The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Coaching career is in Sexton’s future
Cavaliers guard has watched his father, brother as coaches
Collin Sexton, just 21years old, already knows exactly what he wants to do when his basketball career ends.
Collin Sexton, just 21 years old, already knows exactly what he wants to do when his basketball career ends.
The Cavaliers second-year guard and eighth overall pick of the 2018 plans to transition into coaching when he no longer has that lightning quick first step to the hoop, when time robs him of the skills he began to flash before the novel coronavirus ended the 2019-20 season for the Cavs and seven other teams that are not part of the NBA’s restart plan next month.
“I love that part,” Sexton said on a recent Zoom conference. “Just growing up, seeing my dad coach and my brother coach as well. It just gives me the joy they used to have helping kids no matter what the age was.”
Sexton said he would be open to coaching at any level — middle school, high school, college or the NBA.
“Honestly, just being more than a coach and not just a coach in many ways (is important),” Sexton said. “You can teach, whether it’s on the court or off the court, but I just loved that part of the game, just because once this is all over, I’m definitely going into coaching. I want to change and help people’s lives in many ways.”
But first things first. Sexton has a lot of basketball in front of him before he trades in his jersey for a shirt and tie, and if all goes well he will spend many of those years in a Cavaliers’ uniform.
Kevin Love was on a Zoom conference before Sexton. Love was asked which player went beyond what he expected from the beginning of the season until it was abruptly halted with 17 games remaining. Love did not pause to answer.
“For me, naturally that’s Collin,” Love said. “He’s just such a competitor. He’s infectious to be around. It’s very seldom I’ve seen somebody work so hard in this league to get better.
“I think the game slowed down for him. I believe he saw the game open up so much because he’s so easy, so fast and so heavy and finishes so well within 15 feet.
“He really started to look around and kind of find out where he can distribute the ball as well.”
Perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps not. But Sexton had a season-high nine assists on Feb. 22 – the second game J.B. Bickerstaff coached after John Beilein resigned. He averaged 20.8 points a game in 2019-20 after averaging 16.7 points as a rookie.
Sexton’s growth was stifled by the season ending five weeks early. The Cavaliers’ season would have ended two months ago had the season played to its conclusion. Sexton is hungry to get it going again — not just for himself but for the entire team. He does not want the momentum built to be wasted.
“I feel like we definitely need to get back in the gym and maybe have a two-week training camp for the team, maybe play five-on-five with the guys and just get that chemistry back just because we’ve been separated for a very long time. I know it’s kind of tough to wait until November when training camp comes back around.”
The Cavaliers won six of their final 12 games after winning only 13 of their first 53 games.
“He’s just such a competitor. He’s infectious to be around. It’s very seldom I’ve seen somebody work so hard in this league to get better.” — Kevin Love, on Collin Sexton