of Oregon's Hall of Fame in August 1996. A native of Los Angeles, Ballard wasa highly regarded baseball prospect as a pitcher and was selected by the Montreal Expos inthe 15th round of the 1973 free-agent baseball draft.
In the summer of 2005, Ballard spent time in Treviso, Italy as part of the NBA’s BasketballWithout Borders, the league’s premier international basketball and community relations outreach program.
Born January 29, 1955, Ballard and his wife Donna, have three children, Lawrence,Gabrielle and Gregory Jr.
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In his tenth season with the Hawks, and beginning his third as Assistant Coach/PlayerPerformance, is Pete Radulovic. Prior to his promotion, he spent seven seasons as theteam’s Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Radulovic came to the Hawks from the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings,where he served two seasons as their Strength and Conditioning Coach (1995-97). Prior tohis stint with the Kings, he was a trainer with the United States Tennis Association, where heundertook training responsibilities at the various USTA tournament sites.
He is certified by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA) and National Strengthand Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Radulovic, who grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended Punahou High School, is a1989 graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he played volleyballas an undergraduate.
He earned his teaching certification at LMU in 1990, before joining the USTA staff.Radulovic served as a graduate assistant trainer with Loyola's sports teams during his final year there. He has also done training work at various Great Western Forum events,including team tennis and roller hockey.
Born October 3, 1966 in New York City, Radulovic and his wife, Maria, live in Atlanta.
Starting his third season with the Hawks as an assistant coach is David Fizdale, whocame to Atlanta from Golden State where he worked in a similar role. Prior to joiningthe Warriors, Fizdale was a college assistant for five seasons.
In 2002-03, Fizdale worked as an assistant coach at Fresno State University, wherehis responsibilities included working with coaching and player development and servingas the team's recruiting coordinator.
Prior to joining the Bulldogs staff, he spent the previous four years as an assistantcoach at his alma mater, the University of San Diego. During his final season coachingthe Toreros, he was the top assistant for coach Brad Holland. While at USD, he was in charge of scheduling, served as the recruiting coordinator, and worked in playerdevelopment and on-court coaching.
The 32-year-old Fizdale also spent the 1997-98 season as the assistant video coordinator for the Miami Heat prior to joining the coaching profession. A three-yearstarter at point guard while playing at San Diego, Fizdale was selected to the All-WestCoast Conference team after his senior year in 1996. He led the WCC in assists thatseason, with his seven assists per game average ranking ninth in the nation. Fizdaletwice took home the Bugelli Leadership Award and was named the team MVP anddefensive player of the year as a senior. He owns the school record for most assists ina season (195) and a career (465), and had the second-most assists in a game (13).He was also named the school's outstanding sportsman of the year as a senior.
Born on June 16, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, Fizdale earned a bachelor'sdegree in communications and a minor in sociology from San Diego in 1996.
DAVID FIZDALE - ASSISTANT COACH / PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
PETE RADULOVIC - ASSISTANT COACH / PLAYER PERFORMANCE
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Wally Blase begins his seventh season with the Atlanta Hawks as the team's HeadAthletic Trainer. He is responsible for the day-to-day health of the team, the evaluationand rehabilitation therapy of athletic injuries, and the supervision of the Hawks SportsMedicine staff.
Blase, 36, came to the Hawks organization in 2000 after four years as the assistantathletic trainer with the Chicago Bulls, during which he was part of two NBA championships. As the Bulls assistant, he was actively involved with assisting the headathletic trainer with all aspects of the team's medical needs, including the prevention,care, and rehabilitation of the athletes.
He is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and NationalStrength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and is a certified PerformanceEnhancement Specialist, through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
An active member of the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association (NBATA),Blase has served on the executive committee, as well as been the NBATA FoundationBoard of Trustees Vice President for the past four years. He also spearheads an annualproduct trade show for members, which raises thousands of dollars for the organization’sscholarship foundation. In 2005, the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA)named Blase the Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year.
A native of Niles, Illinois, Blase has done several internships in the athletic trainingdepartment of the NFL's Chicago Bears (the summers of 1994, '96 and '98). He also spenttime as the head athletic trainer with the Cincinnati Rockers arena football team (1993).Additionally, Blase served as the Athletic Trainer for the NBA’s Eastern Conference
All-Star team in 2003, when the game was held at Philips Arena.Blase spent three seasons as a student athletic trainer at Winona State University,
where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in sports medicine in 1992. In 1996, he earnedhis masters in sports psychology from Syracuse University while serving two years as agraduate assistant trainer.
Born June 4, 1970 in Niles, Illinois, Blase, his wife Kristine and daughter Audrey residein Smyrna.
WALLY BLASE - HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER
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SECONDARYNBA Cares is the league's global community outreach initiative thataddresses important social issues with an emphasis on programs thatsupport education, youth and family development, and health-relatedcauses. The NBA, its teams and players implement and execute programs that impact and inspire children and families worldwide.
