223 Intercollegiate Athletics Building l rdturner@uci.edu l  

Head Coach Russell Turner

Russell Turner is in his third season as head coach at UC Irvine in 2012-13 and he has turned one of the nation’s youngest teams into a veteran group this season.

His UCI team, with no seniors last season, won its first three Big West Conference road games and defeated second-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the conference tournament.

Michael Wilder was named to the All-Big West second team and Daman Starring honorable mention for Coach Turner last season.  Adam Folker became the first UCI player to earn the Big West "Best Hustle" award and Chris McNealy was named to the All-Big West Tournament team.

UCI ranked 22nd in the nation in assists (15.41) and 40th in three-point field goals per game (7.8) last season when the Anteaters were 12-20 overall and 6-10 to tie for sixth place in the Big West Conference.

Turner delivered an up-tempo style to the Anteater program in his initial season of 2010-11.

UCI ranked 33rd (of 336 teams) in the nation that season in scoring offense at 75.3 points per game, which led the Big West Conference and was the program's highest average in 16 seasons. The `Eaters were 50th in the nation in free-throw percentage at .735, which ranked second in the Big West, as did UCI's turnover margin (+1.62) and steals per game 6.7.

The `Eaters, who were 13-19 overall in Turner's first season, lost by just one point to NCAA Tournament participant UCLA (74-73) in December 2010 at Pauley Pavilion, and defeated Big West regular-season champion Long Beach State, 86-76, and eventual Big West Tournament champion UC Santa Barbara, 66-63, during conference play that season. UCI posted back-to-back, double-overtime wins over UC Davis and Pacific in February of that season to clinch a berth in the Big West Tournament.

Turner was named UC Irvine's head coach April 9, 2010, after serving the previous six seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association following positions at Stanford University and Wake Forest University.

Turner had numerous responsibilities under head coach Don Nelson at Golden State, including assisting with game planning, analyzing opponent tendencies and individual player skill development.

Turner also served as a coach for the Warriors' summer-league entry in Las Vegas the past five seasons. He has been an active participant in the NBA's international outreach camps, including Basketball without Borders, representing the league in Turkey, China and Lithuania. BWB is a program that uses basketball to create positive social change in education, health and wellness.

Turner was a member of Mike Montgomery's Stanford University staff from 2000-04 when the Cardinal had a combined overall record of 105-24 (.814), including 59-13 (.819) in Pac-10 play. Stanford won Pac-10 regular-season titles in 2001 and 2004, was ranked No. 1 in the polls both seasons, and advanced to the NCAA tournament each of Turner's four years, including the West Regional final in 2001.

The list of players he worked with at Stanford includes All-Americans Josh Childress, Casey Jacobsen, Jarron Collins and Jason Collins.

Prior to Stanford, Turned worked under Dave Odom as an assistant at Wake Forest University from 1994-2000.

The Demon Deacons won 161 games in those six seasons, advancing to the NCAA tournament three times, including the Midwest Regional final in 1996. Tim Duncan was a three-time All-American during Turner's tenure at Wake Forest.

Turner's first coaching position was as an assistant at his alma mater, Hampden-Sydney (Va.) College in 1993-94.

As a player at Hampden-Sydney, Turner was a two-time All-American (1991 & 1992) and set the school's career scoring record of 2,272 points. He was a member of Hampden-Sydney's first two NCAA tournament teams.

Turner, who was runner-up for NCAA Division III Player of the Year in 1992, was inducted into Hampden-Sydney's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

He graduated magna cum laude in 1992 with a B.A. in English and economics, and earned numerous academic honors including election into Phi Beta Kappa.

Turner is a native of Roanoke, Va. He and his wife, Elizabeth, a physician, have two children, Devlin and Darius.

The Turner File

  • Assistant Coach, Golden State Warriors
  • Assistant Coach, Stanford
  • Assistant Coach, Wake Forest
  • All-American, Hampden-Sydney (1991, 1992)
Turner Coaching Record
Year School Record Conf./ Finish  
2012 UC Irvine 12-20 (.375) 6-10/T6th  
2011 UC Irvine 13-19 (.406) 6-10/T7th   

 

 

Contact Coach Turner

Email: rdturner@uci.edu

Office: IAB 223
 

Associate Head Coach Ali Ton

Ali Ton is in his third season on the UC Irvine staff and was named associate head coach in the fall of 2012.

A highly-acclaimed recruiter in the U.S. and internationally, Ton was an assistant coach at Radford University for the previous three seasons. One of his recruiting highlights at Radford was All-American and two-time Big South Player of the Year, Art Parakhouski from Minsk, Belarus.

Radford reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09 for the second time in the school's history.

Ton is not a stranger to Orange County. He was a standout point guard at Los Alamitos High School, earning the honors of All-CIF and MVP of the Sunset League in 1995. He still holds the steals and assists record for the Los Al Griffins.

