2011-12 Media Guide (PDF) - NBA.com

PLAYOFFS RECORDS 10-11 REVIEW PLAYERS BBALL OPS FRONT OFFICE
HISTORY
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BASKETBALL OPERATIONS
22 2011-12 CHARLOTTE BOBCATS MEDIA GUIDE
Steve Stricker
Head Athletic Trainer
Steve Stricker is in his fourth season with the Bobcats as head athletic trainer, where he monitors the
medical needs of the Bobcats players and also manages the team’s travel needs. Stricker brings over
20 years of experience to the Bobcats in a career that includes stops with the Washington Wizards,
University of Michigan, University of Texas-Arlington and Iowa State University.
Stricker began his career at his alma mater, Iowa State, where he served as both a student trainer and
assistant athletic trainer while earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He went on to serve as head
athletic trainer at UT-Arlington from 1993-95 before moving on to Michigan, where he held the positions
of assistant athletic trainer and associate supervisor of athletic medicine. In 2001, Stricker joined the
Wizards, serving as the team’s athletic trainer for three seasons.
Most recently he served as marketing manager for team sports at Gatorade, handling all contracted
college and professional teams in the Central and Northeast regions of the United States.
A recipient of the NBA Trainers Association’s Joe O’Toole NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in 2010-
11, Stricker is a Certified Athletic Trainer and is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association.
He and his wife, Pam, have two children, Jonathan and Samantha.
Matt Friia
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Matt Friia is in his first season with the Bobcats as the team’s Strength & Conditioning Coach, after
spending the previous seven seasons with the Denver Nuggets as Assistant Athletic Trainer/Assistant
Strength & Conditioning Coach. Friia is responsible for the strength, speed, power, conditioning and
nutrition of Bobcats players and assists with the rehabilitation of injuries.
Prior to joining the Nuggets, Friia attended Ithaca College, where he received a dual bachelor’s degree in
athletic training and sports medicine. During his time at Ithaca, he worked as an athletic trainer with
several of the school’s sports teams, including men’s basketball and football.
Friia is a Certified Athletic Trainer, holding memberships with the National Athletic Trainers Association,
the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is
currently working on a master’s degree in human movement at A.T. Still University.
A native of Ithaca, NY, Friia and his wife, Carey, have one daughter, Elise.
Dennis Williams
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Dennis Williams is in his sixth season as the Bobcats’ assistant athletic trainer, where he assists with
the team’s medical needs.
Prior to joining the Bobcats in July of 2006, Williams spent four years as athletic trainer for the men’s
basketball and cheerleading teams at the University of South Carolina. Before that, he served as head
athletic trainer for the Greenville Groove during the inaugural 2001-02 season of the NBA Development
League. He also spent time at the collegiate level as the head athletic trainer for North Greenville College
in South Carolina and assistant athletic trainer at North Carolina A&T.
Williams is a Certified Athletic Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise
Specialist. He holds membership with the National Athletic Trainers Association, the National Basketball
Athletic Trainers Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and the National Strength and
Conditioning Association.
A recipient of the NBA Trainers Association’s David Craig NBA Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year Award
in 2010-11, Williams received a Bachelor’s degree in science in physical education from the University of
South Carolina in 1995 and a Masters from Furman University in 1999. He and his wife, Dana, have one
son, Robert Floyd Williams.