Paul Mokeski
Paul Mokeski (born January 3, 1957) is an American former basketball player and coach who is the commissioner of The Basketball League (TBL). Prior to becoming an TBL executive, Mokeski was head coach of the Nevada Desert Dogs in North American Premier Basketball (NAPB). Standing 7 ft 0 in,[1] he played the center position. He was a college basketball player out of Crespi Carmelite High School and the University of Kansas, most noted for his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks.[2][3]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 1957 Spokane, Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crespi Carmelite (Encino, California) |
| College | Kansas (1975–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42nd overall |
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | |
| Playing career | 1979–1993 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 54, 53, 44, 45 |
| Coaching career | 1994–2018 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1979–1980 | Houston Rockets |
| 1980–1982 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1982 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1983–1989 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1989–1990 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1991 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1992–1993 | Quad City Thunder |
| As coach: | |
| 1994–1995 | Hartford Hellcats |
| 1996 | Connecticut Skyhawks |
| 2003–2004 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| 2007–2009 | Charlotte Bobcats (assistant) |
| 2009–2011 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (assistant) |
| 2011–2013 | Reno Bighorns |
| 2013–2014 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (assistant) |
| 2014–2015 | Brampton A's (assistant) |
| 2016–2017 | Moncton Miracles |
| 2017–2018 | Nevada Desert Dogs |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,764 (4.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,342 (3.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 500 (0.7 apg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Coaching career
Mokeski was an assistant coach with the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA D-League.[4] In June 2007, he was hired by the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant coach under Sam Vincent.[4] He was let go at the end of the 2007-08 season, when Vincent was fired.
Mokeski was later hired as an assistant coach with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.[5] In September 2011, he became the head coach of the Reno Bighorns.[6] In March 2013, he was relieved of his head coaching duties.[7] He returned to the Vipers for one season before heading north to coach in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). In 2016, he was hired as the head coach of the Moncton Miracles, a team that was then being operated by the league. In 2017, the Miracles folded to make way for a new NBL Canada team called the Moncton Magic. NBL Canada commissioner, David Magley, then left the league to become president of a new league called North American Premier Basketball and announced that Mokeski would be one of the inaugural coaches when the league launched in 2018.[8]
On August 16, 2018, Mokeski was named the commissioner of The Basketball League (TBL) for the 2019 season.[9]
References
- Paul Mokeski. espn.com
- Paul Mokeski. legendsofbasketball.com
- Paul Mokeski. basketball-reference.com
- Ex-NBA center Mokeski hired as Bobcats assistant June 13, 2007
- Reno Bighorns Hire Paul Mokeski As New Head Coach
- Jason Glover Named Interim Head Coach
- "KU notebook: Ex-Jayhawk David Magley leaves Canada pro league for new venture in U.S." The Kansas City Star. July 2, 2017.
- "Mesquite (Nevada) Desert Dogs coming back for 2019". Mesquite Local News. August 17, 2018.