12:21pm: The Cavaliers have made it official, announcing the hiring of Gottlieb in a press release.
“I am excited to have a coach with Lindsay’s experience as a part of the new coaching staff with the Cavaliers,” Beilein said in a statement. “Lindsay truly values and embraces player development and a culture of winning basketball habits. Her success at Cal Berkeley speaks for itself and her insight in our meetings, practices and games will hold tremendous value.”
12:09pm: The Cavaliers are hiring Lindsay Gottlieb, the head coach of the University of California women’s basketball team, as an assistant coach on John Beilein‘s new staff, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Gottlieb, who took over as the head coach of the women’s program at Cal in 2011 after coaching at UC Santa Barbara for three seasons, had a 179-89 (.668) record over eight seasons with the Golden Bears. She led the team to seven NCAA Tournament appearances during that stretch, including a spot in the Final Four in 2013.
While Gottlieb won’t be the first woman who joins an NBA team’s staff as an assistant coach, her hiring still represents a landmark appointment for the NBA, as Wojnarowski explains. She’ll become the first women’s collegiate head coach recruited to join an NBA staff.
Sources tell Wojnarowski that Gottlieb will sign a four-year contract and is expected to take on a prominent role on the Cavaliers’ bench alongside Beilein and new lead assistant J.B. Bickerstaff.
According to Woj, GM Koby Altman had been interested in pursuing a high-level women’s college coach and brought the idea to Beilein. The former Michigan coach became determined to recruit Gottlieb after meeting with her and discussing the ways she could impact an NBA coaching staff, per Woj’s sources.
Among these female coach hirings… I like that Gottlieb has experience in chair 1. I think a college HC is a better source than ex-WNBAers. I saw her team and have a picture. Figuratively. I think it could work if the day comes…