Vipers Announce 2022-23 Basketball Operations Staff
November 2, 2022 – NBA G League (G League) – Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
EDINBURG, Texas – The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the NBA G League Affiliate of the Houston Rockets, announced today their new and returning basketball operations staff members for the 2022-23 season.
Returning to their roles will be Travis Stockbridge (General Manager), Evan Harville (Assistant Coach), Craig Skinner (Head Athletic Trainer), Christian Vasquez (Strength and Conditioning Coach) and Benjamin Gonzalez (Equipment Manager).
Joining newly hired Head Coach, Kevin Burleson, will be Jai Steadman as Assistant Coach. Steadman returns to the Vipers after being with the team from 2009-12. He was part of the Vipers first-ever championship team in 2010. That same year he served as an assistant coach for the 2010 NBA D-League All-Star Game and the NBA D-League Select team during the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
In February 2021, Steadman was named interim head coach of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Men’s Basketball Team after being an assistant coach for seven years. In Steadman’s first game as interim head coach, UTRGV broke the program record for steals (27). The team also scored 64 points in the second half making it the fifth-highest single-game total in program history. He began his role as an assistant coach at UTRGV in 2014.
From 2013-2014 he served as head coach of the Westwind Preparatory Academy in Arizona. During the 2012-13 campaign Stedman was the assistant coach at Bellevue University. Steadman was an assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette from 2007-09. Prior to that, he served as an assistant coach with the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA D-League from 2006-2007.
During the 2005-2006 campaign Steadman was part of the North Texas staff. From 2004-05 he served as an assistant coach at McNeese State. Steadman spent time as the head coach of Rander Cimbria in Denmark and then as an assistant coach with the Michigan Mayhem of the Continental Basketball Association.
After working for three seasons as an assistant coach at Tyler Junior College, Steadman was an assistant coach at Texas Christian University from 2002-03. Steadman began his coaching career as an administrative assistant in 1992 and continued in the position until 1997.
Also joining the Vipers as Basketball Operations Interns are Alex Dellett, Kevin Butty, Mire Chatman, Isaiah Torres and former Vipers player Touré Murry.
The Vipers tip-off the 2022-23 season on the road on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 6:00 p.m. against the Mexico City Capitanes at Mexico City Arena. The team returns to its home court on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. against the Birmingham Squadron at Bert Ogden Arena. The night will consist of a ring ceremony for the reigning NBA G League Champions. Fans in attendance will receive a championship replica ring, while supplies last. To purchase tickets, visit www.rgvipers.com.
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