Paul Mokeski
Paul Mokeski (born January 3, 1957) is an American former basketball player and coach. Standing 7 ft 0 in, he played the center position.[1] He played for five NBA teams, including six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.[2][3][4]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 1957 Spokane, Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crespi Carmelite (Encino, California) |
| College | Kansas (1975–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick |
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | |
| Playing career | 1979–1993 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 54, 53, 44, 45 |
| Coaching career | 1994–2018 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1979–1980 | Houston Rockets |
| 1980–1982 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1982 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1983–1989 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1989–1990 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1991 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1992–1993 | Quad City Thunder |
| As coach: | |
| 1994–1995 | Hartford Hellcats |
| 1996 | Connecticut Skyhawks |
| 2003–2004 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| 2007–2009 | Charlotte Bobcats (assistant) |
| 2009–2011 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (assistant) |
| 2011–2013 | Reno Bighorns |
| 2013–2014 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (assistant) |
| 2014–2015 | Brampton A's (assistant) |
| 2016–2017 | Moncton Miracles |
| 2017–2018 | Nevada Desert Dogs |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,764 (4.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,342 (3.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 500 (0.7 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Mokeski's last coaching position was as head coach of the Nevada Desert Dogs in North American Premier Basketball in 2018.
Early career
Mokeski played at Crespi Carmelite High School in Los Angeles, California. He went on to play two seasons at the University of Kansas, where he accumulated 680 rebounds, placing him 15th in school history.[2]
Professional career
On the Bucks, Mokeski played a role as a key bench player on several deep playoff runs. During the 1984 NBA Playoffs, he averaged career postseason bests of 6.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in only 20 minutes a game.[5] Paul was known for his use of the "Barbara face", which struck fear into his opponents. He was also known to yell loudly "Why! Hellaw!" during free throw situations, which frequently caused his opponents to miss clutch free throws. His tactics helped the Bucks win many close games. [6] On March 28, 1985, Mokeski scored a career high 21 points, along with grabbing 7 rebounds, in a 121-116 win over the New York Knicks.[7]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Houston | 12 | - | 9.4 | .333 | .000 | .778 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.4 |
| 1980–81 | Detroit | 80 | - | 22.7 | .489 | .000 | .600 | 5.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 7.1 |
| 1981–82 | Detroit | 39 | 3 | 13.4 | .441 | .000 | .758 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 3.2 |
| 1981–82 | Cleveland | 28 | 1 | 12.3 | .427 | .000 | .767 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
| 1982–83 | Cleveland | 23 | 18 | 23.4 | .455 | .000 | .615 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 5.5 |
| 1982–83 | Milwaukee | 50 | 1 | 11.8 | .460 | .000 | .810 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 3.2 |
| 1983–84 | Milwaukee | 68 | 4 | 12.3 | .479 | .333 | .694 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 3.8 |
| 1984–85 | Milwaukee | 79 | 6 | 20.1 | .478 | .000 | .698 | 5.2 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 6.2 |
| 1985–86 | Milwaukee | 45 | 0 | 11.6 | .424 | .000 | .735 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| 1986–87 | Milwaukee | 62 | 3 | 10.1 | .403 | .000 | .719 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.4 |
| 1987–88 | Milwaukee | 60 | 0 | 14.1 | .476 | .000 | .708 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4.2 |
| 1988–89 | Milwaukee | 74 | 0 | 9.3 | .360 | .269 | .784 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.2 |
| 1989–90 | Cleveland | 38 | 1 | 11.8 | .420 | .000 | .694 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.0 |
| 1990–91 | Golden State | 36 | 1 | 7.1 | .356 | .333 | .800 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.6 |
| Career | 694 | 38 | 14.0 | .451 | .216 | .694 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 4.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | Milwaukee | 4 | - | 3.0 | .500 | .000 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| 1983–84 | Milwaukee | 16 | - | 20.1 | .540 | .000 | .667 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 6.1 |
| 1984–85 | Milwaukee | 8 | 0 | 19.3 | .444 | .000 | 1.000 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 5.5 |
| 1985–86 | Milwaukee | 14 | 0 | 7.2 | .519 | .000 | .667 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.4 |
| 1986–87 | Milwaukee | 12 | 0 | 8.9 | .364 | .000 | .800 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.3 |
| 1987–88 | Milwaukee | 4 | 0 | 10.0 | .357 | .000 | .667 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| 1988–89 | Milwaukee | 5 | 0 | 12.2 | .571 | 1.000 | .750 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| 1989–90 | Cleveland | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| 1990–91 | Golden State | 3 | 0 | 2.7 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Career | 69 | 0 | 11.8 | .486 | .250 | .742 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 3.6 | |
Coaching career
Mokeski was an assistant coach with the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA D-League.[8] In June 2007, he was hired by the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant coach under Sam Vincent.[8] He was let go at the end of the 2007-08 season, when Vincent was fired.
Mokeski was later hired as an assistant coach with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.[9] In September 2011, he became the head coach of the Reno Bighorns.[10] In March 2013, he was relieved of his head coaching duties.[11] He returned to the Vipers for one season before heading north to coach in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). In 2016, he was hired as the head coach of the Moncton Miracles, a team that was then being operated by the league. In 2017, the Miracles folded to make way for a new NBL Canada team called the Moncton Magic. NBL Canada commissioner, David Magley, then left the league to become president of a new league called North American Premier Basketball and announced that Mokeski would be one of the inaugural coaches when the league launched in 2018.[12]
On August 16, 2018, Mokeski was named the commissioner of The Basketball League (TBL) for the 2019 season.[13]
Personal life
Mokeski co-hosts a weekly basketball podcast called “The D.Gerv and Big Mo Show” with Derrick Gervin.[14]
References
- "Paul Mokeski Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- Novak, Thad. "Kansas Basketball: The Top 50 Players in School History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- "Paul Mokeski - National Basketball Retired Players Association". Legends of Basketball. February 21, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- "Paul Mokeski Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- "Paul Mokeski Per Game Playoffs". Basketball Reference.
- "Paul Mokeski Playing style". Basketball Reference.
- "Paul Mokeski Career High 21 Points". Statmuse.
- Ex-NBA center Mokeski hired as Bobcats assistant June 13, 2007
- "The Official Site of the Nba Development League: Anaheim Arsenal". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- Reno Bighorns Hire Paul Mokeski As New Head Coach
- Jason Glover Named Interim Head Coach
- "KU notebook: Ex-Jayhawk David Magley leaves Canada pro league for new venture in U.S." The Kansas City Star. July 2, 2017.
- "Mesquite (Nevada) Desert Dogs coming back for 2019". Mesquite Local News. August 17, 2018.
- "After passing on Gonzaga in the 1970s, former NBA big man Paul Mokeski says Zags rank among his favorites today". The Spokesman-Review.