Will Voigt

William Voigt (born August 18, 1976) is an American basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the Angola national basketball team[1] and the German club team Telekom Baskets Bonn. He led the Nigerian team to its first ever AfroBasket title in August 2015, where they defeated Angola in the finals to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.[2]

Will Voigt
Telekom Baskets Bonn
PositionHead coach
LeagueBasketball Bundesliga
Personal information
BornAugust 18, 1976
Cabot, Vermont
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High schoolCabot (Cabot, Vermont)
CollegePomona
Coaching career1998–present
Career history
As coach:
1998–1999Los Angeles Clippers (intern)
1999–2001San Antonio Spurs (video coord.)
2001–2002Texas (assistant)
2002–2003Metro State (assistant)
2003–2006Ulriken Elite
2006–2009Vermont Frost Heaves
2009–2014Bakersfield Jam
2014–2015Shanxi Brave Dragons (assistant)
2015–2016Nigeria
2017–presentAngola
2020–presentTelekom Baskets Bonn

Early life

Voigt grew up in Cabot, Vermont and attended Cabot High School, where he played varsity basketball and soccer. He attended Pomona College in California, lettering in soccer, and graduating with a degree in political science.[3]

Coaching career

During college, Voigt landed an internship with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. After graduation, he became a video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs, and a year later entered the college coaching ranks taking on an assistant role with Texas under Rick Barnes. Voigt moved on to Division II powerhouse Metro State as an assistant for Mike Dunlap.

Voigt's first head coaching job came in Norway, taking over Ulriken Elite where he stayed from 2003 to 2006. When Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff decided to purchase an ABA franchise, the Vermont Frost Heaves, he put the naming of the head coach to a vote by the fans. The Vermont native Voigt was selected.[4] In the first two seasons of the franchise's existence, Voigt led the Frost Heaves to back-to-back ABA Championships.

In 2009, Voigt, in similar fashion, was selected by the fans to be the head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.[5] Voigt led the Jam to three playoff appearances, before leaving the team in 2014.

Heading back abroad, Voigt spent one season as an assistant coach for the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. Voigt was then selected to lead the Nigerian national team at AfroBasket 2015, with Nigeria winning its first title, and automatic qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In November 2017, Voigt signed a three-year deal with the Angolan Basketball Federation as head coach of the Angola national basketball team.[6] In the same year, he visited the Philippines as consultant to a team in the Philippine Basketball Association.[7] On February 2020, he was also named head coach of German Bundesliga side Telekom Baskets Bonn.[8]

Personal life

Voigt's mother, Ellen Bryant Voigt is the former Poet Laureate of the state of Vermont. He married his wife in 2009, and they were divorced in 2018. They had two children, a boy and a girl.

See also

References
  1. "NBBF hires Will Voigt to lead D'Tigers to Afrobasket and All African Games; may lead team to Rio 2016 Olympic Games". Basketball. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  2. "Nigeria defeats Angola to win first-ever FIBA African Championship title in historic Afrobasket 2015 finals". Basketball. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  3. http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070211/FEATURES/702110313&template=printart
  4. "We Bought a Team: From writer to ABA owner: My improbable saga with the Vermont Frost Heaves".
  5. "Bakersfield Jam Names Will Voigt Head Coach". 31 July 2009.
  6. "Basketball: US coach takes over Angolan basketball team". ANGOP – Angolan News Agency. 12 Nov 2017. Retrieved 14 Nov 2017.
  7. https://tv5.espn.com/basketball/story/_/id/28500141/angola-coach-focused-mighty-sports-rule-future-gilas-stint
  8. "Will Voigt ist der neue Baskets-Cheftrainer". www.telekom-baskets-bonn.de. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
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