NBA Cares also reaches more than two million players, coaches, parents and officials from around the world participating from 1,600recreational youth basketball leagues in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program,stressing the fundamentals of the game and the values of sports-manship, teamwork and leading an active, healthy and safe lifestyle.
Basketball without Borders, a basketball instructional camp for youngpeople that promotes friendship, healthy living and education with an
emphasis on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, features current and former NBA players andteam personnel as camp coaches. Since the inaugural camp in 2001, BWB has been held in eightcountries and territories on five continents and has featured more than 160 NBA players, coachesand team personnel from 30 different teams for the nearly 1,000 young athletes from more than 100 different countries and territories.
As the world’s greatest athletes, NBA players are dedicated to the community and committed togiving back in extraordinary ways. Through their foundations, camp efforts and philanthropic work,they make a difference for hundreds of non-profit and youth serving organizations.
The NBA also supports numerous causes and organizations that positively impact global communities. Make-A-Wish, UNICEF, KaBOOM!, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs ofAmerica, Hands On Network, Special Olympics, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and theWorld Food Programme are just a few of the organizations with which the NBA has a partnership.
Underground Railroad Freedom Center; and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS.
The Atlanta Hawks Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Georgia youth by inspiring them to develop a passion for learning and acommitment to physical fitness and recreation. By creating programs and forging partnerships with localagencies, the foundation continues to impact the lives ofGeorgia's young people.
Since its inception in 1988, the Hawks Foundationhas contributed millions of dollars in monetary and in-kind donations to non-profit organizations throughout Georgia.
NBA COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
HAWKS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
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Read to Achieve is the NBA’s year-round campaign to helpyoung people develop a lifelong love for reading andencourage adults to read regularly to children. Sponsoredlocally by Philips and Sprite, the Read to Achieve initiativehas touched thousands of local youth through the creationof eight Reading and Learning Centers and the Hawks All-Star Reading Team.
A component of the Read to Achieve initiative, the AtlantaHawks Fast Break for Reading program, encourages elementary school students to develop a love of reading. Foreach 25 books that students read, they receive a vouchergood for two free Hawks tickets. Literature is chosen from five categories: informational, biography, adventure, sportsand periodicals.
Motivating youth to earn good grades, stay in school and work hard is what the Atlanta Hawks Student Achiever program(presented by Philips Electronics and BrandSmart USA) is all about. The initiative rewards middle and high school studentswith a vouchers for Hawks tickets for achieving success in one of the following categories: 3.0 Club, Improving Grades,Perfect Attendance and Hustle.
The Hawks and Thrashers joined forces to create an exciting school assembly program which stresses the importanceof literacy to young people. This "pep rally for reading" features Hawks and Thrashers staff, dance team members andmascots! Participating schools receive 50 books for their library and students receive vouchers good for Hawks andThrashers games.
Joe Johnson and Josh Childress at a reading timeout at Imagine It!, the Children's Museum of Atlanta.
STUDENT ACHIEVER PROGRAM
ATLANTA HAWKS AND THRASHERS SCHOOL ASSEMBLY PROGRAM
EDUCATION
READ TO ACHIEVE FAST BREAK FOR READING
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Hosted by coach Mike Woodson on the Hawks practice court, theAtlanta Hawks offer a youth Coaches Clinics series throughout the season. During the clinics, various aspects of the game are coveredfrom passing, shooting and offensive and defensive strategies.
The Jr. Hawks is an initiative designed to enhance youth basketball pro-grams throughout the state and encourage kids to develop a love for thegame by providing introductory clinics that are fun and instructive. Clinicsare tailored to players' ages and skill levels. Members of the program alsoreceive merchandise such as Hawks jerseys and backpacks.
The Hawks Saturday Clinic Series helps ensure that young fans are notjust spectators — but active players in the game of basketball.Throughout the season, kids of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to learn fundamentals from former Hawks players whilepracticing on an official NBA court.
In memory of Hawks scout Gary Wortman, who passed away in 2000,the Atlanta Hawks Court Renovation program sponsored by The Home Depot builds or renovates basketball courts in underprivilegedneighborhoods throughout the Atlanta area each year.
The Atlanta Hawks have partnered with TEAM GA (Techniques forEffective Alcohol Management) and Anheuser-Busch to help educatefans about personal responsibility and the dangers of impaired driving.Individuals who sign-up at the Designated Driver Booth (located adjacent to Portal 11 on the main concourse of Philips Arena) receive a non-alcoholic drink coupon and have their name entered for a prize drawing.
As the holidays approach, Hawks players, coaches and front office staffparticipate in a number of charitable activities throughout the Atlantaarea. Annual efforts include toy drives, visits to local children's hospitalsand other holiday-themed service projects.
Marvin Williams at the Hawks' Thanksgivingevent at Philips Arena.
Salim Stoudamire at the Andrew & WalterYoung YMCA.
Josh Childress at a basketball camp.
YOUTH BASKETBALL
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
FOR INFORMATION ON ADDITIONAL HAWKS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, VISIT WWW.HAWKS.COM
