The Hawks officially announced their new athletic performance team on Friday. The group will consist of Director of Player Performance Keke Lyles, Head Athletic Trainer Art Horne, Director of Rehabilitation Mike Roncarati and Athletic Performance Coach Chris Chase. Assistant Athletic Trainer Scottie Parker remains from last season.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the hires of Lyles, Horne and Roncarati earlier this week.
“The health and well-being of our players are a critical component of our ability to succeed,” President of Basketball Operations/Head coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement. “Our Athletic Performance Team has a wealth of experience working with high-level athletes in injury prevention, treatment and development that will serve us well and keep us strong over the course of a long season.”
Lyles (first name pronounced kay-ksay) will be responsible for overseeing and directing the group, and developing personal health and performance plans for each player. He spent the past two years with the Warriors as Director of Athletic Performance/Assistant Coach. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Rehabilitation Science and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Northeastern University.
Horne was the Director of Sports Performance at Northeastern, with oversight of the development and care of all varsity student-athletes. He also served as the Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the men’s basketball team. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training and Physical Education with a teacher education certification from Canisius, and also holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University.
Roncarati was the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Warriors the last two seasons. He graduated from Northeastern University with a Doctor of Physical Therapy, working with the athletic training and strength and conditioning staffs of the school’s basketball and baseball teams.
Chase was most recently was an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Southern California. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from The University of Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in Strength and Conditioning from Springfield College.
Parker is in his second season with the Hawks. He previously worked for the Seahawks, where he was part of the training staff for the 2014 Super Bowl champions. He also has experience with the Trail Blazers. He graduated from University of Northwestern (St. Paul, MN) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Coaching. He earned his Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from California Baptist University.
The Hawks replace their athletic performance staff after Head Athletic Trainer Wally Blase and Director of Player Performance Pete Radulovic did not have their contracts renewed this summer. In addition, Strength and Conditioning Coach Jeff Watkinson left for an Assistant Coach position with the Jazz.
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