23-05-2025
'Hold players accountable': Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney on Suns' coach radar
Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney has learned from Jason Kidd, is from Saint Paul, Minnesota and stands on business.
Described by league sources as someone who has an unrivaled work ethic, Sweeney is one of several candidates for the Phoenix Suns head coaching vacancy.
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'He is a winner that will hold players accountable,' one league source said about Sweeney.
League sources confirmed to The Arizona Republic this week the Suns list of head coaching candidates: Cleveland Cavaliers assistants Jordan Ott and Johnnie Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, New Orleans assistant James Borrego, Suns assistant David Fizdale and Sweeney.
Sweeney joined the Mavs staff as an assistant in 2021 to mark the third time he's coached under Kidd. His first NBA job was as a video coordinator for the New Jersey Nets (2011-13).
He was then moved up to assistant in 2013 when Kidd landed his first NBA head coaching job with the Brooklyn Nets. Kidd spent one season with the Nets before going to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade.
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Sweeney followed him to Milwaukee, where he served as an assistant under Kidd for his four seasons there. The Bucks fired Kidd during the 2017-18 season.
Sweeney continued his coaching career in Detroit under Dwane Casey from 2018-21. He and Kidd reunited with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021.
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney and guard Luka Doncic speak during the game vs. the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center, Nov. 18, 2022 in Dallas.
The Mavs reached the Western Conference finals in the 2021-22 season. They later reached the 2024 NBA Finals.
Dallas had superstar Luka Doncic for those deep playoff runs.
League sources added that Sweeney is a 'great leader' who has tremendous command.
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney calls out in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, Nov. 3, 2023 in Denver.
Sweeney completed his fourth season with the Mavs. This could be his last if he lands the head coaching job in Phoenix.
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Before coaching in the NBA, Sweeney was a video coordinator on the collegiate level at Northern Iowa. He was the director of basketball operations at the University of Evansville.
Sweeney served as an assistant at Anoka Ramsey Community College in Cambridge, Minnesota, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Sweeney also played college basketball, spending one season at Wisconsin-Green Bay before transferring to University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, where he was a three-year starter and earned all-conference honors as a senior in 2005-06.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Hold players accountable': Mavs assistant on Suns' head coach radar
