Sunday, October 4, was my official kick off into the new season of the San Antonio Spurs.
From noon until 3pm, the organization held the second annual Gregg Popovich Coach the Coaches Clinic. Organized in part through the Positive Coach Alliance, they held a quick ice breaker before introducing Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. Johnson spoke about the values of the program and the importance of sharing knowledge. He spoke of the inspiration behind the event, Gregg Popovich.
While Johnson was speaking, Pop was escorted onto the court by Brett Brown. Johnson thanked Pop and then asked him to share a few words.
In typical Pop fashion, he spoke little of basketball, humorously stating “to some degree, it’s all bull$h!t.” Instead, he spoke passionately about creating relationships. He shared how both Dejounte Murray and Derrick White had called him in the years since leaving San Antonio to share gratitude for what they learned during their time with the Spurs. Pop emphasized that the goal is to “sustain the culture whether you’re winning or losing.”
They started their presentations with Dr. Guy W. Nicolette, Director of Sports Medicine who set a tone regarding health and well-being as the primary goals of sports, coaching, and competition. There is a wealth of knowledge on how many young players get injured and how many burn out on sports early on due to the pressures of the modern game.
There were presentations by Mike Noyes, Director of Player Development, Assistant Development Coach Jimmy Barron, and Lead Assistant Coach Billy Donovan. Each utilized members of the Veterans Memorial Men’s Basketball who attended to support in demonstrations. Coaches attending represented all age groups from elementary to collegiate teams, and the staff did a wonderful job of incorporating skills and philosophies universal to players of all ages.
The entire presentation was a bout two hours, but it went by so quickly, you feel as if they are just scratching the surface at a much larger swatch of information.
There was a break for a couple of hours while the rest of the 14,000+ fans who were slowly lining up outside prepared to enter the Frost Bank Center for the annual Silver & Black Scrimmage. The teams played four 10-minute quarters with continuous clock (minus time outs and the last two minutes of each quarter).
The Silver & Black Scrimmage is a wonderful launch into the preseason. Fans can see starters, rotation guys, new draftees, and camp invitees playing in a similar way to how they scrimmage in daily practice. For the most part, it is a laid back look into the inner workings of the players and their dynamic. There is also some insight into their behind the scenes personalities.
For the second year in a row, Keldon Johnson served as MC while the draftees participated in karaoke for the crowd. Jayden Quaintance and Maliq Brown both performed Drake tunes, Ja’Kobi Gillespie sang Chris Brown, and Tarris Reed, Jr brought down the house with a rendition of the classic Bon Jovi tune “Living on a Prayer.” Keldon threw Carter Bryant into the mix and sang with him until Luke Kornet stole the mic and the spotlight. It really is obvious how much these players enjoy one another’s company. And it looks like the rooks have found their footing in an already tight-knit group.
Three more days until preseason. If the excitement when Victor Wembanyama slam dunked was any indication, this is going to be raucous season for Spurs and fans alike.
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