‘TOTALLY NORMAL’
Joerger comfortable as Grizzlies’ head coach from the opening whistle
As new head coach of the Grizzlies, Dave Joerger feels confident, comfortable and right at home.
NASHVILLE — Dave Joerger walked out onto the court, whistle hanging from his neck, wondering if he was really ready for the job to which he had ascended. No, not Tuesday, silly. Eight years ago. When Joerger became coach of the Dakota Wizards at the age of 26.
“That one was really nervewracking,” he said. This one? This one was just another day. This one was, well, let’s ask team leader Marc Gasol to describe it.
“Totally normal,” said Gasol. “We’re used to his voice. We’re used to his style and his energy. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”
So there you have it, sports fans. Joerger coached his first day of Griz practice and it was no big deal.
“I didn’t give it a second thought,” said Joerger.
Can we now stop asking the guy what it’s like to move from the assistant coach’s chair to the head coach’s chair?
That precise question has been asked of Joerger roughly 1,937 times since he replaced Lionel Hollins as coach. And I understand it too. Not many teams win 56 games, go to the conference finals and then replace the head coach with his assistant.
But you know the remarkable thing about the head coaching story so far at Griz camp? It’s not even really a story.
“We’re not worried about that, we really aren’t,” said Gasol. “We’re just trying to get better.”
This is not to say that Joerger will equal Hollins’ record in Memphis. Who the heck knows? Check back with me after this season, or after five seasons.
Coaching is a tough gig. You never know what is going to come up. Think Hollins knew that his first big test in Memphis would be coaching Allen Iverson?
There’s no telling how Joerger will handle his equivalent tests. We’ll have to watch as the season unfolds. But the obsession with Joerger’s ability to “find his
head coach is overwrought and a little bit crazy.
This isn’t Marc Iavaroni, who had never worked as a head coach before the Grizzlies hired him. This isn’t Josh Pastner when he first stepped in for John Calipari. Joerger coached more than 300 games in the minor leagues, winning two coach- of-theyear honors and five championships.
Small wonder he looked comfortable at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym Tuesday morning when he walked onto center court. Small wonder he ran a smooth, detailed and intentionally fast-paced practice.
“His self- confidence just flows out,” said Duane Ticknor, the new Griz assistant, who was head coach at Dakota when Joerger first arrived as an assistant. “The players know him. They know his knowledge, they know what he’s capable of, they know his enthusiasm. I think the first practice was proof. If anyone had any questions, they were answered this morning.”
This last part couldn’t be less true, of course. The questions about Joerger — or any head coach — can’t be answered in a single practice or a single season.
How will Joerger handle last minutes of games? How will he respond when a crisis arrives? Can he coach a team deep into the playoffs?
But this is not a guy who is learning on the fly. This is not a guy who has to figure out what he believes. Joerger has confidence in himself, and he has the confidence of his players.
Speaking of which, you know how Joerger survived that first season in Dakota? Back when he really was figuring it out?
“I made sure that the toughest guy in the locker room had my back,” he said. “His name was Willie Murdaugh. I’ll be forever indebted to him.”
OK, then. Who is the Willie Murdaugh on the Grizzlies? Has Joerger identified someone who has his back in the Memphis locker room?
The new coach thought for a long moment.
“All of them,” he said.