The Suns have officially announced the coaching staff that will work under new head coach Jordan Ott during his first year on the job. Most, but not all, of Phoenix’s new coaches were previously reported — now they’ve formally been hired.
Here’s the Suns’ new team of assistant coaches:
- Jesse Mermuys (story): A longtime NBA assistant who spent the past four seasons with the Magic and has also had stints with the Kings, Lakers, Raptors, Rockets, and Nuggets.
- DeMarre Carroll (story): A former NBA forward who transitioned to coaching following his retirement as a player and has worked for the Bucks, the Lakers, and – most recently – the Cavaliers since 2022.
- Brian Randle (story): A Wizards assistant last season who previously worked for the Pistons, Suns, and Timberwolves and had a professional playing career overseas.
- Chaisson Allen: A carryover from Mike Budenholzer‘s staff who previously served as the head coach of the Wisconsin Herd in the G League from 2021-23.
- John Little (story): A veteran G League assistant who was the head coach of the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s NBAGL affiliate, in 2024/25.
- Mike Muscala (story): A longtime NBA forward/center who retired as a player last summer and is taking on his first coaching job.
- Sean Dwyer: A college coach who spent the past four years as an assistant at Loyola University Chicago, including the 2024/25 season as the team’s associate head coach.
The Suns also officially confirmed that they’ve hired former NBA point guard Mateen Cleaves as a player development/leadership assistant, as previously reported.
Both Cleaves and Dwyer share an alma mater (Michigan State) with Ott and Suns team owner Mat Ishbia. General manager Brian Gregory also began his coaching career as a Spartans assistant from 1990-96 and later returned in the same role from 1999-2003, during which time he overlapped with Ishbia.
Tom Izzo’s legacy will never die.