Maryland basketball staff: Nima Omidvar hired as director of basketball operations

Fear not, Maryland fans -- the Terrapins will have a full coaching staff in their first Big Ten season. Maryland has hired NC State video coordinator Nima Omidvar as their new director of basketball operations, with Cliff Warren receiving a promotion to fill the vacant assistant coaching position. The school announced both pieces of news in a press release.

Omidvar is a Maryland graduate, receiving a degree in economics in 2008. He has a background in coaching -- he was the head coach at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, winning a conference title there before moving on to assistant gigs with St. John's College High School and Paul VI. Before his time at NC State, he worked as a graduate assistant at Charlotte and as an assistant coach at Bowie State.

Omidvar also has some local recruiting ties beyond his experience in the D.C. high school coaching ranks. He helped form Team Takeover, one of the elite AAU programs in the nation, and coached players like Victor Oladipo, Talib Zanna, Jerian Grant, Michael Gbinje and Mikael Hopkins.

Some quotes from Turgeon on Warren and Omidvar:

“Cliff has been an outstanding addition to our staff this offseason,” Turgeon said.  “Soon after working with Cliff, I realized that I already had the best person in place to assume the role of assistant coach. He has made a seamless transition into our program and will continue to be a valuable asset with his strong ties to our region and his head coaching experience at the Division I level.  Throughout his career, Cliff has been recognized and well-respected for his knowledge of the game, his recruiting ability and his development of players on and off the court.” 

“We’re happy to welcome Nima back to the University of Maryland,” Turgeon said. “Nima is a great addition to our staff and it’s always exciting to bring back a member of the Terrapin family. His coaching experience combined with the inroads he has made in our community through his background in grassroots basketball makes him the ideal person for this position.”

Expect Warren to focus on recruiting the SE & some locally, while Omidvar will pitch in on campus. His local ties will help #Terps recruit.

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) May 20, 2014

Coming home to be a #Terp before this historic transition joining the #B1G10 under the well respected guidance of @CoachTurgeon is #B1GTime!

— Nima Omidvar (@NimaOmidvar) May 20, 2014