Sampson Completes Coaching Staff
5/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 1, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson announced the hiring of Rob Senderoff as assistant coach, Jerry Green as director of basketball operations and Indiana alumnus Jeff Watkinson as the team's strength and conditioning coordinator on May 1. The trio joins assistant coaches and Indiana natives Ray McCallum (Muncie, Ind.) and Jeff Meyer (Reynolds, Ind.) on the Hoosier staff.
Sampson sees Senderoff, Green and Watkinson as valuable additions to the Indiana men's basketball program, and he expects each will gel immediately with the staff, fans and future IU student-athletes.
"I am really thrilled to have Rob, Jerry and Jeff as part of our staff," Sampson said. "When you combine them with coach McCallum and coach Meyer, our staff is as good as any team in the country."
Most recently, Senderoff spent four years as an assistant coach with Kent State University, where he helped the Golden Flashes to four-straight 20-win seasons and four consecutive postseason appearances, including the 2006 NCAA Tournament. One of the nation's most noted recruiters, Senderoff helped lead Kent State to four consecutive postseason appearances during his tenure on the Golden Flashes men's basketball staff. While with the Golden Flashes, Senderoff worked primarily with the post players, including 2004 Mid-American Conference (MAC) First Team and MAC Defensive Player of the Year, John Edwards, who currently plays with the Atlanta Hawks. Additionally, he also coached eventual All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers at Kent State, and current NBA players Wally Szczerbiak and Ira Newble at Miami (Ohio), among others.
Senderoff also has stints as an assistant coach at four other schools, including Towson University (2001-02), Yale University (1999-2001), Fordham University (1997-99) and Miami (Ohio) University (1995-97). In all, Senderoff has a combined 14 years of coaching experience at the Division I level.
A native of Spring Valley, N.Y., Senderoff earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Albany in 1995 and a master's in sports studies from Miami in 1997. He is married to the former Lauren Edelstein, and the couple has one daughter, Samantha Brooke (2).
"It is a great opportunity to work under a future hall of fame coach in coach Sampson, as well as one of the best, if not the best basketball programs in the country," Senderoff said. "Everything has been great. I have been on the road doing a lot of recruiting, trying to get out there and spread the message about Indiana basketball. I am really excited to be at Indiana and looking forward to being a part of this staff."
Sampson sees Senderoff as one of the up and coming coaches in the nation.
"When I took the position, I wanted to hire a young guy who had great energy and impeccable character, but someone who also knew this area," Sampson said. "Between coach McCallum and coach Meyer, we are going to do a great job recruiting Indiana, but I also wanted someone who could help us in Michigan, Ohio and those areas. I asked people who they think is a great young guy in this area and the name I kept hearing was Rob Senderoff. He coached under a good friend of mine (Jim Christian) at Kent State. I think Rob is going to be a great addition to our staff. He's young, energetic and really good with people. He is going to be an outstanding head coach one of these days."
Meanwhile, Green is already familiar with Sampson, having spent the 2005-06 campaign in the same role at Oklahoma. He brings 19 years of head coaching experience and nearly 30 years of coaching collegiate basketball to IU, including five NCAA Tournament appearances. Green boasts a long list of success as a head coach at the Division I level, compiling over 300 wins and making five NCAA Tournament appearances as a head coach. Following a four-year hiatus from 2001-05, Green became Oklahoma's director of basketball operations last season where he helped the Sooners to a 20-9 record and berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 Director of Basketball Operations Jerry Green.  |
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Prior to joining Sampson and the Sooners, Green spent four seasons the head coach at Tennessee from 1997-2001. While there, Green led the Volunteers to four NCAA Tournament appearances, compiling an 89-36 record. Green won at least 20 games in each of his four seasons. Furthermore, Green's teams led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in graduation rate, graduating nine of his 10 players. Green earned national Coach of the Year laurels by CBSSportsline.com and earned NABC District VII Coach of the Year honors in 2000, as well as being named as a finalist for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coach of the Year award that same year.
Prior to his stint at Tennessee, Green spent five seasons as the head coach at Oregon (1992-97), where he amassed a 72-70 mark. The Ducks posted winning records in each of Green's last three seasons and went 52-33 during the span. He led Oregon to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 34 years during the 1994-95 season, and its first national ranking since 1977.
Green spent four years as an assistant coach at Kansas (1988-92) under Roy Williams, where he helped the Jayhawks to a 103-30 record and to the 1991 national title game. Additionally, he spent 12 seasons at UNC Asheville, three as an assistant coach (1976-79) and his last 10 as head coach (1979-88). Green helped guide Asheville through two major changes in the last three years of his tenure. The Bulldogs made the move up from the NAIA level to the ranks of Division II, and then became a Division I program for Green's final two seasons. His teams posted a combined 150-108 record.
A native of Greenville, S.C., Green and his wife, Nancy, have a son, Travis (30).
"It's been great at Oklahoma but now to be a part of Indiana University, with its tradition of success, I am so excited and looking forward to working with these young men," Green said. "I am really excited to be here working alongside Coach Sampson. I learned a great deal how Coach Sampson operates from working with him last year at Oklahoma. To move up here after working with him a year, I feel much more comfortable and have the ultimate amount of confidence in him in the things he is doing both on and off the court."
Sampson is excited to have someone of Green's stature and experience as part of the Hoosier regime.
"Jerry was with me at Oklahoma and someone I have known for years. The thing I love about Jerry is his maturity and his common sense approach to life. He enjoys helping young people. He is going to be responsible for a lot of different areas and I couldn't think of a better person in the country to have in that position. He is a great friend and I trust him implicitly."
Watkinson returns to IU after spending five seasons at Missouri as the director of strength and conditioning for the men's basketball team. The Chicago, Ill., native obtained his master's degree in 1996 and began work on a doctorate before leaving IU for an assistant strength and conditioning position at the College of Charleston (1996-97). He also made stops at Clemson University (1999-2001) and University of Charlotte (1997-99). Watkinson specializes in strength training, athletic development, conditioning and nutritional guidance.
 Strength and Conditioning Coach Jeff Watkinson. |
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Watkinson began his college studies in 1989 at Kishwaukee College in Illinois, where he was a member of the baseball team while earning an associate's degree in pre-medicine. His efforts there proved worthwhile, as he received a baseball scholarship to North Carolina State University. He played two years with the Wolfpack baseball team (1991-1993) and graduated with a pre-medicine degree in 1993. From there, Watkinson enrolled at Indiana University to study exercise science. Watkinson obtained certification with the National Strength and Conditioning Association during his stint at IU.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for coach Sampson and his abilities to run a basketball program," Watkinson said. "I am confident that I will be a great fit with his coaching philosophies. As an IU graduate, it is truly exciting to return to Bloomington and be a part of Indiana basketball."
Sampson feels Watkinson is someone who can immediately develop relationships, while having success with the student-athletes.
"When looking for a strength coach, you want to seek someone who is knowledgeable in that area and someone who can develop strong relationships," Sampson said. "I wanted someone that could relate to our kids in the weight room and on the court, but also someone who could relate to the student-athletes away from the weight room and off the court - someone who would take a special interest in these kids' lives. I think we hit a grandslam with Jeff. I'm just thrilled with the relationships he has built with these kids and the area he is responsible for, our kids will be as prepared as anybody."