Chris Darnell named next head coach of Cleveland Charge

Darnell is promoted to head coach after five seasons with the team.

The Cleveland Charge, G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, announced on Thursday afternoon that Chris Darnell will be the head coach for the upcoming season. He will be the seventh person to do so in the franchise’s history.

Darnell spent the previous five seasons on the Charge’s staff which included being the associate head coach for the last three years. Before joining the Charge, he worked as a player development coach and video assistant for the Cavs. Darnell had coaching and basketball operations stints with the Phoenix Suns (2012-18) and Utah Jazz (2018-19) before coming to Cleveland.

“We know he is ready for the challenge to lead this team and put his own mark on our fantastic player development program,” said Charge general manager Liron Fanan in the team’s press release.

Previous Charge head coach Mike Gerrity will be joining Kenny Atkinson’s staff as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers. Darvin Ham, who was an assistant with the Charge last season, has also been added to the Cavs’ staff in a player development and video assistant role.

Antonio Broxsie and Dan Vincent will be replacing Gerrity and Ham’s vacancies. Both have come from the Cavs and will serve as assistant coaches for Darnell.

The development of two-way players Luke Travers and Emoni Bates will likely define this upcoming season for Darnell’s staff. Both appear to have the talent to be productive NBA players but will need to round out their games to make that a reality. Darnell’s staff will play a role in whether or not either can take the next step forward.

The Charge finished last year with a 21-29 record. They will begin this season at Public Auditorium on Saturday, Nov. 9.