Ton began his coaching career at his alma mater, Davidson College, helping the Wildcats to the 2004 Southern Conference South Division regular-season title. Ton moved on to Western Carolina following that season and then to Binghamton University in New York for two seasons.

In the summer of 2005, he was an assistant with the Turkish National U-20 team that competed at the European Championships.

Ton was an accomplished point guard at Davidson, finishing his collegiate career as the all-time assists leader and second in steals. He helped the Wildcats reach the NIT Tournament in 1996 and the NCAA Tournament in 1998.

Prior to moving to the coaching ranks, Ton played professional basketball in Turkey for four years. In his final year of pro ball, he was a member of Galatasaray, one of the largest athletic clubs in the world. He is the son of Necmi Ton, who was a professional coach in his native country of Turkey.

Ali Ton earned his bachelor's in political science from Davidson in 1999. He and his wife Elizabeth, who is a Southern California native, have a daughter, Leyla.

The Ton File

  • Assistant Coach, Radford University
  • Assistant Coach, Davidson College
  • Assistant Coach, Turkish National U-20 team

 

 

Contact Coach Ton

 Email: tonac@uci.edu

Office: IAB 222

 

Assistant Coach Ryan Badrtalei

Ryan Badrtalei is in his eighth year on the UC Irvine men's basketball staff and fourth as an assistant coach.

He is in his third year as an assistant under head coach Russell Turner. Prior to being named an assistant in 2009 by former head coach Pat Douglass, Badrtalei served as video coordinator and director of basketball operations.

With the UCI staff, Badrtalei has roles that include recruiting, player development, scouting and academic coordination. He also has had the opportunity to develop players that compete professionally in the United States and internationally.

He joined the Anteater staff in 2005 after serving the previous two seasons as a varsity assistant and junior varsity coach at Capistrano Valley High School, his alma mater, under Brian Mulligan, the son of former UCI head coach Bill Mulligan.

Badrtalei graduated from UCLA in 2003 with a degree in psychobiology and a minor in education. While at UCLA, he was involved with both the men's and women's basketball programs.   Badrtalei was an academic counselor, peer mentor and was also on the Executive Board of the UCLA Student Alumni Association.

He was involved with various non-profit organizations focused on underprivileged youths in the Los Angeles area.  As a pre-med at UCLA, Badrtalei garnered experience working with professors on various research ventures in psychology and neuroscience.

He and his wife, Drue, a Long Beach State graduate and former U.S. National Water Polo team member, reside in Irvine.  Their son, Drayke, was born in July 2012.

The Badrtalei File

  • Eighth year on the UC Irvine men's basketball staff, fourth as an assistant coach
  • Has served as video coordinator and director of basketball operations
  • Previously worked with the men's and women's basketball programs at UCLA

 

 

Contact Coach Badrtalei

 Email: rbadrtal@uci.edu

Office: IAB 210

 

Assistant Coach Nick Booker

Nick Booker is in his second season as an assistant coach with the UC Irvine program, and third overall, after serving as the director of basketball operations in 2010-11.

Prior to joining the Anteater staff, he spent three years on the staff at Saddleback Community College, including the 2009-10 team that won the state championship. He served as Saddleback's interim head coach during the 2007-08 season.

Booker also served one season on the staff at Miramar Community College and prior to that he was at Vista High School in 2006-07, when he coached future NCAA Division I players Kenny Lawson (Creighton University) and Quincy Lawson (Loyola Marymount). He also coached one season (2005-06) at La Jolla High.

Booker was a three-year starter at Davidson College for Coach Bob McKillop, including the 2002-03 Southern Conference championship team and NCAA Tournament first-round participant against Ohio State.

He earned his B.A. in history from Davidson in 2006 and his Master's in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2010.

Booker and his wife, Jamila, have two sons, Philip and Kaleb.

The Booker File

  • Assistant Coach, Saddleback College
  • Assistant Coach, Miramar Community College
  • Three-year starter, Davidson College

 

Contact Nick Booker

Email: nbooker@uci.edu

Office: IAB 221

 

Director of Basketball Operations Michael Lenahan

Michael Lenahan is in his second season on the UC Irvine men's staff, serving as director of basketball operations.

In his position, he oversees the team managers, video operations, assists with travel and maintains the recruiting database, as well as working with program supporter outreach.

He previously worked for four years as head manager and assistant video coordinator at California, including 2009-10 when the Golden Bears on the program’s first Pac-10 championship in 50 years.

He played basketball at San Clemente High School and graduated from Cal with a degree in media studies.

 

Contact Michael Lenahan

Email: mlenahan@uci.edu | Phone: 949-824-3234

Office: IAB 221

UC Irvine Athletics, Crawford Hall, 903 W. Peltason, Irvine, CA 92697-4500
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