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The great Gary Vitti retired with Kobe Bryant in 2016 after serving as the Lakers’ athletic coach for 32 years. Marco Nunez took over and Nina Hsieh replaced Nunez at the beginning of the 2019 season. Hsieh’s contract was not renewed and months of uncertainty ruled who the after the multitude of injuries that resulted in the Lakers underperforming last season next trainer will. Since Vitti, the Lakers’ training staff seem to be a revolving door.
Will Russell Westbrook play back to back? How about Anthony Davis and LeBron James? There are some of the many questions that the next trainer has to answer.
In Wednesday’s press release, the Lakers finally announced a new head coach for the upcoming season. Roger Sancho, formerly with the Golden State Warriors, has been named the new athletic head coach. Ed Streit has been promoted to Head of Strength and Conditioning.
According to the Lakers’ press release on the attitudes,
Sancho most recently spent seven seasons with the Golden State Warriors, including the last five as an assistant athletic coach. Sancho began his time with the Warriors in the 2014/15 season as the athletic head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors. A native of Sulfur Springs, Texas, he earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2012 and his master’s degree from Baylor in 2014.
Streit was appointed to his new role after having worked as an assistant coach for strength and stamina for the team since the 2019/20 season. Prior to joining Los Angeles, Streit spent the 2018-19 season as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Dayton’s Men’s Basketball and served in the same role at the University of Connecticut during the 2017-18 season. Streit also spent three and a half years with the Chicago Bulls with their strength and conditioning team.
Sancho and Streit will have their hands full as the Lakers kick off the season with the NBA’s oldest roster. With an average age of 30.7, the Lakers are currently the fifth oldest team in NBA history. Ironically, the median age of LeBron James last season with Miami became one of the senior cadres at 30.3. Hopefully Sancho and Streit can help keep team injuries to a minimum, as health will be the main factor if the Lakers are to take 18th place.
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