Winning Spirit Magazine May - June CO NM 2018 | Page 16

UTAH
A Season
of Change
Salt Lake City Stars Work to Impress
As the Salt Lake City Stars looked to build on
the foundation of their first season in Utah,
change became the theme for 2017–18.
During the summer, the organization acquired
a new team president, head coach, coaching and
training staff as well as a brand-new squad.
Jonathan Rinehart, a 12-year veteran of the
Jazz public relations staff, was named president
of the Stars. New head coach Martin Schiller
and his staff worked to build a culture focused
on player development and saw the team’s
performance improve dramatically over the
course of the season.
The creation of NBA two-way contracts
allowed the Jazz to carry two additional players
on their roster who split time between the Jazz
and Stars, further strengthening the two teams’
bond. Georges Niang, who joined the Stars midseason
as a two-way player, led the team with
19.7 points and 6.7 rebounds and was named to
the All-NBA G League First Team.
Off the court, the team continued making an
impact in the community via basketball clinics,
book club discussions with fifth grade students
during Black History Month, and collecting
more than 860 canned food items for KidsEat!
to help stock their pantry. The second annual
Teddy Bear Toss gathered 432 teddy bears for
Child Protective Services of West Jordan.
Despite the team’s 16-34 record, the
organization increased its home attendance
at Bruin Arena on the Salt Lake Community
College campus, averaging 2,276 fans at its 24
home games, a boost of more than 500 people
over their inaugural season.
“I’m really proud of the progress we made
in our second year in Salt Lake,” said Rinehart.
“We have a tremendous staff of dedicated folks
who work very hard. I feel very good with the
direction we are headed as a franchise both on
and off the court.” ◆
“I’m really proud of the
progress we made in our
second year in Salt Lake.”
Jonathan Rinehart
President, Salt Lake City Stars
Jonathan Rinehart, Salt Lake City Stars President
14 LHM Winning Spirit May/June 2018