With the live recruiting period beginning this weekend, the Times Free Press has learned that Tanner Bronson and Walter Offutt have been added to new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head basketball coach Lamont Paris's first coaching staff.
Bronson played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, starting as a team manager in 2003-04 before eventually earning a scholarship and playing in 29 games during his career. His coaching career started at the NBA D-League level with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he coached NBA call-ups Reggie Williams, Greg Stiemsma and Alexander Johnson. He then spent five seasons as an assistant at Saint Louis University, who qualified for three NCAA tournaments during his span.
He spent last season as a program assistant at UNLV.
Offutt's playing career started at Ohio State, but he transferred early into his sophomore season to Ohio University where he really took off. He was a member of the 2012 Sweet 16 team – the school's deepest-ever run in the NCAA tournament - and was named to the NCAA Midwest all-region team after averaging 19.3 points, shooting 62 percent from the field and 59 percent (10-17) from 3-point range. That included a 26-point game against North Carolina in the regional semifinals.
He averaged 11.5 points and made 100 3-pointers during his two-year career at Ohio.
He started coaching at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis before spending two seasons on John Groce's staff at the University of Illinois as a graduate manager.
He was the director of basketball operations at Ball State in 2016-17. The Cardinals won 21 games last year.