LSSU announces staff additions for 2010-11
SAULT STE. MARIE – Former Chicago Bulls scout and video coordinator Christopher Thomas has been named assistant men’s basketball coach, LSSU Director of Athletic Kris Dunbar announced today.
Thomas replaced Trevor Hinshaw, who worked with LSSU head coach Steve Hettinga for one season. Other recent staff changes within the LSSU Department of Athletics include the hiring of former volunteer strength and conditioning coach Anthony Delli-Pizzi on a contractual basis, the addition of Jason Brenton as an assistant track and field coach and Lorrie Chaperon as an assistant softball coach, and the return of former student Scott McLay A.T.C. as the athletic trainer/equipment manager for Laker Hockey.
Thomas, a native of Kettering, Ohio, is a 2003 graduate of the University of Dayton. He was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh-Johnstown from 2003-05 and director of basketball operations at Miami University from 2005-07. He spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
“I was prepared to sit out a year. But when I heard about the opening up here, I sent my stuff in right away. He got me so excited about the program he helped build, and that got me excited about coming to Lake Superior State,” said Thomas in reference to Hettinga’s success with Laker Men’s Basketball. “When I experienced it for myself, I was sold. You could fee his passion for the game…Our personalities meshed well.”
Thomas’ varied responsibilities with the Bulls included preparing scouting reports on opposing teams, aiding the coaching staff with guard and post player development workouts and creating a video playbook.
“Chris has a lot of knowledge of different levels of basketball,” Hettinga said. “He’s had the chance to work with an NBA team and see over 200 games in a year. He’s got a lot of different ideas. There was a lot he was privy to.”
Thomas, whose goal is to become a head coach, said he is most looking forward to being on the court with players on a daily basis. He hopes his credentials bolster LSSU’s recruiting efforts and add even more credibility to Hettinga’s program.
“I was telling my mom that it doesn’t matter if I’m in Chicago or Arizona, I’m in a 70-degree gym all winter,” Thomas said.
His analogy when comparing the NBA to Division II college basketball is comparing chess to checkers.
“They are pretty much played on the same board, but they are two completely different games,” Thomas said. “In the NBA, you build on what you’ve already been taught. The foundation has already been set…And a huge difference is the shot clock…In the NBA, you need guys who can make plays in five seconds and make shots under duress. There’s no time for a continuity offense. Here, there’s a little more time to work on some things.”
Thomas said he won’t miss boarding airplanes seven days a week.
“I am most excited about being with this team every day,” he added. “I’ve learned so much from my past experiences, but there’s something about being with the guys and the coaching staff, and bonding with the team. That’s the ultimate in happiness for me.”
Delli-Pizzi, Brenton, Chaperon and McLay
Delli-Pizzi officially joined the LSSU staff as a strength and conditioning coach for men’s and women’s basketball, and hockey in September, 2010, after serving in a volunteer capacity during the 2009-10 season.
Delli-Pizzi is a certified USA Weightlifting sports performance coach, and National Strength and Conditioning Association specialist. He earned a B.A. in information technology from The City University of New York and a M.S. in exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation from Brooklyn College. Prior joining the LSSU coaching staff, Delli-Pizzi served in a similar capacity at Wayne State from 2007-09, was an intern at Michigan State in 2006-07, and worked as a personal trainer from 2004-06.
Brenton, a three-time NCAA Division II All-American, was named LSSU’s assistant track and field coach in August, 2010. Brenton’s responsibilities include jumps, throws and pole vault. The Grand Junction, Colo., native won six Rockey Mountain Athletic Conference titles while competing for Western State (Colo.) College. He scored 30 individual points at the 2009 RMAC Outdoor Championships, winning the triple jump, placing second in the pole vault, third in the javelin, fourth in the high jump and seventh in the long jump. He is ranked fourth all-time at WSC in the outdoor triple jump and fifth indoors.
Brenton was a volunteer assistant coach at Mesa State College prior to his arrival at LSSU. He is also a mixed martial artist and is 6-0 as a professional. He appeared on the 2010 Spike TV series, “The Ultimate Fighter.” He replaced former LSSU assistants Scott Carhoun and Gregg Schmidt.
Former Laker second baseman Lorrie Chaperon is serving as a student assistant coach in 2010-11 while completing her student teaching requirements. Chaperon, a Howell, Mich., native, is a transfer from Glenville State and played three seasons at LSSU.
McLay (LSSU ’02) took over for Lake Superior State hockey’s long-time athletic trainer and equipment manager Rick Mick. After earning an MBA in sports management from Webber International in 2004, the Kitchener, Ont., native worked for various teams and events as a certified athletic trainer. He spent the previous three seasons with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the East Coast Hockey League and Select Physical Therapy in Las Vegas, Nev. McLay will also serve as LSSU’s athletic trainer for softball and golf.
