June 10, 2011
STEINMETZ ARCHIVE
WARRIORS PAGEWARRIORS VIDEO
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Matt Steinmetz
CSNBayArea.com
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Don't be telling new Warriors coach Mark Jackson that he doesn't have any experience. He'll tell you he has plenty of it. He may never have been a coach before, but to hear Jackson speak, it's clear he believes his experiences playing for some of the best coaches in the game are as valuable -- or more so -- than putting in time as an assistant coach. Jackson, who has been working as an analyst for ABC and ESPN, has certainly played for some great ones.It's an impressive list: Lou Carnessecca, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley, Larry Brown, Larry Bird, Jerry Sloan, Jeff Van Gundy and Lenny Wilkens -- among others.RELATED: W's Jackson: Bay Area 'will never be the same'
Here's what Jackson said about some of those coaches, and what he learned from them.Rick Pitino: "He is the best coach I've ever played for. What he did was instill in me that I was a great player. He instilled in me confidence, and I would run through a wall for him. Made me believe when I had no business believing. That's what coaching is all about."Whether it was Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, John Stockton, whoever was at the other end of the floor, it didn't matter. But I believed because of the confidence that my coach instilled in me that the other guy was the second-best point guard on the floor. I will submit to you today, I had no business believing that. That was a lie."But I will also submit to you that I put myself in the position to be successful because the confidence level that my coach had in me, the believe he had in me and what he was willing to tolerate and not tolerate."Larry Brown:"Great X and O's coach. Could draw up a play at the drop of a hat. Knew high school sets, college sets, his own sets. He knew reads. He was really a guy who was never satisfied. That was negative but it was also a positive because it made us players never become satisfied."Jerry Sloan: "I didn't have a great time in Utah but I learned how to get a team organized and how to get prepared where you play hard every, single night."Larry Bird: "The thing he did that I give him credit for is that he didn't act like he knew everything. He being Larry Bird, Hall of Fame player, he could have had an ego where he acted like he knew what he was doing even though he didn't. Instead of exposing himself, he was secure enough to hire an offensive and a defensive coordinator and he let those guys coach. And it worked for him."Pat Riley: Just a great basketball mind. I had the opportunity to play for him early in my career, and I learned so much from him.What'syour take? EmailMattand let him know. He may use it in his Mailbag.