Wisconsin Herd: Reactions to naming Chaisson Allen new head coach

After their previous head coach, Chase Buford, being hired as the head coach of the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League in Australia, the Milwaukee Bucks G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd needed a new head coach for the upcoming 2021-22 season.

Well, they’ve found their man and it’s a somewhat familiar face for the organization as the team announced that Chaisson Allen will be the new head coach. Those who know the Herd well will remember that Allen served as an assistant coach under Buford in the 2019-20 season and coached two games (he went 2-0 in those games so he has an undefeated record to uphold!).

Allen becomes the third head coach in Herd history after Buford and Jordan Brady. The Herd did not participate in the G League bubble last season, but last time we saw them, they had the best record in the league at 33-10 so expectations will be high in Oshkosh for the Herd to pick up where they left off, which is up to Allen.

Allen has prior coaching experience away from the Herd, most recently with the Long Island Nets in the G League bubble as well as with the Capital City Go-Go, the affiliate for the Washington Wizards, in 2018-19. He served as a player development assistant for the University of Miami Hurricanes basketball program from 2016 to 2018 before moving to the G League. Two notable alums from Miami during Allen’s time with the Hurricanes are Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker IV, both solid NBA players for the Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.

Reactions to Chaisson Allen being named the new head coach of the Wisconsin Herd

As the organization gets ready for Bucks training camp in less than a week, this was a big piece of the organizational puzzle that had yet to be filled. Bucks general manager Jon Horst gave a brief statement on the hiring of Allen.

"We are very excited to have Chaisson continue to grow within our Bucks and Herd family as the new Wisconsin Herd Head Coach. His ability to lead, teach and communicate make him a perfect fit for this position in Oshkosh."

In addition to Allen’s coaching experience, he was also a four-year college player at Northeastern from 2007 to 2011. He averaged 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.9 steals over his 125-game college career before going undrafted and playing professionally overseas.

Having the Herd back this season in Oshkosh will be a huge help for the Bucks as they can send players such as Sandro Mamukelashvili, Mamadi Diakite, and Georgios Kalaitzakis to the G League and keep a much closer eye on them. Last year in the G League bubble, Diakite, Jordan Nwora, and Sam Merrill were forced to play for other team’s affiliates.

It’s also very key to have someone that knows the ins and outs of what the Herd wants to do and, on a larger scale, what the Bucks want to accomplish with the Herd. Allen knows that the guys he’ll be coaching could have an impact on the Bucks rotation in the future, so getting them up to speed with their schemes will be one of the top priorities.

The Bucks also recently held a minicamp workout with a few notable NBA players that could potentially come into camp, battle for a spot, and potentially end up with the Herd.

In other Herd news, the team also announced changes to the front office structure. Tony Bollier will take over as general manager while Arte Culver will be the assistant GM. Bollier has an in-depth knowledge of the Herd already, serving as their Director of Basketball Operations for four seasons. Culver came to the Herd in July of 2019 after serving as Director of Recruiting and Player Personnel for Vanderbilt University’s men’s basketball team.

Here is what Horst had to say about the Herd front office changes.

"Now is the ideal time to transition our key front office responsibilities to Tony and Arte. Both are beyond deserving of this new challenge and opportunity. Dave Dean, who has been GM of the Herd since its inception in 2018, will now have more time to focus on his ever-increasing value and responsibilities with the Bucks. We thank Dave for his tireless efforts in helping to make the Herd a best-in-class and successful G League franchise."

The Herd is set to tip-off their season on November 8th at home against the Cleveland Charge.

Welcome back to the Bucks organization, coach Allen and we wish you the best in the upcoming season with the Herd!