THREE FORMER SKYFORCE PLAYERS RETURN AS COACHES TO HELP DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION

In professional sports, it is rare for athletes and coaches to live in one area for a long period of time. Especially in a place like the NBA G League, where one year you live on the East Coast and the next you live in the Midwest. Even when you are stationed in Sioux Falls playing for the Skyforce, there are late night flights to Miami or getting call-ups from another organization. 

While it is rare for athletes and coaches to find a home, it sometimes works out, and when it does it is truly special. 

This is the case for the Sioux Falls Skyforce coaching staff, but what makes it special is the Force have three coaches on staff that used to play with the team and they have returned to call Sioux Falls home. 

Head coach Kasib Powell is in his sixth season with the Skyforce and second as Head Coach. Powell played with the Force in 2007-2009 playing 60 games and averaging 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He is best remembered for winning the G League MVP trophy, only one of two players in Skyforce history to do so.

Powell recognizes that it is unique to return to a city where he once played and finds solace in that.

“It’s very special,” Powell said. “It makes everything easier. The whole process is easier when you know the community, the staff, the people working for the Skyforce and the Heat. It just makes my transition easier. It is good to see familiar faces around. It helps with confidence working with people you actually know and have been around for a while. It helps out with everything.” 

Powell has turned into the face of basketball in the Sioux Falls area, not just for his playing days and being the coach of the Skyforce, but also for founding South Dakota Network Basketball. 

While he has found extreme success in his basketball career in Sioux Falls, during his first stint with the team, he never envisioned himself coming back. 

“I never thought I’d come back,” Powell said. “Never. That’s the crazy thing about it. Being where I’m at, playing in Sioux Falls years back, I never envisioned being here, coaching these guys, and having my own basketball academy. I’m actually very fortunate I landed back in Sioux Falls and consider it home now.” 

Powell found his way back to Sioux Falls and found extreme success. He also made sure a former teammate of his came back this season to join him. 

Ronald Allen returns to Sioux Falls this season as an Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development for the Force. Allen was teammates with Powell during the 2007-2008 season and played a total of four seasons in the NBA G League. 

Allen recognizes how special it is to be back with the Skyforce and his former teammate Powell. 

“I think it’s very special and very rare,” Allen said. “It’s really, really rare. Not only at the G League level, but in the NBA also. We have guys who played with the Heat and are now coaching with the Heat. So it’s only right that we have guys who played for the Skyforce who are now coaching the Skyforce. I can go on and on about how many advantages there are to former players coaching. I think it’s a blessing. It’s full circle and I’m honored. I feel very lucky to be in a position to help develop these young men because that’s what it’s about.” 

While Powell never saw himself coming back, Allen could never say never. 

“I wouldn’t say I did or didn’t see myself coming back,” Powell said. “I feel like I’ve always been one of those people that practices the mentality of enjoying the process and really understanding that the journey and who you become along the journey is the most important part. Hitting milestones is a side effect to focusing on the journey. Wherever my journey has taken me, I’ve been excited and lucky. I’ve been all around the world playing basketball and coaching basketball, and it really settles you down even more than you were 10-15 years ago.” 

Renaldo Major played with the Skyforce during the 2005-2006 season. He returns to Sioux Falls for his second year as a Basketball Operations Assistant and starts his first season as Director of Player Development. During the offseason he trains and coaches at South Dakota Network with Powell. 

Major had an impressive G League career. He played for 15 years and is the all-time leading scorer with 5,058 points. He is also the leader in field goals made (1,702), free throws made (1,486) and steals (502). Other accolades include NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year, and the Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award Recipient. 

“It’s very, very special to be back,” Major said. “When I used to play here, during our first game the stadium was packed, the fans were really engaged. We had a really good team, too. So I fell in love with Sioux Falls the first game I played here. I fell in love with the city, the fans and the passion they had for the game, and the community. Coming back here was an easy decision for me. When I found out they had an opening, I jumped on it and I’ve been happy ever since.”

Major is in the process of making Sioux Falls his permanent home with his sons Ramari and Travis, something he did not see happening when he was a player. 

