The Ten Man Team behind Nets Head Coach Jordi Fernández

There's no “I” in team and that certainly rings true for the Brooklyn Nets, who hold one of the largest coaching staffs in the NBA.

Among the group supporting head coach Jordi Fernández are NBA alumni, former overseas professionals and coaches with years of experience in the basketball world. Let's meet them.

Steve Hetzel

Steve Hetzel is far from new in the NBA world, having spent over 20 years across eight teams in the league and G League. Beginning his career as an Assistant Video Coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs, Hetzel went on to be an Assistant Coach for the Cavaliers, Pistons, Hornets, and Magic before landing with the Nets in 2024. He was also the head coach of the Canton Charge from 2013 to 2014.

Juwan Howard

A part of the legendary "Fab Five" University of Michigan recruiting class of 1991, Juwan Howard finished a 19-year career playing in the NBA before returning to coach. He played with eight different teams from 1994 to 2013, of which the longest duration was seven seasons with the Washington Bullets (Wizards now) who drafted him as the No. 5 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. 

Howard coached for the Miami Heat from the end of his career in 2013 to 2019 then returned to his alma mater as head coach of the men's basketball team from 2019-2024 before joining the Nets in 2024.

Jay Hernandez

After spending three professional seasons overseas in Puerto Rico, Jay Hernandez returned to New York as an assistant coach for the Nets in 2023. Hernandez grew up in Long Island and played one season for the University of New Hampshire before finishing his career at Hofstra University. 

He joined the Orlando Magic as a Player Development Coach in 2014 and soon became an assistant coach two years later. He also spent five years as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-2023 and was promoted to head coach of the Greensboro Swarm during the shortened 2020-21 G League season in Florida.

Dutch Gaitley

Dutch Gaitley started his NBA coaching career with the San Antonio Spurs as a video intern, turned assistant video coordinator, turned head video coordinator across the 2013-2018 seasons. He then transitioned to assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-2022 then the Sacramento Kings from 2022 to 2024. 

Gaitley played college basketball at Monmouth University and Temple University and served as a video coordinator at both Temple and Lehigh University.

Deividas Dulkys

Bringing his ten years of professional basketball experience to the table, Deividas Dulkys joined the Nets as an assistant coach in 2024. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the Memphis Hustle and the Sacramento Kings. 

Following his career at Florida State University, Dulkys went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft before signing professional contracts in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Turkey, Italy and Spain.

Ryan Forehan-Kelly

Ryan Forehan-Kelly played at and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley before starting his international career in 2005. He played in France before playing two seasons in the G League with the Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2008. 

Forehan-Kelly continued competing overseas in Japan, China, Venezuela and Italy until 2015. The Long Island Nets hired him as an assistant coach in 2017 where he then advanced to a player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 and was hired as an assistant coach for the Nets shortly after in 2020.

Connor Griffin

Attending Gonzaga University as a walk-on, Connor Griffin went on to play both basketball and football at the University of Washington before finishing his college basketball career at Vanguard University in 2018. 

Griffin served as an assistant video coordinator turned head video coordinator under the Denver Nuggets from 2021 to 2024. The Nets hired him as an assistant coach in 2024 and he also assists alongside Jordi Fernández for the Canadian Men's National Team.

Corey Vinson

Corey Vinson played college basketball at the University of New Orleans and served as a team manager and grad assistant at Louisiana State University. He joined the Phoenix Suns staff in 2020 as an assistant video coordinator and later became a player development coach after two years. Vinson has been an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets since 2023.

Travis Bader

During his career at Oakland University, Travis Bader set the all-time NCAA record with 504 3-pointers made, finishing in 2014. Although he went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, he joined both the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers during that year's Summer League. 

Bader later competed in the G League with Houston's Rio Grande Valley Vipers and San Antonio's Austin Spurs while also playing professionally in France, Lithuania, Italy, Greece and Spain. He worked as a Video Coordinator for the Nets in 2020 before advancing to assistant coach in 2024.

Geoffrey Staton

Geoffrey Staton was hired by the Brooklyn Nets as the head athletic trainer in 2024. He held the same position at the University of Kentucky with the men's basketball team for five years prior. He also served at High Point University, University of North Carolina, and the University of South Florida before joining the Phoenix Suns as an assistant athletic trainer in 2018.

April 2026 marked a major vote of confidence towards the franchise's current rebuilding, as the front office extended contracts for Fernández and his coaching staff as a whole. General Manager Sean Marks praised the group during a team press conference.

"The energy and passion the entire staff relentlessly pour into our players reverberates throughout the organization, and we are excited to have this group continue to lead our franchise into the future," he said according to NetsDaily.

With the help of this experienced and diverse coaching staff, the Brooklyn Nets now enter another offseason looking to continue refining their rebuild and developing success. 

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