God Shammgod Leaving Providence for Player Development Job with Dallas Mavericks

God Shammgod had been flirting with the idea of getting into player development in the NBA since he returned to the United States after a knee injury essentially ended his playing career after stints in countries like Poland, Saudi Arabia and, most famously, China. On Thursday, Jon Rothstein reported that Shammgod made the leap and accepted a position with the Dallas Mavericks. Shammgod will be the assistant of player development for the Fighting Mark Cubans, according to Rothstein’s tweet.

Shammgod spent two seasons on Ed Cooley’s staff at Providence as an undergraduate assistant coach while he worked to finish his bachelor’s degree that he began at Providence in 1995. In May of 2015 Shammgod graduated from Providence and spent some time that spring figuring out his next step. Degree in hand, Shammgod interviewed with some NBA teams before opting to enroll in graduate school at Providence and remain on Cooley’s staff, this time as a graduate assistant coach. Shammgod is credited by players like Bryce Cotton, LaDontae Henton, Ben Bentil and Kris Dunn for helping them develop both on and off the court. Shammgod, a 1995 McDonald’s All-American, is leaving Providence for the NBA for the second time in 19 years after he declared for the 1997 NBA Draft with two more years of eligibility left.

In Dallas, Shammgod will get the chance to work with a veteran group of guards in Deron Williams, Wes Matthews, J.J. Barea, Jonathan Gibson and Devin Harris.