The Hawks announced their newest additions, as well as promotions to their basketball operations department Friday.
They promoted former Skyhawks general manager Daniel Starkman to vice president of player personnel and Jay Rodriguez to pro personnel coordinator. They hired Miles Simon and Bubba Burrage as pro scouts, as well as Nick Restifo as director of basketball research.
As previously reported, the team hired Ben Peterson as vice president, player health and performance. It also added Ryan Donahue as head of medical and Ryan Brooks as performance physical therapist.
The Hawks promoted Paddy Hogben to head of performance and John Dusel to head athletic trainer.
Starkman is in his 10th season with the team. Before serving as the general manager of the Skyhawks, the Florida alum served as senior manager of basketball operations for four seasons with the Hawks. He started with the team as a seasonal assistant in 2015 before he moved up the ranks in the basketball operations department, including manager of basketball operations, manager of basketball information/scouting coordinator and coordinator of basketball operations.
Rodriguez enters his second season with the team as a front office/basketball operations assistant. TA graduate of Boston College, he holds degrees in communication,philosophy and sociology, as well as an MBA.
Simon comes to the Hawks from the Suns, where he served as an assistant. Prior to that he worked as a coach at Arizona, as well as with the Lakers and as the head coach of the South Bay Lakers, the team’s G League. The Magic drafted Simon with the 42nd overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft and played with them for one season. He then spent two seasons with the Dakota Wizards of the CBA.
Burrage also comes to the Hawks from the Suns and has 28 years of NBA scouting and coaching experience. He spent 11 years in Phoenix, including five years as director of scouting from 2017-22. He began his career as a video coordinator with the Kings before they promoted him to advance scout. He later served as an assistant coach. He earned journalism degree from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.
Restifo come to Atlanta after four years with the Knicks, where he served as manager of coaching analytics. He spent four years with the Timberwolves, including as senior basketball operations analyst. He with a Bachelor’s Degree in marketing from Connecticut, as well as a Master’s from Central Connecticut State University in data mining.
Donahue joins the Hawks after spending the last nine seasons, where he served as director of reconditioning in San Francisco with the 49ers. The Andover, Massachusetts, native served as a physical therapist at the Andrews Institute for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine before joining the 49ers in 2015. He holds a degree in Exercise Science from Connecticut and earned a doctorate in physical therapy from Northeastern University, where he served as assistant director of strength and conditioning for its sports performance department.
Brooks previously served as the director of rehabilitation for Rutgers football for one season. In 2022-23, he completed a fellowship with Duke athletics. He worked primarily with football, men’s basketball and Olympic sport athletes. He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from North Carolina before gaining a Master’s (in exercise physiology). He also holds a doctorate in physical therapy from North Carolina.
Hogben joined the Hawks last season as the team’s strength and conditioning coach after spending the prior three years as lead athletic development coach with the Geelong Football Club in Australian rules football. He also has experience with P3 Peak Performance Project as well as in professional rugby in England as strength and conditioning coach with several teams. A native of England, he graduated from the University of Bath with a degree in sports and exercise science. He also holds a Master’s from the University of Bedfordshire.
Dusel enters his seventh season with the Hawks. He most recently served as the team’s interim head athletic trainer after being promoted from assistant athletic trainer. He worked as an assistant athletic trainer for the Warriors, after joining the team as a sports-performance intern in 2016. He holds a Bachelor’s in athletic training from University of New England and a Master’s from East Tennessee State University in sports science and coach education.
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