This is EXACTLY what is wrong with college athletics. As coaches, the most important thing is to show our players the importance of being a present parent and spouse. This is RIDICULOUS… and it is extremely off putting to see the excitement he has when telling this story.

Stan Van Gundy turned down $37,000 to make $7,500 because his dad told him to choose responsibility over money “It’s 1983, And I ended up with two job opportunities at the same time. I could have gone as the assistant at Dartmouth… That job was paying like $37,000. Or I could go as the head coach to Castleton State, which was a Division III program, for $7,500 bucks a year. So like a five-times difference.” “I remember calling my dad. He said, ‘If you want to coach, take the responsibility over the money.’ ‘You’re 24. You don’t need the money.’ He said, ‘Once you have more money, you’ll never go backwards, so then you’d never take a job like that again.’” “He said ‘The bottom line is $7,500 is good for you because if they were paying more, you couldn’t get it!’ He said ‘They’re stuck with you a $7,500 and 2 years of experience. And so that’s what I did.” “And the opportunity to be a head coach, and inherit a really good team at that level, was great. And with great people who virtually every single one of them I’m still in touch with now. And again, learned a lot from them in terms of how to coach. I came in with all the answers… My dad would say ‘If you got all the answers, it’s only because you don’t know all the questions.’ I remember thinking that’s so true in any job. “It was great experience to be able to coach my own team. I was two years older than most of the players… It’s still the most fun I’ve ever had coaching, and I’ve coached a ton of NBA teams.”

Free agency is here and, right now, my TL is all LeBron, all day. Where's he going, what are the Warriors doing, etc. That's fine. He's LJ. I get it! But I'll tell you what I'm actually watching, and it isn't LJ and marquee guys. It's the OGs. Don't get me wrong, I love this young NBA. These kids are so skilled it's almost unfair, and athletic in a way that's crazy. Different game now. A better one in a lot of ways, and I mean that. Here's my thing, though. When I came into the league I didn't know anything, not really, and it was the vets who raised me. Guys like Ervin Johnson and Lindsey Hunter and Ray Allen taught me how to carry myself, how to be a pro on the nights nobody's watching. Taught me about money. Shoot, taught me about golf, about how to be a man. I needed that. Most of these young guys need it too, whether they know it yet or not. So yeah. Harrison Barnes going back to San Antonio, that one was obvious. Russell Westbrook getting tied to DC? I love it for AJ Dybantsa and them. And if you've got a young roster you're trying to grow, you have to call a Khris Middleton or a Mike Conley. Get somebody in that locker room who's seen it, lived it, and can pass on that knowledge. They can still give you minutes, sure. But that's not really why you sign them. You bring them in for the kid who's got all the talent in the world and no idea what to do with it yet. The vet pulls him aside when the coaches can't. Shows him the little things nobody teaches you in college. Shows him how to play the game, but also live the life. Each one teach one. That's how it used to worked in the NBA. Let's make sure the young guys get that same guidance.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐚!! 🏀 Help us welcome, new assistant coach Alishia Mosley! @CoachAMosley 📰: dsuhornets.com/staff-directo… #DareToBe #Unleashed