Sacramento Kings Coach Paul Westphal Hires Staff

New Kings head coach Paul Westphal has taken the next step as coach by hiring the rest of his coaching staff.

On Monday, the team announced that Mario Elie, Jim Eyen, and Leonard “Truck” Robinson had joined Westphal's staff.

Elie has been an assistant in Dallas, Golden State, and San Antonio. He was also interviewed for the Kings' head coaching position two years ago before the job went to Reggie Theus.

"He was one of the first guys that I targeted," Westphal said to the Sacramento Bee. "He's going to really help us with his defensive intensity."

Eyen has 18 years of coaching experience in the league, mostly under Mike Dunleavy. He has been an assistant to Dunleavy on four different occasions, spending the last six years with him on the Clippers' bench.

Robinson spent last year as a scout for Washington, but has no NBA coaching experience. He was also a teammate of Westphal's in Phoenix and New York during their playing days.

The fact that Westphal hired at least one person he is very comfortable with is probably a good thing.

It was also announced that 78-year-old Kings fixture Pete Carill has been retained. Carill is the architect of the “Princeton offense” that many teams run variations of in the league, including the Kings for the last several years.

Westphal was happy to keep Caril around, noting, "He'll be around quite a bit. He won't travel to all the games, but he'll be a presence at practice, home games, and meetings."

As Westphal returns to the ranks of head coach in the NBA, it would seem that he now has a solid staff and support system at his side.