The Minnesota Timberwolves today named Ernest Scott as Head Coach of the Iowa Wolves, the team’s G League affiliate. Minnesota also announced the promotion of Nathan Bubes to Assistant Coach and Michael DiBenedetto to Assistant Coach/Director of Operations for the Wolves.
“I couldn’t be happier for Ernest, Nathan, and Michael to take on these new roles with our team in Iowa and continue to develop our young players,” said Timberwolves Director of Player Personnel /Iowa Wolves General Manager Jonathan Wallace. “Ernest has worked hard to earn this role and has developed great relationships with players, staff and the community in Iowa. We look forward to Nathan and Michael joining him in Des Moines as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
“I am proud of the professional development of Ernest, Nathan and Michael to lead them to their new positions with the Iowa Wolves,” said Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch. “We are excited for the future of our G League team and know that these three will do a phenomenal job leading our program in Iowa.”
“I am grateful to be named the Head Coach of the Iowa Wolves and represent the Timberwolves organization in the best light possible,” Scott said. “I’m excited to continue being a part of the community in Des Moines and execute the vision and goals of Coach Finch and the Timberwolves in everything we do on and off the court.”
Scott is entering his third season with the Iowa Wolves, first as the Head Coach after spending the last two as an assistant coach. Scott joined the Timberwolves organization after spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. A native of Marietta, Ga., he played collegiately for Valdosta State, earning first-team all-conference honors his senior season. Scott spent 13 seasons of professional basketball across the NBA D League, in several countries in Europe and in New Zealand. With his promotion, Scott and Wallace become the first ever G League General Manager/Head Coach duo that previously played in the league.
Bubes has spent the last two season with the Timberwolves as the team’s Quality Control Coach. As Quality Control Coach, Bubes oversaw the team’s game planning, coordinated each practice and assisted Coach Finch on a day-to-day basis. He came to Minnesota by way of the New Orleans Pelicans, where he served as the assistant video coordinator starting in 2019. Prior to his time in New Orleans, Bubes was the coordinator of strategy and analytics for Brigham Young University men’s basketball program. Bubes had his start in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers when he served as the team’s video intern in 2018. A graduate of Boston College, Bubes served as the men’s basketball graduate assistant from 2016-2018 after being the program’s student manager from 2012-2016.
DiBenedetto spent last season as the Iowa Wolves Basketball Operations Associate where he played a role in the team’s player development, assisted in the day-to-day operations of the team and oversaw all video aspects for the team. He played college basketball for Jacksonville University and later worked as a player development and video coordinator for the Indiana Pacers.
