The College Park Skyhawks, the G League affiliate of the Hawks, announced the hiring of a new general manager and head coach Friday.
Daniel Starkman, who is beginning his ninth season with the Hawks franchise, has been named general manager and former British Basketball League coach of the year Ryan Schmidt will take over head coaching duties. Starkman and Schmidt are the third general manager and coach in the history of the Hawks’ G League affiliate and Schmidt will also serve as an assistant coach for the Hawks under coach Quin Snyder.
Starkman, who takes over for former Skyhawks general manager Tori Miller, has worked as the senior manager of basketball operations for the Hawks for the past four seasons and wrapped his eighth season overall with the team.
“I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity and for the organization’s belief in me. I’m eager to start this journey of helping build the Skyhawks into a team that reflects this organization’s emphasis on player development,” Starkman said in a statement provided by the team.
Schmidt spent the past season as head coach of the London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL). The 39-year-old was named coach of the year after guiding the Lions to a 32-4 record. He originally joined the Lions in 2021-22 in a player development capacity before becoming head coach.
He also spent four seasons (2017-21) as an assistant coach for Raptors 905, the NBA G League affiliate of the Raptors.
“Ryan is a terrific young coach with a well-deserved reputation for player development,” Snyder said in a statement. “His previous coaching experiences, both in the G League and internationally, have prepared him to contribute in a variety of ways to the Hawks - in addition to his head coaching role in College Park.”
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