Scott Edward Roth (born June 3, 1963) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
coach and former player who is the head coach of the
Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian
National Basketball League (NBL).
Early life
Roth was born in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, and attended
Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School in
Brecksville, Ohio
Brecksville is a city in southern Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 13,635 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a suburb of Cleveland and is included in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Combined statistical ...
.
College career
Roth played four years of
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
for the
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...
between 1981 and 1985, averaging more than 18 points per game in his senior season. He was a three-year starter and two-time All-
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
selection.
Professional career
Roth was selected in the fourth round of the
1985 NBA draft
The 1985–86 NBA season, 1985 NBA draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "NBA draft lottery, lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the ...
by the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
.
He played his first two professional seasons in Turkey with
Efes Pilsen before returning to the United States and playing the 1987–88
CBA season with the
Albany Patroons.
On February 25, 1988, Roth signed with the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
. He was waived by the Jazz on December 12, 1988.
In 42 games for the Jazz across the
1987–88 NBA season and
1988–89 NBA season, he averaged 2.5 points in 6.5 minutes per game.
In January 1989, Roth signed with the San Antonio Spurs.
In 47 games to finish the 1988–89 season, he averaged 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 9.9 minutes per game.
In June 1989, Roth was acquired by the
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
in an expansion draft.
On January 6, 1990, he scored a career-high 24 points against the Spurs. In 71 games for the Timberwolves in the
1989–90 NBA season, he averaged 6.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.9 minutes per game.
Roth's final four professional seasons were spent in Spain with
Tau Cerámica (1990–91), in Greece with
Panathinaikos (1991–92), in Spain again with
Llíria (1992–93), and in Turkey again with
Muratpaşa Belediyespor (1993–94).
Coaching career
Roth began his coaching career at the
University of Wisconsin–Platteville, where he served as an assistant coach during the 1995–96 season under
Bo Ryan.
Roth served six seasons in the NBA as an assistant coach with the
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...
(1996–2000) and
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
/
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
(2000–02), and four seasons as a scout and advisor for the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
.
In January 2008, Roth resigned as scout of the Bucks and took over as head coach of the
Bakersfield Jam in the
NBA D-League for the rest of the 2007–08 season. He returned to the Jam for the 2008–09 season and guided the team to their first playoff appearance.
After being sacked by the Jam,
he coached the NBA D-League Select Team during the 2009
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...
.
After a season as an assistant with the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
in 2009–10,
Roth served as assistant with the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
between 2010 and 2013.
In February 2014, Roth was hired by the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
to be assistant coach for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.
On July 29, 2014, Roth was appointed head coach of Spanish club
Baloncesto Sevilla. However, he was not granted a coaching license and therefore was not allowed to act as head coach during
Liga ACB
The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...
games. Roth ran practices and coached the team in its
Eurocup games, where Spanish league rules did not apply. His assistant,
Audie Norris, was officially coach of the team for Spanish league games. The team started 0–5 and the situation became untenable, which led to Roth's contract being terminated on January 22, 2015.
After serving as a scout for the
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
in the
2016–17 NBA season, Roth served as the head coach of the
Iowa Wolves in the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
between 2017 and 2019.
Between October 2019 and February 2021, Roth served as lead assistant coach of the
Perth Wildcats in the Australian
National Basketball League (NBL) under head coach
Trevor Gleeson.
He helped guide the Wildcats to the
NBL championship in the
2019–20 season.
Roth served as the inaugural head coach of the
Tasmania JackJumpers in the
2021–22 NBL season, winning the
NBL Coach of the Year and guiding the JackJumpers to the NBL Grand Final. In May 2022, Roth re-signed with the JackJumpers for three more seasons. In January 2024, he re-signed with the JackJumpers until the end of the 2026–27 season. He helped the team reach the 2024 NBL Grand Final series, where they defeated
Melbourne United 3–2 to win the championship.
National team career
In 2001 and 2002, Roth was an assistant coach with the
Turkish national team.
The team won silver at
EuroBasket 2001 in Turkey and competed at the
2002 FIBA World Championship in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
.
In 2007 and 2008, he served as the head coach of the
Dominican Republic national team,
earning a silver medal at the
2007 CBC Caribbean Championships in Puerto Rico.
In 2019, Roth served as assistant coach with the
Chinese national team.
Personal life
Roth and his wife Lorie have a daughter, Dene.
Roth graduated from
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in oper ...
with a degree in communications in 1995.
References
External links
NBA coach profileSpanish League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Scott
1963 births
Living people
Albany Patroons players
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American expatriate basketball people in Greece
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Anadolu Efes S.K. players
Bakersfield Jam coaches
Basketball coaches from Ohio
Basketball players from Cleveland
Dallas Mavericks assistant coaches
Detroit Pistons assistant coaches
Golden State Warriors assistant coaches
Greek Basket League players
Iowa Wolves coaches
Liga ACB head coaches
Liga ACB players
Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches
Minnesota Timberwolves expansion draft picks
Minnesota Timberwolves players
Panathinaikos B.C. players
Real Betis Baloncesto coaches
San Antonio Spurs draft picks
San Antonio Spurs players
Saski Baskonia players
Small forwards
Tasmania JackJumpers coaches
Toronto Raptors assistant coaches
Utah Jazz players
Vancouver Grizzlies assistant coaches
Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players