Sparks Hire Jim Lewis to Complete Coaching Staff

The Los Angeles Sparks have completed their coaching staff with the hiring of Jim Lewis, a veteran of the WNBA and collegiate ranks with over 40 years of bench experience.

Lewis joins Carol Ross � hired in January as the Sparks head coach � and Sandy Brondello, who will return for a second season as an assistant coach in 2012.

�Jim is a great addition to our Sparks family. I feel like Jim brings a lot of coaching experiences, both in the WNBA and collegiately, and in the men�s and women�s game,� Ross said. �He brings a different set of eyes, and really complements the strengths and weaknesses that Sandy and I have. Jim is a tremendous post coach, and that was one of the qualifications I was looking for in this hire.�

Lewis joins the Sparks from George Mason University, where he served as an assistant coach with the Patriots� women�s basketball team in 2011-12. He previously led GMU for 14 seasons (1984-1997) and remains the winningest head coach in school history with 201 victories. While with the Patriots, Lewis also served as an assistant coach on four medal-winning USA Basketball teams in the mid-90�s.

Lewis left George Mason to become the first head coach in Washington Mystics history, guiding the franchise during its inaugural WNBA campaign in 1998. He later served as an assistant with the Minnesota Lynx in 2006, and as the Indiana Fever�s assistant coach/director of scouting from 2008-10. With Lewis on staff, Indiana captured the 2009 Eastern Conference title and reached the WNBA Finals. In Los Angeles, he�ll be reunited with former Fever forward Ebony Hoffman.

�I�m extremely honored and appreciative of this opportunity Penny Toler and Coach Ross have given me to work with a championship organization like the Los Angeles Sparks,� Lewis said. �I intend to devote my total energy and commitment to these players to help Los Angeles enjoy another championship season.�

Additional head coaching experience came at Fordham University (2001-06) and T.C. Williams High School (2007-08) in his hometown of Alexandria, Va. Prior to his most recent tenure at George Mason, Lewis served as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech in 2010-11, helping the Yellow Jackets reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with men's programs at Tennessee State, Gannon College, Duke and Tulane before coaching the boy's team at South Lakes High School for three seasons. As a player, Lewis was a four-year letterwinner at West Virginia University � competing in two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT � and earning his Bachelor of Science degree in journalism in 1968.

The Sparks will tip-off the 2012 season Friday, May 18 at the Seattle Storm before the same two teams do battle at STAPLES Center on Sunday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. For group and season ticket information, call 877-44-SPARKS or visit LASparks.com.