The Cleveland Cavaliers are staying active in the offseason. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavs have hired Lindsay Gottlieb as an assistant under newly-appointed head coach John Beilein.
Prior to signing with the Cavs, Gottlieb was serving as the head coach of the women’s team at the University of California-Berkeley. The 41-year-old enjoyed a successful stint with the Golden Bears. In just her second season at the helm (2011), she led the team to its first Final Four appearance in school history, their first Pac-12 Conference championship, and the most wins ever by a Cal women’s basketball team (32-4). For her outstanding leadership, the media honored Gottlieb with the Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award. All in all, she led the team to seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
Gottlieb won 25 games with the Golden Bears in her first season as head coach (25-10). As a result, she became the first women’s basketball coach to win 20 games in her first season with Cal-Berkeley.
According to several reports, Gottlieb is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Cavs. She’ll be working closely with Beilein and associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to further improve the team’s development.
Gottlieb will join Becky Hammon (Spurs) and Jenny Boucek (Mavericks) as the only female coaches in the NBA.
Beilein joined the Cavs shortly after the conclusion of the 2018-19 regular season. His move to the NBA ranks came as a surprise to some, as he was with the Michigan Wolverines for 12 successful seasons. Now, with the coaching staff filling out, Cleveland can set their sights on improving for the 2019-20 season.
