34-year-old Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins assembled his own coaching staff in the offseason, and that includes former WNBA star and Notre Dame assistant Niele Ivey, who had high praise for one of the NBA's youngest skippers.

Ivey, 41, left her role on the Fighting Irish's coaching staff earlier this month to become the seventh female assistant currently serving in the NBA.

Via David Cobb in the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

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“[Grizzlies head coach] Taylor [Jenkins], sitting down and talking with him about his vision, he's really big on fostering a competitive, unselfish, positive environment for his players,” Niele Ivey said. “He's very development-oriented.”

Ivey portends to be highly involved in Memphis' player development, an area that will likely need plenty of attention due to the youth-leaning roster the front office has assembled. Just in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies left with second overall selection Ja Morant and 21st overall pick Brandon Clarke—two of college basketball's top players in 2018-19.

Further, Memphis has other important, but young, contributors on the team post Grit ‘n' Grind era for Jenkins and Ivey to toil with: Jaren Jackson Jr. is a promising big man who made the All-Rookie first team; De'Anthony Melton is a workable point-guard project acquired from the Phoenix Suns; and Josh Jackson is a lottery talent cast away by the Suns who could be turned into a premier wing defender.

Ivey and Jenkins will have their hands full as they try to turn the Grizzlies franchise around and back into perennial Western Conference contenders.