May 12, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State women's basketball head coach Stacie Terry announced the hiring Thursday of Jon Silver as director of basketball operations. In his role, the Dresher, Pa., native will be involved with all facets of the program relating to team travel, game-day operations, fundraising, equipment and community service. In addition, he will work with the Aztec Club as the point person for the team's booster organization, the Full Court Press Club, while assisting with freshman orientation.
"Jon is a tireless worker who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program," Terry said. "He has worked with two teams in the past that have had tremendous success at a high level. I am very excited that he is joining our staff, and I know our student-athletes will appreciate his positive energy and every-day approach to improve."
Silver arrives on Montezuma Mesa after spending the 2015-16 campaign as an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, where he was also responsible for non-conference scheduling as well as the hiring and supervision of student managers and male practice players. With his assistance, the Catamounts improved their team defense last season, yielding five fewer points per game than the previous year, while increasing their rebounding margin by five boards per contest.
Following the season, Silver was named to the distinguished WBCA 30 Under 30 list, recognizing the nation's top up-and-coming women's basketball coaches under the age of 30 at all levels of the game.
"Coach Terry has been a mentor for years and I am absolutely thrilled and honored to join her staff," Silver said. "I look forward to complementing the efforts of the coaches here while enhancing the student-athlete experience in any way possible."
Prior to his stint at Vermont, Silver was a four-year staff member at LSU, where he was involved in all phases of the Lady Tigers program, working alongside head coach Nikki (Caldwell) Fargas as director of basketball operations. During his tenure on the Baton Rouge campus, LSU made four consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including consecutive Sweet 16 appearances 2013 and 2014.
Silver, who served with Terry during her two seasons as an assistant coach at LSU, was in charge of the Lady Tigers' non-conference schedule and established a year-round community service initiative for both players and staff while managing the program's budget.
In 2013-14, LSU's overall schedule was rated the nation's toughest by the NCAA as the Lady Tigers played 28 of their 34 games against RPI top 100 opponents. The non-conference portion of their schedule was ranked No. 2 in the nation and the team's non-conference RPI was fourth. In addition, the Lady Tigers led all LSU athletic teams on campus that season with an average of 23 community service hours per player.
Silver joined the Lady Tigers after serving dual roles at UCLA as video coordinator and staff associate during the 2010-11 campaign. With Fargas and Terry on the same Bruin coaching staff, Silver oversaw all video-related operations, including film exchange, pregame and postgame film breakdowns, capturing live games and creating weekly highlight tapes. As a staff associate, Silver organized the coaches' recruiting efforts and worked closely with several other offices within the athletic department while assisting with the day-to-day management of the program.
Silver graduated from UCLA in 2009 with Phi Beta Kappa honors, completing degrees in history and political science. As an undergraduate, he spent three seasons as a practice player with the Bruin women's hoops squad, including one season as head manager and scout team captain. Prior to his return to Westwood, Silver was the head coach and director of basketball operations at Camp Cedar in Casco, Maine.
Silver is on course to his receive his master's degree in liberal arts from LSU in August 2016 and has earned Phi Beta Kappa honorary distinction in the process. He was also a three-year member of the LSU Staff Senate and was an active participant in the Baton Rouge Ambassadors program, working collaboratively with campus and community leaders to increase awareness and support of the school.
Previously, Silver also served as the feature literary department coordinator at the Gersh Agency in Beverly Hills, Calif. At Gersh, Silver was responsible for maintaining the agency's extensive list of potential projects for its writer and director clients and was in charge of assigning and distributing potential client material.
San Diego State returns nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad, including rising junior McKynzie Fort, who earned all-Mountain West honorable mention and was named to the league's all-defensive team during the 2015-16 campaign.
The Jon Silver File
Hometown
Dresher, Pa.
Education
Bachelor of Arts -- History/Political Science
UCLA, 2009
Master of Arts -- Liberal Arts
LSU, 2015
Collegiate Background
2015-16 Assistant Coach, Vermont
2011-15 Director of Basketball Operations, LSU
2010-11 Video Coordinator/Staff Associate, UCLA