Suns reportedly hire Arizona native as assistant coach, also add former MSU star Cleaves
The Phoenix Suns have reportedly agreed to hire Jesse Mermuys as a top assistant and former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves as well.
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The Phoenix Suns have reportedly made two coaching staff hires, adding Arizona native Jesse Mermuys as a top assistant coach and player development guru Mateen Cleaves, who has a long history with owner Mat Ishbia.
Mermuys, whose hiring was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, is a Tucson native who was with the Orlando Magic working under head coach Jamahl Mosley.
Cleaves is a former Michigan State star point guard who will work as a development staffer, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
Cleaves, the 2000 Final Four Most Outstanding player, was teammates with Ishbia on the Spartans during their title run and has been employed as a leadership development coach for the Suns owner’s mortgage loan company, United Wholesale Mortgage.
Cleaves was the 14th pick in the 2000 draft and played for Detroit (2000-01), Sacramento (2001-03), Cleveland (2004) and the Seattle Supersonics (2004-06).
Mermuys was on an Orlando staff that from 2021-23 included assistant coach Nate Tibbetts, who is in his second season as the Phoenix Mercury head coach. Former Arizona player Bret Brielmaier has also been on Mosley’s staff since 2021.
Mermuys attended and later coached at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, as well as Pima Community College as an assistant. He became director of basketball operations for the Arizona Wildcats from 2006-08, which bridged the end of Lute Olson’s tenure and included work under interim coach Kevin O’Neill.
Mermuys’ first NBA gig was as a video coordinator for the Denver Nuggets in 2008 (that staff included UA graduate and current Wildcat assistant Jack Murphy). He remained there until 2013-14, when he joined the Houston Rockets as an assistant.
Mermuys was part of the Raptors’ staff the next season and in 2015-16 was general manager and head coach of Toronto’s G League team, Raptors 905.
Before joining the Magic, he spent time as an assistant under head coach Luke Walton, the former Arizona player. They worked together on the Kings in 2019-20 and the Lakers from 2016-19.
Mermuys has led three Summer League teams as a head coach for Toronto (2014, 2015) and Orlando (2022).
How is the Phoenix Suns’ coaching staff filling out around Jordan Ott?
The Suns have already named DeMarre Carroll to Ott’s staff, and he will lead Phoenix in the Summer League that starts Friday.
Phoenix was reportedly connected to former Lakers head coach and current Bucks assistant Darvin Ham for their top spot before landing Mermuys.
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Comments
15 Comments
Highly regarded? Huh. He is not in prison because people idolize athletes. Kind of like you.
Hey, at least they didn’t draft Jase Richardson.
His lawyer says he's a good guy and was doing the right thing by not letting a naked woman leave his motel room before she put on clothes. Guess that's all we need to know.
"Cleaves attorney Frank J. Manley released a statement saying that Cleaves was doing the right thing by pulling a naked woman back into the hotel room and allowed her to leave when fully dressed."