Long Island Nets Name J.R. Holden as General Manager and Ronnie Burrell as Head Coach
September 15, 2022 – NBA G League (G League) – Long Island Nets News Release
LONG ISLAND (Sept. 15, 2022) – The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have named J.R. Holden as general manager and Ronnie Burrell as head coach. The team has also named Matt MacDonald as assistant general manager.
“J.R., Ronnie and Matt bring extensive experience to Long Island, and we’re thrilled to have them lead the Long Island Nets,” said Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “They have all grown tremendously as individuals during their time in the Nets organization and have shown what it takes to identify and develop promising players throughout their careers. We look forward to seeing how they’ll shape the next generation of prospects that play on Long Island.”
Holden becomes the third general manager in team history after spending the past three seasons as director of pro personnel for the Brooklyn Nets. He originally joined the Nets after spending the 2018-19 season as a scout with the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to his stint with the Sixers, Holden spent four years with the Detroit Pistons as an international and college scout (2014-16), and the franchise’s director of international scouting (2016-18). The Pittsburgh native played 13 professional seasons overseas (1998-2011), including nine years (2002-11) with CSKA Moscow, where he was part of nine straight Russian League championship teams. Holden also appeared in eight straight EuroLeague Final Fours, winning two titles, and was named to the EuroLeague’s 2001-10 All-Decade Team. The Bucknell University alumnus became a Russian citizen in 2003 and helped lead Russia to the FIBA EuroBasket 2007 championship.
Burrell becomes the sixth head coach in team history and rejoins the Nets organization after spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with Long Island and the 2018-19 season as a player development and video assistant with Brooklyn. Most recently, Burrell spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks in the NBA G League and the previous season as a player development coordinator with the Chicago Bulls. Prior to joining the Nets in 2018, Burrell worked as a graduate assistant with the men’s basketball team at Florida Atlantic University while earning his Master of Business Administration. The Montclair, N.J., native previously played 11 professional seasons (2005-2016) in France, Germany and Poland after a four-year collegiate playing career (2001-05) at UNC Greensboro.
MacDonald becomes the third assistant general manager in team history after spending the last two seasons as scouting operations coordinator for the Brooklyn Nets. He originally joined the Nets during the 2018-19 season as a basketball operations assistant. Prior to beginning his professional career, MacDonald played two collegiate seasons (2013-15) at Fairleigh Dickinson before transferring to University of Pennsylvania, where he was named team captain for his final two seasons (2016-18).
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