Prigioni hopes to help Nets get ‘the point’

Former guard, Tiago Splitter hired as Brooklyn staff additions

April 25, 2018 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni will now be in charge of helping the Nets develop their logjam of backcourt playmakers after being hired as an assistant on head coach Kenny Atkinson’s staff this week. AP Photo by Jason DeCrow

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Pablo Prigioni spent a few weeks in Sunset Park this past season, getting a feel for the Brooklyn Nets at their state-of-the-art Hospital for Special Surgery Training Center.

The former NBA point guard figures to be spending most of his time at the Industry City facility this summer as he and fellow South American Tiago Splitter were added to head coach Kenny Atkinson’s staff on Tuesday.

With a glut of developing talent at the point guard spot, the Nets are bringing in Prigioni to work closely with the likes of Jeremy Lin, D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Brooklyn’s own Isaiah Whitehead.

The 40-year-old Argentinian is no stranger to New York as he spent nearly three of his four full NBA seasons playing with the East River rival Knicks.

He got a firsthand look at the Nets’ backcourt logjam during Brooklyn’s recently completed 28-54 campaign as Atkinson, who knows Prigioni from his own days on the European pro circuit, brought him in to take a look at the players he would eventually be working with.

Prigioni, whose career spanned two decades and three continents, spent the majority of his time in Spain, helping Baskonia to three Spanish King’s Cup titles, four Spanish Supercup crowns and a Spanish League championship.

He also won a bronze medal as a member of the Argentinian national team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, as well as playing professionally in his native country.

The NBA’s oldest rookie ever at the age of 35, Prigioni came to the Knicks in 2012 and helped New York win a playoff series in 2013, the franchise’s last to date.

His familiarity with the point guard position made him a natural fit as a coaching assistant in Brooklyn, where the Nets rely heavily on the ball-handling, distribution and sharp-shooting of what Atkinson often refers to as the “quarterback” of his team.

“Obviously we’re really big with player development here,” noted LeVert. “And you can see that with the guys on the team. You know how everybody’s developed. And they do it in a really positive way, a really fun way.

“And obviously Kenny’s a really good coach,” he added. “So going forward we can’t wait to continue to get better and continue to get better with that theme and see where it takes us.”

With Lin slated to return to full duty after suffering a devastating knee injury on Opening Night of last season, and Russell finding his groove down the stretch after missing two months with a knee ailment of his own, Prigioni will have ample opportunity to mold Brooklyn’s backcourt tandem during the offseason.

Splitter, a protégé of Nets general manager Sean Marks, will be a pro scout, with added duties related to player on-court development.

The 33 year old recently retired NBA veteran, who spent five seasons with Marks in San Antonio, including the Spurs’ last championship year in 2014, is a native of Brazil. He also spent part of his playing career alongside Prigioni at Baskonia.

As a member of the Brazilian national team, Splitter won gold medals in the FIBA AmeriCup, the Pan American Games and the South American Championships.

The Nets have not yet announced whether they would be removing any of their current coaches or scouts to make room for Prigioni and Splitter.

Marks, who just finished his second full season at the helm here in Brooklyn after taking over duties from former general manager Billy King at the tail end of the 2014-15 campaign, believes the Nets are on course for another step up in 2018-19 after making an eight-game improvement this past season.

“When I look back and I look at the job Kenny has done, I say look at our players that have improved over the course of the last two years,” Marks said earlier this month.

“If you want to call some of them diamonds in the rough or so forth, but I don’t think we can argue with what Kenny and the staff have done in terms of developing talent.”

* * *

Coming off a big series win over Northeast Conference rival Central Connecticut State last weekend, the LIU Brooklyn baseball team was hoping to ride that momentum into Tuesday’s non-league showdown at Iona.

Instead, the Blackbirds suffered an 8-6 loss to the Gaels in New Rochelle, N.Y., dropping to 20-17 overall this season, including a 10-10 mark opponents outside of the NEC.

Senior Andrew Turner, who delivered the game-winning two-run double in Sunday’s 3-1 triumph over CCSU at LIU Field, drove in a pair of runs and junior Joe Mercadante also had two RBIs for the Blackbirds, who were slated to visit St. John’s on Wednesday afternoon.

LIU starter Anthony Rupp was roughed up for seven runs – four earned – and six hits, while walking four and striking out two over 4 1/3 innings.

Despite the defeat, the Blackbirds remained in third place in the NEC standings, two games in front of CCSU, which currently holds the fourth and final postseason spot for next month’s NEC Tournament.