Former Alabama, Georgia and Oregon assistant coach Yasir Rosemond was hired to fill the third and final assistant coaching spot on new Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s staff.
Rosemond has not been on a Division I staff since 2019 when then Alabama coach Avery Johnson was fired and Nate Oats was hired as his replacement. Rosemond was not retained to be part of Oats’ staff.
Rosemond spent two years on Johnson’s staff, and the Crimson Tide reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18. Prior to that, Rosemond spent three years on staff at Georgia under Mark Fox, helping the 2014-15 team to the NCAA Tournament. Before Georgia, he coached at Samford under former Indiana assistant Bennie Seltzer from 2012-14 and under Cameron Dollar at Seattle during the 2010-11 season. He was on staff at Oregon under Ernie Kent from 2005-10, helping the Ducks to the Elite Eight in 2007.
Rosemond was named but not charged in the 2019 federal trial stemming from an FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. He was one of several assistant coaches alleged to have met with agent Christian Dawkins, FBI informant Marty Blazer and FBI undercover agents in a Las Vegas hotel room in July of 2017 according to testimony by Blazer.
Blazer said Rosemond and other assistants who were deemed not close enough to any NBA caliber prospects were not given money. Other assistant coaches were given illicit payments to lure recruits to their schools on the promise that they would send players with professional aspirations to Dawkins’ agency. Four assistant coaches — Chuck Person of Auburn, Emanuel “Book” Richardson of Arizona, Tony Bland of Southern California and Lamont Evans of Oklahoma State – pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy charges as a result of the investigation.
Former assistant coach Mike Roberts will be retained on Woodson’s staff, as will Benny Sander, Brian Walsh and Clif Marshall.
Below is more on Rosemond’s background and the new staff, via a release from IU Athletics.
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Via Indiana University Athletics:
Indiana University men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson has announced that Yasir Rosemond, who brings 14 years of experience as a collegiate coach, has been named an assistant coach with the Hoosiers.
He spent two seasons at Alabama as a member of Avery Johnson’s staff and coached first round draft picks Collin Sexton who currently plays with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being selected with the 8th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and Kira Lewis Jr. who was the 13th pick in the 2020 draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. He also coached SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Herbert Jones in each of his first two seasons at Alabama and John Petty Jr. and Alex Reese in their first two seasons at Alabama.
“I’m excited to finalize our coaching staff with the addition of Yasir,” said Woodson. “He brings a great deal of experience at schools like Alabama, Georgia and Oregon and has been a big contributor to their success and worked with and recruited a number of young men who were able to develop and take their game to the next level.”
In addition, Woodson has announced that Benny Sander has been promoted to Director of Basketball Operations, Brian Walsh will be the new Team and Recruitment Coordinator and Mike Roberts will become the Assistant AD for Basketball Administration. Director of Athletic Performance Clif Marshall will also remain on staff. Marshall, Sander and Walsh will begin their fifth year at IU, while Roberts will enter his third season.
“These men all will play valuable roles in the success of the program and the more I have gotten to know them it becomes more evident that they have great passion for our young men and I can’t wait to continue to work with them on a daily basis,” noted Woodson.
Rosemond joined the Crimson Tide after spending three seasons at Georgia (2014-17). The Atlanta, Ga., native also held coaching positions at Oregon, helping the Ducks reach the 2007 Elite 8, Samford and Seattle University during his 13-year coaching career.
While at Oregon, Rosemond coached three future NBA draft picks, including All-American Aaron Brooks (26th overall pick in 2007 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets), Maarty Leunen (54th overall pick in 2008 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets) and Malik Hairston (48th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns).
Furthermore, Rosemond also coached former standout Tajuan Porter, who holds the University of Oregon and PAC-12 record for three-pointers made in a single-season (110) and for a career (345). Porter, the 2007 PAC-10 Tournament MVP, currently ranks eighth in school history for career field goals made (584) and ninth in career steals (103).
Prior to his three years at Georgia, Rosemond worked at Samford from 2012-14 under former IU assistant coach Bennie Seltzer, after spending the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at Seattle University under head coach Cameron Dollar.
Rosemond, a graduate of the University of Oregon, made his mark on the collegiate basketball landscape during his five seasons (2005-10) at his alma mater under head coach Ernie Kent. The first two of those years he was Director of Basketball Operations, the latter three serving as an assistant coach.
While on the Ducks’ coaching staff, Rosemond helped assemble a top-25 recruiting class in 2008 and also coached Brooks, a 2007 All-American and 10-year NBA veteran currently with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Before joining the staff at Oregon, Rosemond coached as an assistant for two seasons at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla., in 2003-04 and 2004-05. He helped the Cougars advance to the NJCAA championship game during 2004. In his two seasons at Redlands, Rosemond coached three junior college All-America performers – Taj Gray, Brandon Polk and Sylvester Mayes.
As a player, Rosemond was a standout guard at Douglass High School in Atlanta. Highlights of his prep career include earning All-State honors each of final three seasons. He helped lead the Astros to the semifinals of the 1993 Class 4A state tournament.
Rosemond then played at No. 1-ranked Okaloosa-Walton Junior College in Florida for one season during 1995-96 and also attended Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he redshirted during the 1996-97 campaign. While there, he was teammates with future NBA standout Stephen Jackson.
Rosemond moved on to Oregon for two seasons, where he played in 58 career games for the Ducks. He was honored as the recipient of the team’s John Warren Award in 1999, which is given to the most inspirational player on the Oregon basketball team.
Rosemond then enjoyed a four-season professional career in Brazil, playing for teams in Sao Paulo, Mogi das Cruzes and Hebraica while also working on his degree.
After he retired from professional basketball, Rosemond returned to Eugene and completed the final class (calculus) required to receive his bachelor’s in sociology from Oregon in 2003.
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