Kentucky Basketball hires new athletic trainer

Kentucky Basketball has a new head athletic trainer. Today, the program announced it has hired Geoffrey Staton, a UK alum with experience at the college, professional, and international levels. He will take over for Chris Simmons, who left UK to take the same job at Memphis, his alma mater.

“To perform at the high level we expect of our team, we need to make sure our kids are being monitored and treated at the highest level,” John Calipari said in a release from UK. “I’m confident Geoff’s experience in the NBA, with USA Basketball and at the college level will provide our players with the best care to perform at a high level and to maximize their athletic abilities. I’ve worked with Geoff during our USA Basketball trip in 2017 and know that Geoff has the same players-first approach that we ask of all of our staff. I also want to thank Chris Simmons for everything he did for us. I’m excited for Chris to be able to return home and I appreciate all that he’s done for us over the years. He’s family.”

Staton received his master’s degree in athletic training from UK in 2010 and worked with Calipari as the head athletic trainer during the FIBA U19 World Cup in Cairo in the summer of 2017. He most recently worked with the Phoenix Suns as an assistant athletic trainer, and has also worked at the University of South Florida (men’s basketball and men’s golf), the University of North Carolina (men’s and women’s swimming and diving and softball), and High Point University (men’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, and men’s basketball). He will manage the daily healthcare of the team and operation of the training room and work closely with head strength and conditioning coach Robert Harris to maximize the team’s health and athletic performance.

“I am incredibly humbled and excited to return to the University of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation,” Staton said. “Since attending graduate school here, UK continues to be a very special place to me. The Kentucky Athletics Department and Sports Medicine staff have great leadership and both have always invested fully in the safety, well-being and success of its student-athletes. Coach Calipari is a dynamic leader who challenges his players and staff to be the best version of themselves. To work with him again and be an active part of his staff and this historic basketball tradition is a dream come true. I am thankful and blessed to have this opportunity and cannot wait to get started.”

Welcome back, Geoff.

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