Stars Name Scott Morrison as Head Coach, Marquis Newman as General Manager
October 12, 2022 – NBA G League (G League) – Salt Lake City Stars News Release
SALT LAKE CITY – The Salt Lake City Stars announced today the new appointments of Scott Morrison as the team’s head coach and Marquis Newman as the general manager of the official NBA G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz among its basketball operations staff for the 2022-23 season.
Morrison, a former Boston Celtics assistant coach, served as the head coach of the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League last season. Morrison becomes the Stars’ fourth head coach since the team relocated to Salt Lake City in 2016.
Newman served as the Stars’ assistant general manager last season. He enters his ninth season as part of the Jazz organization and also holds the role of Jazz director of scouting. A native of New Orleans, La., Newman locally attended Cyprus High School as a two-sport athlete in football and basketball, and then graduated from the University of Utah. As Stars GM, Newman succeeds Bart Taylor who is now Jazz vice president of player personnel.
“Marquis is someone who has been with our club for several years and has grown immensely in every role due to his work ethic, basketball acumen and commitment to the team. It’s a testament to the importance of internal growth within our organization,” said Jazz general manager Justin Zanik. “He has a tremendous eye for talent, and we have the utmost confidence in his ability to locate the kind of players the Jazz want to bring in and develop. We are thrilled to have Marquis take on this new role.”
Morrison served as an assistant coach with the Celtics from 2017-21 under Brad Stevens. Previously, he was head coach of the Celtics’ NBA G League affiliate the Maine Red Claws from 2014-17, leading Maine to a 35-15 record and winning the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award in his first season. A native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, Morrison originally joined the Celtics organization as a player development coach for the Red Claws in 2013.
“This is an exciting time for the Stars and our organization as a whole,” Zanik said. “Scott is a terrific basketball mind with an outstanding track record of player development and someone who understands the importance of establishing culture. He is a perfect fit for what we are trying to accomplish with our G League program.”
Joining Morrison’s staff for the 2022-23 Stars season are assistant coaches Thomas Jackson, Lowell Egan and Lawrence “Trend” Blackledge.
Jackson comes to the Stars after spending the last two seasons as the assistant coach at the University of Evansville. The East Lansing, Mich., native also has three years of G League coaching experience having previously served as an assistant coach with the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns in 2019-20 as well as the Red Claws in 2018-19 and Erie BayHawks in 2017-18. Jackson played professionally in Europe for 12 seasons following an outstanding college career at Butler University where he left as the school’s all-time leader in assists and steals and was inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Egan will begin his sixth season as an assistant coach for the Salt Lake City Stars and 10th season overall with the Stars organization dating back to its days in Idaho. Egan’s professional experience also includes a stint at Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, where he served as head coach of its prep team and director of summer camps in 2012-13.
Blackledge joins the Stars following a two-year stint as an assistant coach for McKendree University men’s basketball team in Lebanon, Ill. Blackledge previously served as assistant coach at Adams University in Alamosa, Colo., and one season at Southwestern Illinois Community College in Belleville, Ill. The Carbondale, Ill., native played two years at Marquette University before enjoying a nine-year international playing career.
Rounding out the coaching staff are new additions Isaiah Swann as assistant coach/player development associate and Doug Compton as assistant coach/video coordinator.
Swann comes to the Stars following a 10-year professional playing career internationally. The Germantown, Md., native also played four years at Florida State University. Compton, a Lawrence, Kan., native, played collegiately at Texas Wesleyan University.
Additional basketball staff include Pete Clark as director of basketball operations, Juan Torres as director of sports performance, La’Donna Bonner as head athletic trainer, Denzel Stovall as strength and conditioning coach, and Chris Simonsen as equipment manager.
Clark begins his second season with the Stars and his first as director of basketball operations, having worked as the team’s video coordinator in 2021-22. Torres enters his sixth season as the director of sports performance for the Stars, while Bonner begins her second as head athletic trainer. Stovall joins the Stars after serving as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at North Carolina A&T. Simonsen starts his first season as Stars equipment manager after serving as the visiting clubhouse manager for the Salt Lake Bees for more than three seasons.
The NBA G League Draft will be held on Oct. 22. The Stars will begin training camp on Oct. 24. The Stars will play their first game in the NBA G League Showcase Cup on Nov. 6 at the G League Ignite in Henderson, Nev.
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