Raptor coach opens up on movies, poetry and the pursuit of happiness
Raptors coach Dwane Casey says he is “excited” and “at peace” with the team that will hit the floor for the start of training camp. Casey, who has been an NBA coach in Seattle, Minnesota and Dallas, rates Toronto as his favourite pro basketball city. The 56-year-old, who has two children, Justine, 5, and Zachary, 2, with wife Brenda, revealed his innermost thoughts when he talked to the Star about his hopes, loves and regrets. Here’s an edited version: Why do you think Toronto would be a good NBA all-star game host? I’m biased, but Toronto is a great, vibrant sports city. It’s one of the tops in North America. And people don’t realize how passionate the fans are about basketball here. There are great restaurants, hotels and it’s a safe city. What is your favourite NBA city? I like New York. It’s a great NBA city as far as fan support. To me, it’s still second behind Toronto. I feel we have a great basketball city and players enjoy living here. Who are you most like? Whew! Oh, man. I would say probably Rick (Carlisle) more than anyone else right now because that’s who I’ve been with most recently. And we do a lot of the same things here that we did in Dallas. What would Raptor fans, players and the public be surprised to learn about you? I get emotional at movies. I think The Butler was the last movie I got emotional at. It was powerful. What’s your go-to karaoke song, or favourite piece of poetry? I have a favourite poem. From Rudyard Kipling. It’s called L’Envoi. I had it in my office when I was coaching at Kentucky but somewhere in the move, I lost it. But I want to get it back again. The premise of it is you work through things, you outwork people, you’re not doing it for the money, you’re doing it for the love of work. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Spending a day with the family, somewhere quiet, watching movies with the family.
Full interview at thestar.com