Reggie Theus is leaving New Mexico State to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, and that's a big loss for the Aggies. Anyone who watched New Mexico State had to be incredibly impressed with the way he turned the program around. His players played good, fundamental basketball, and watching his teams, you could see a bit of the influence of Rick Pitino, whose staff Theus coached on before he got the New Mexico State job. Theus was the topic of a conversation on ESPN2's First Take this morning, and it started out with Damon Hack and Skip Bayless correctly noting Theus's coaching and playing credentials. But then the conversation turned to whether Theus could handle Ron Artest in Sacramento, and Hack said he liked Theus's chances because of "the fact that he grew up in Inglewood, a very tough neighborhood." Bayless nodded approvingly and said, "South Central."
Hack and Bayless thought they were complimenting Theus, but that comment is bothersome. It implies that Theus was an effective coach at New Mexico State and will be an effective coach in Sacramento not because of his understanding of the game of basketball, but because of the neighborhood where he grew up.
If Hack or Bayless want to cite a specific instance in Theus's coaching career in which he successfully worked with a difficult player, that's fine. But it's wrongheaded to suggest that Theus's home town is integral to his coaching style.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-20-2007 @ 2:35PM
Derek said...
DUDE...YOU ARE WHITE. Stop assuming you know what they were implying. Take down your defender of the black race flag and accept that this is a positive thing for African Americans who want to coach at the proffessional level. Yes Michael, black coaches probably do understand the needs of black players better than white coaches, and believe me artest has a lot of needs. The stereotype comes from your bias. You made race into an issue, when it was really a possitive for African Americans. Come down from your tower and view reality.
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6-20-2007 @ 4:18PM
rank said...
Wow, I'm not certain I agree with this, and yes, I watched plenty of NMSU basketball this year. Theus benefited greatly from some transfers and he did do a great job of building a program. His talent level was higher than typical WAC teams, but I don’t think he out-coached Mark Fox or Stew Merrill. It has been clear from the outset that he set this team up for one season, similar to what Larry Reynolds did at Long Beach State. He could probably benefit from taking more time to really learn how to coach at a high level.
But hey, it’s the NBA, it’s not like these guys really respond to coaching.
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6-21-2007 @ 1:15AM
Alex said...
rank-
Dumbest. Comment. Ever.
Theus had an awesome recruiting class coming in. That's all thrown into the air now, but to say he set this team up for one year of success is ignorant.
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6-21-2007 @ 9:31AM
chas said...
I'm glad for anyone suceeding at what they love. Mr. smith I understand you saying what does where you grew up have to do with how you coach certain players. Did you see where someone posted quit trying to defend blacks, oh I guess if you didnt say anything you would be condoning stupid remarks , damned if you do damned if you dont
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6-21-2007 @ 12:46PM
rank said...
Alex, we'll see if Pope still comes to school. Look for him to play at a JC this year.
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6-21-2007 @ 3:26PM
Alex said...
Rank-
Well yeah, it's possible he may not be returning. The local newspaper says otherwise, but I'm still skeptical.
That doesn't matter as far as your comment regarding Reggie setting up the team for one year of success. That was the dumb comment.
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