“I didn’t envision coming back to Sioux Falls,” Major said. “But I knew if I had to come back here to play or coach, I wouldn’t be mad about it. I really enjoyed my time here. Being back now, I’m so happy to be here because I truly love Sioux Falls. The passion, the team, everyone here loves their basketball.”

The coaches have been removed as many as 15 years from Sioux Falls before coming back. It forces them to think about things that have changed and stayed the same over time. 

For Powell, one thing that will never change is the fanbase. 

“The passion of the fans is the same as it was before,” Powell said. “That’s never going to change. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to have this organization here in Sioux Falls for so long.” 

While the fans' passion will never waiver, over time Major believes that the fans have gotten even better and more passionate about basketball since his playing days. 

“I think a lot more people are in tune more with basketball than they used to be,” Major said. “I hear talk about us when I go to the grocery store. They see me with the logo on and they are happy to see me and talk ball with me. They’re excited to see you out in public, away from the court like a regular guy and show you so much love.”

There has been one big change in Sioux Falls since their playing days: the size of Sioux Falls. 

“The city has expanded a lot since I was here,” Allen said. “I was shocked it took me 20 minutes to get home from practice. It is exciting and awesome for our players and fans. I’ve only been back for a month but it’s exciting to see how much the city has evolved since I was a player here.”

All of these guys are making significant impact with the team early in their coaching careers. The players love their coaches and lay it all out for them in every practice and game. Powell, Allen and Major attribute their early successes as head coaches to what their former Skyforce coaches taught them. 

“Nate Tibbetts was one of my favorite coaches that I had when I was a player here,” Powell said. “I use a lot of his philosophies. His approach to relationships and his delivery to the team with speeches and meetings. I think pretty much all of my coaching styles came from coaches that I had when I was here and I just added my own twist to it.” 

Being a former teammate of Powell, Allen had plenty to say about how much he loved Tibbetts, too. 

“Coach Nate Tibbetts taught me that we need to develop our guys and be on the court all the time,” Allen said. “I felt like I realized I’m never in a position where I can’t be on the court to get these guys better. That was the first time I’ve seen a guy come out pregame, sweat, shower, and get in his suit. I want to be like that for our guys.” 

During Major’s time as a player, he resonated with coach Dave Joerger and looks to mirror that as a coach now. 

“Joerger taught me a lot when I was a player,” Major said. “He taught me how to be a players coach. When I speak, I speak like a leader because guys are going to listen to you when you do. I was taught to be consistent with everything you do. Somedays, you’re going to have bad days, but you gotta stay consistent with your craft to get better.” 

Just because Major had a successful career as a player and has found his way into a coaching position does not mean he is done learning. He learns how to be a  better coach every single day by watching Powell. 

“Even Kasib teaches me things every day,” Major said. Every day I talk to him and see what he does. It really makes me feel like a student of the game. He is a great head coach and a great leader. Guys are receptive to him. I try to follow him in everything he does.” 

All three coaches believe that this Skyforce team is special. The guys are faster, stronger, bigger and more athletic than teams they have been a part of in the past. There is a lot of potential on the court. 

“We’ve got to maximize this potential,” Major said. “We have the potential. If we maximize that, I think we can go as far as we want to go. It starts with having a winning season, getting into the playoffs, and once you get there anything can happen. We got to work harder each day, throughout the good times and bad and stay the course. At the end of the year, we might be the ones holding that banner if we maximize our potential in every practice and every game.” 

The staff has the team bought in on the philosophy that there is room to improve every single day. If the guys put in the work, there is nothing they cannot do. 

“We need to stack our days,” Allen said. “We continue to preach to our players that we need to get one percent better every day. Any milestone we hit will be because of the days we put in. If we can stack these good days, I truly believe the sky's the limit for us. My one wish is that everyone stays healthy this season. Not only on our team, but every single team in the league. I really like a healthy, competitive basketball game.”

There is a lot of uncertainty in the NBA G League. You never know where you will end up or how the season will play out. As long as the team and the staff are committed to improvement and playing their best, anything can happen.

“If we get better as a staff, if we get better as a team, we will be better,” Powell said. “You never know what this league presents as far as call-ups, injuries, or anything. It’s a league that has a lot of turnover. For us, we got to stay focused at getting better, trying to compete at a very high level and everybody trying to better their careers. That’s the number one goal.”