Tina Thompson, Jonah Herscu headline new Blazers basketball operations hires

Joe Cronin continues to revamp the Blazers' staff with a new assistant coach and a WNBA legend, among others.

Going into his first full season as Trail Blazers general manager, Joe Cronin has continued to revamp the basketball operations staff, announcing 14 new hires across the coaching, scouting, data and athletic training departments on Tuesday morning. You can read the full release here.

There are two hires that jump out immediately. The biggest name, by far, is Tina Thompson, the WNBA legend and Hall of Famer. She will serve as a scout, a departure from her previous role as head coach of the University of Virginia women's basketball program for four seasons. Thompson was fired by UVA in March; this story from The Next is worth reading for insight into why her tenure there ended. It seems she didn't like or wasn't suited for the political side of the coaching game and, at this point in her career, is more interested in a front-office role. Thompson becomes the third former WNBA player in Cronin's front office, joining Asjha Jones (Director of Planning and Strategy) and Sheri Sam (Scouting Manager).