Sacramento Kings promote Rico Hines to assistant coach and director of player development
The Kings announced a series of updates to their basketball operations department Tuesday as they prepare for the start of the NBA season, including the promotion of renowned player development coach Rico Hines.
Hines was promoted to director of player development/assistant coach. Jesse Green was promoted to head of sports science, Miguel Lopez was promoted to equipment manager and Jas Randhawa joined the staff as senior performance and reconditioning coach.
Hines joined Kings coach Luke Walton’s staff in 2019 after three seasons as an assistant coach with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate. Hines previously served as a player development assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors from 2006-10 and assistant coach at St. John’s from 2010-15.
Hines played at UCLA from 1997-2002. He was part of four Sweet 16 teams and served as team captain for his final three seasons.
Hines has nearly 15 year of college and professional coaching experience and a strong reputation for his work in player development. He works with numerous college and pro players during the offseason. His private runs at UCLA attract some of the NBA’s biggest stars and top college prospects.
“Rico has been a valued member of the coaching staff and I am pleased to have him lead player development,” Walton said in a news release. “His ability to forge relationships of trust with the players combined with his proven track record of developmental success will continue to be a great complement to the team.”
Randhawa comes to the Kings’ health and performance staff with extensive experience implementing high-performance programs for professional and emerging elite athletes. The team said Randhawa recently served as lead performance therapist at ALTIS, a global leader in the provision of education for sport performance, where he focused on performance therapy for professional athletes and oversaw all return-to-competition strategies.
“I am excited to welcome Jas to the health and performance team. His experience and expertise in developing and reconditioning elite athletes will be a great asset,” Kings Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Teena Murray said. “Jesse is a rising star. He has been invaluable in leading the development and integration of data systems for the past two seasons. Miguel is not only beloved by the entire team; he brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to making those around him better, which is integral to the day-to-day operation of the department.”
Green has led sports science integration efforts for the Kings since joining the organization prior to the 2018-19 season. He previously worked for Louisville and the Brisbane Lions Australian Rules Football Club Academy.
Lopez has served as the Kings’ assistant equipment manager for 15 years, supporting all day-to-day operations of the equipment room and locker room, and ordering and maintaining all non-medical team equipment and supplies.
