Happy Wednesday! We are halfway home, and I hope your week is going well!

The Suns officially announced the team’s 2025-26 coaching staff yesterday, and there’s plenty more on them below. One note I found slightly amusing in the press release — Mateen Cleaves has joined its player development team as player development/leadership assistant.

Yes, the same Mateen Cleaves who helped bring an NCAA Championship to East Lansing in 2000.

I know, he and Suns owner Mat Ishbia were teammates. I also know Cleaves was an incredible college player, twice earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 1998 and 1999. But the Suns are really starting to feel Sparty heavy, are they not? 😅

Basketball season is right around the corner — the Suns’ complete schedule drops tomorrow. Stay tuned to our PHNX Suns team for all the updates!

On to the show!

A Look at the Suns’ Coaching Staff Under Jordan Ott

Jordan Ott has his staff.

The Suns’ new bench boss has finalized his coaching staff for the upcoming season, marking the first full staff under both Ott and first-year general manager Brian Gregory. For his part, Ott has been a solid hire to date, building strong rapport with the local media while working closely with Ishbia and Gregory to shepherd in their first collective draft class.

Ott has demonstrated superb basketball sense, has shown an early ability to connect with the players and was a pretty sought-after commodity for multiple head coaching vacancies in recent years.

Still, a coach’s staff is often overlooked and underrated, and this staff is no different. Their story is just beginning as we prepare for the 2025-26 NBA season, so here’s everything you need to know about the Suns’ new-look staff.

A Few Familiar Faces, but Plenty of Newcomers

Jesse Mermuys

• Spent the last four seasons with the Orlando Magic
• Will be expected to impact the defensive side of the ball, as he helped the Magic to back-to-back top-three finishes in defensive rating.
• Previous NBA experience with the Sacramento Kings (2019-21), Los Angeles Lakers (2016-19), Toronto Raptors (2013-16), Houston Rockets (2012-13) and Denver Nuggets (2008-12)
• Originally from Tucson and he graduated from U of A

DeMarre Carroll

• Spent last season with Cleveland, and served as the Suns head coach at NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas
• Previous NBA coaching experience with the Los Angeles Lakers (2023-24) and Milwaukee Bucks (2022-23)
• Previous NBA playing experience includes 11 seasons with eight different teams
• Played collegiately at Mizzou

Brian Randle

• Spent last season with the Washington Wizards
• Previously served as an assistant in Phoenix from 2020-2023
• Previous NBA coaching experience with the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves
• Played collegiately for the University of Illinois and earned the Israeli Basketball Premier League’s Defensive Player of the Year award three times.

Chaisson Allen

• Returning to the Suns after serving as an assistant coach last season
• Previous coaching experience was G League related, with the Wisconsin Herd, Long Island Nets and Capital City Go-Go
• Played collegiately at Northeastern University and played overseas for five seasons

John Little

• Spent last season as head coach of the Valley Suns in their inaugural season
• Previous coaching experience was G League related with the Maine Celtics and Wisconsin Herd
• Played collegiately at Northern Iowa and played overseas for nearly a decade.

Mike Muscala

• Has not yet coached in the NBA
• Retired from the NBA following the 2023-24 season after playing 548 career games with seven different teams
• Played collegiately at Bucknell University, and was the 2011 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
• Bucknell retired his number in 2020

Sean Dwyer

• No previous NBA experience
• Spent the last four seasons at Loyola University Chicago, most recently as associate head coach
• Former student manager at Michigan State, and has been in the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach since 2009-10. Stops include University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida.

My Take: There’s not too much of a take to have here, other than the fact that you can feel free to chuckle at Dwyer’s tie-in to Michigan State. By all accounts (including our own PHNX Suns crew), this staff has a few names that could help foster a winning culture within the organization, including one who could become a “secret weapon” of sorts (more on that in the tweet at the bottom of this email).

Answer-backs Are Back: Nice rally for the Diamondbacks yesterday, who scored one in the seventh and another in the ninth to top the Rangers 3-2 in Texas. Ketel Marte (who else?!) hit the go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth, and Juan Morillo closed it out in the bottom half to earn the save.

Arizona is right back to it tonight, facing Texas in a rubber match before heading to Colorado for a four-game set.

Another One to Watch: The final award watch list dropped yesterday, and to no one’s surprise another Sun Devil is on it. ASU linebacker Keyshaun Elliott was named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list, which recognizes the nation’s top linebacker. If he were to win, he would become the program’s first-ever Butkus Award winner.

Congrats, Keyshaun!

Courting Cameron: Hometown 5-star recruit Cameron Williams officially scheduled an October visit for Tucson, as Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd tries to keep one of the most coveted prep guards in the country in the state. Just how difficult of a process will that be? Catch up with our PHNX Wildcats crew as they discuss!

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

Take it from our crew: Mermuys is a coach to watch on this staff!