Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced today that Jim Boylan, Lionel Hollins, Kelvin Sampson and Joe Wolf will join Scott Skiles’ coaching staff as assistants. Skiles’ staff for the 2008-09 season also includes Bill Peterson, assistant coach/player development, who joined the Bucks prior to the 2007-08 season.

“I’m excited to be able to assemble this strong coaching staff in Milwaukee,” said Skiles. “Jim, Lionel, Kelvin and Joe all bring experience to the Bucks bench as well as diverse coaching skills. I’m eager to gain their insights as we prepare for the upcoming season.”

Jim Boylan joins the Bucks after four seasons with Skiles on the Chicago Bulls staff, including serving as the interim Head Coach for the final 56 games during the 2007-08 season. Boylan’s NBA coaching career began in 1992 as a video coordinator and advance scout for Lenny Wilkens with the Cavaliers. His assistant coaching resume includes time with Cleveland (1993-97), Vancouver (1997-00), with Skiles in Phoenix (2000-01) and in Atlanta (2003-04). He has reached the postseason in the NBA with Chicago (three times, two 47+ win seasons), Phoenix (once, a 50+ win season) and Cleveland (three times, two 47-win seasons). A member of the Marquette Warriors 1977 NCAA Championship team, Boylan led the club in assists during his junior and senior seasons before being drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the 1978 NBA draft. Boylan’s coaching career began as a player/coach in Switzerland (1982-86) where he led the Vevey Basketball club to their first championship in its 30-year history. He has also coached in the CBA (Rochester Renegade), with Michigan State (1986-89) and served as the Head Coach at the University of New Hampshire (1989-92).

A 10-year NBA veteran player, Lionel Hollins began his coaching career as an assistant with his alma mater, Arizona State University, in 1985-86 and 1987-88. He stayed in Arizona for his next coaching opportunity as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native was with the Suns from 1988-95 and compiled six 50+ win seasons and one 62-win season for a record of 394-180 (an average of 56 wins) before joining the Vancouver Grizzlies as the lead assistant prior to their inaugural season in 1995. Hollins had been with the Grizzlies since that time and twice served as the club’s interim head coach, in 1999-00 and 2004-05. As a player, Hollins was a member of the All-Rookie First Team with the Trail Blazers after being drafted by Portland with the sixth pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. He earned an NBA Championship ring with Portland in 1977. A year later he was an NBA All-Star while also being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team. Hollins played 673 games in the NBA and appeared in three NBA Finals series along with another Finals appearance as a coach (Phoenix, 1993).

Kelvin Sampson comes to Milwaukee after two seasons as Head Coach at Indiana University. The Pembroke, North Carolina, native’s NCAA coaching career began at Montana Tech in 1981 where he won two Frontier Conference Championships while posting a 73-45 record in four seasons. He then moved to Washington State where he led the team to the second round of the NIT and the first round of the NCAA tournament while going 103-103 with the Cougars from 1987-94. His 12 seasons at Oklahoma (1994-06) produced two National Coach of the Year Awards (1995, 2002), 11 NCAA Tournament bids (three Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and one Final Four) and a 279-109 record. With Indiana, Sampson’s teams went 43-14 and received NCAA Tournament bids in both seasons. Sampson also has extensive experience working with USA Basketball, including winning the 2004 World Championship for Young Men with current Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva –the last gold medal won by USA Basketball. He has served as a head coach and assistant on various Olympic levels in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2002 and 2004. Sampson earned his Bachelor’s degree at Pembroke State University and a Master’s degree at Michigan State.

Joe Wolf, a native of Kohler, Wisconsin, joins the Bucks after serving as the Head Coach and General Manager of the NBA Development League’s Colorado 14ers during the 2007-08 season. He advanced the club to the first round of the playoffs as a wild card. The previous season he led the 14ers to a 28-22 record, second in the Western Division, and advanced to the championship game before falling in overtime. The University of North Carolina alum was head coach of the Idaho Stampede of the CBA for two seasons (2004-06) prior to his time with the 14ers. In his second season with Idaho, the Stampede finished with a 25-23 record and advanced to the semifinals. Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 13th overall selection in the 1987 NBA Draft, Wolf went on to play 11 seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Boston, Portland, Charlotte, Orlando and the 1996-97 season in Milwaukee. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 592 career games. Wolf was named the best high school basketball player in Wisconsin’s history by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2005. Wolf and his wife, Jill, return to Wisconsin where his family here includes his mother, two brothers, two sisters and many nieces and nephews.

Bill Peterson returns for his second season with the Bucks in his assistant coach and player development role. Before coming to Milwaukee, Peterson served as the Associate Head Coach at Colorado State University for seven seasons. He has been coaching on the collegiate and professional levels since 1978, including stints in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. The Eckerd College (FL) alum also has a master’s degree in physical education and human relations from Louisiana Tech University, where he was a graduate assistant.