Men’s basketball coach brings NBA, NCAA experience to Weber

In April, Weber State welcomed Kaleb Canales as head coach of the men’s basketball team.

Canales, the 11th head coach in WSU Division I history, spent the prior season as Troy University’s associate head coach, helping guide the Trojans to a 22-12 record, capturing the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament championships, and entering the NCAA Tournament.

Canales began coaching in 2001 as a high school assistant coach before moving to the University of Texas at Arlington for the 2003–04 season, where he helped lead the Mavericks

to a Southland Conference title.

He began his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2005 as a video intern. The team promoted him to video coordinator and then to assistant coach in 2009. In 2012, he served as the interim head coach for 23 games and became the league’s first Hispanic head coach. He also served as Portland’s head coach in the NBA Summer League. Canales later spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks (2013–18), followed by two years with the New York Knicks and one season with the Indiana Pacers. In 2023, he became associate head coach of the Texas Legends in the NBA G League. He also served as head coach of the Calgary Surge in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

Canales has participated in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program and served as associate head coach of the Mexico Men’s National Team.

“I’m very excited to welcome ‘K’ to the Weber State family,” said Damian Lillard BS ’15, NBA star and general manager of the WSU men’s basketball program. “As general manager, my goal is to help build the program to a high level, and someone with coaching experience at all levels, like Kaleb, is perfect for that.”