TRAIL BLAZERS ANNOUNCE BASKETBALL OPERATIONS ADDITIONS AND PROMOTIONS
TRAIL BLAZERS ANNOUNCE BASKETBALL OPERATIONS ADDITIONS AND PROMOTIONS
PORTLAND, Ore. (September 26, 2024) – The Portland Trail Blazers have announced basketball operations additions and promotions for the 2024-25 season.
Dr. Courtney Watson becomes the Director of Health and Player Performance this upcoming season after serving as the Head Athletic Trainer for the 2023-24 season. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Dr. Watson served as an athletic trainer for the USA Men’s and Women’s 3×3 Basketball teams, earning a Bronze Medal with the Women’s 3×3 team. Along with her long-time WNBA experience, Dr. Watson also became the first female athletic trainer in the sport of boxing as the trainer for welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather. In the Spring of 2022, the Los Angeles native also served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Women’s USA National Team at the 2022 FIBA World Cup, where the United States brought home a gold medal, making it the third of her career.
Charvette Johnson joins the Trail Blazers as an Assistant Athletic Trainer after previously serving as the head athletic trainer for the Rip City Remix, the NBA G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, during the 2023-24 season. She joins Jeff Kraayeveld as assistant athletic trainers. Before her time with the Remix, she held the position of Head Athletic Trainer for the Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings.
Chris Gerona enters his first season with the Trail Blazers as a Physical Therapist and brings over 12 years of experience as the Head Physical Therapist in team sports to his new position with the Portland Trail Blazers. In addition to founding a successful physical therapy practice in Los Angeles, he has worked extensively with professional athletes across various sports.
Sean Johnson joins the Trail Blazers for his first season as a Physical Therapist after treating professional athletes for his own company, Advance Rehab and Sports Performance and at the Meyer Institute of Sport. Johnson enters the NBA after previously serving as a Physical Therapist and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Los Angeles Angels from 2017-2021. Additionally, he worked for the Seattle Mariners as their Manager of Athlete Care in 2021.
Jaclyn Lindell joins the Portland Trail Blazers as a team Physical Therapist for her first season during the 2024-25 campaign. With a diverse background in elite sports, Jaclyn also brings a wealth of experience from her work at the Meyer Institute of Sport’s high-performance clinic. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California, is board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and holds a Certification in Applied Functional Science.
Greg Hulbrink begins his first season as the Assistant Strength Coach. He joins the strength and conditioning staff with Head Strength Coach Dale Boyd and Louis Thompson who has been named the Strength Science Coordinator. Hulbrink served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Rip City Remix during the 2023-24 season.
Michelle Tegenkamp has served as a team dietician consultant for 10 years and will now serve as the team’s Director of Performance Nutrition and Dietetics. Tegenkamp operated her own practice for 15 years and in that time, she also worked with athletes locally at the University of Portland and the local NWLS team The Portland Thorns.
Alexander Powell has been named Director of Basketball Innovation. Before joining Portland, Powell spent six years with the Charlotte Hornets as Head of Quantitative Analysis, working with a variety of projects across and beyond basketball operations.
Additionally, Gilbert Abraham has been promoted to Director of Player Development on the coaching staff for the Trail Blazers. Abraham begins his second season with the organization and will be his first season in the new role. Alecsandra Renfroe begins her first season with the Trail Blazers and will serve as the Basketball Operations Wellness Specialist while Tim Wonacott becomes full time as a Team Security Manager.