WEBVTT - Adjusting to a Late-Season Change

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<v Speaker 1>There's eight games left until the playoffs, and then all

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<v Speaker 1>of a sudden one of your assistants leaves. What do

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<v Speaker 1>you do? I've learned under a coach who has navigated

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<v Speaker 1>the most radical, most debated rebuilding the history of professional sports,

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<v Speaker 1>and I take a lot from this. My relationship with

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<v Speaker 1>Brett Brown has been one of God's most tremendous blessings

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<v Speaker 1>on my life, and I thank Brett for his confidence

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<v Speaker 1>and commitment to me. Billy Lang is now the head

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<v Speaker 1>coach of the Saint Joseph's University Hawks. Look at how

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<v Speaker 1>the seventy Sixers have gone about replacing him on this

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<v Speaker 1>episode of the broadcast. Follow out There, seventy Sixers pod people,

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<v Speaker 1>Hope you are doing great. Three seed all wrapped up

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<v Speaker 1>down in the Eastern Conference. Team beat the Chicago Bulls

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<v Speaker 1>convincingly needed to see a nice, solid victory, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Sixers got that on Saturday at Chicago. The Boston Celtics

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<v Speaker 1>then lost to the Orlando Magic on Sunday at ted Garden,

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<v Speaker 1>and as a result, the Sixers they were able to

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<v Speaker 1>secure their magic number and the three seed for a

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<v Speaker 1>second straight year in the Eastern Conference playoffs. We won't

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<v Speaker 1>know until Wednesday night, the regular season finale. Whether the

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<v Speaker 1>six will play either the current sixth seed Brooklyn Nets

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<v Speaker 1>or the Orlando Magic, which are right on the nets heels,

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<v Speaker 1>they could wind up in a tie when it's all

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<v Speaker 1>said and done. They could flip flop spots. Who knows.

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<v Speaker 1>They're currently equal in the standings, but Brooklyn has the

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<v Speaker 1>head to head tiebreaker, So in other words, stay tuned.

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<v Speaker 1>Still got some time before we sort out who it

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<v Speaker 1>will be the seventy Sixers open up with in the

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<v Speaker 1>first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. To subscribe to

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<v Speaker 1>our podcast feed, We're gonna be all over it come

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<v Speaker 1>the postseason. Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, tune in,

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<v Speaker 1>anywhere you get your favorite podcast. Pocketcast is another one.

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<v Speaker 1>Just go there, type in Sixers podcast network that will

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<v Speaker 1>take you to our feed. My goal was to put

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<v Speaker 1>this piece together for our previous episode of the podcast

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<v Speaker 1>last week, but sometimes the best laid plans are just

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<v Speaker 1>that they lay dormants. They don't go anywhere. But I

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<v Speaker 1>still wanted to get around to doing this commentary at

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<v Speaker 1>some point, so I figured why not now when the

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<v Speaker 1>schedules in a bit of a lull, there's a holding pattern.

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<v Speaker 1>Sixers have got the three seed locked up and there's

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<v Speaker 1>two games of no real consequence left on the schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>But what is of consequence, especially as things move forward,

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<v Speaker 1>is how the look on the sideline for the seventy

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<v Speaker 1>Sixers has changed. It is not every day that a

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<v Speaker 1>team is in position to identify a new assistant with

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<v Speaker 1>two and a half weeks to go in a regular season,

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<v Speaker 1>especially with the playoffs right around the corner, but such

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<v Speaker 1>was the case for the seventy Sixers. After Billy Lang

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<v Speaker 1>essentially had to go right, he could not turn down

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<v Speaker 1>the opportunity to become the new head coach of Saint

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<v Speaker 1>Joseph's University. Is background, where he's been, what he's all about,

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<v Speaker 1>it was the perfect opportunity. First, we want to give

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<v Speaker 1>a huge congrats to Billy. He's been so helpful here

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<v Speaker 1>on the pod over the years, and we are thrilled

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<v Speaker 1>that he's got this chance to lead one of the

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<v Speaker 1>proudest programs in the country. The day the news was announced,

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<v Speaker 1>he coached his final game with the Sixers, an important

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<v Speaker 1>win over the Brooklyn Nets brought with it a special

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<v Speaker 1>ring of the seventy Sixers. Postgame, a locker room victory beat.

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<v Speaker 1>By the time Billy Lange was done pulling the rope

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<v Speaker 1>attached to the miniature metallic bell, he was so dassed

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<v Speaker 1>with the water from aquafin to bottles emptied on him

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<v Speaker 1>by T. J. McConnell and some other players. Then, after

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<v Speaker 1>an appreciative fist pump and embraced with Brett Brown, it

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<v Speaker 1>was time for some sincere, heartfelt reflection. It's been a

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<v Speaker 1>blessing to coach you guys. It's a real out. I

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<v Speaker 1>grew up in the city at the be here and

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<v Speaker 1>just be any sort of part of it, whether it

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<v Speaker 1>was the process or this championship running. You guys are

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<v Speaker 1>capable of going learning from you guys, helping develop some

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<v Speaker 1>of you guys, being with you when you were injured,

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<v Speaker 1>working for you, learning from you guys, being a part

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<v Speaker 1>of a support staff that loved my family whenever I

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<v Speaker 1>needed him. This is a blessing. Take advantage of what

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<v Speaker 1>you got. Man. This will never be It won't always

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<v Speaker 1>be here found you Philadelphia seventy six Ers. With that

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<v Speaker 1>Lang's and pactful tenure with the seventy six Ers had

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<v Speaker 1>come to a close when a Brett Brown's original hires

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<v Speaker 1>Lang's influence can't be overstated. He was as instrumental in

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<v Speaker 1>fostering a winning culture behind the scenes as he was

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<v Speaker 1>in changing the club's fortunes on the court. Every ebb

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<v Speaker 1>and flow of Brett Brown's coaching tenure Lang experience too.

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<v Speaker 1>He had Brown essentially knew nothing of each other outside

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<v Speaker 1>of professional reputation before they joined forces in twenty thirteen,

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<v Speaker 1>and a successful partnership grew from there. We all accepted

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<v Speaker 1>what we were going through. No one signed up for

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<v Speaker 1>this in twenty and thirteen without an idea of what

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<v Speaker 1>it was going to be. We might not have known

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<v Speaker 1>the depths of it, but we understood what we were undertaking.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's left a real sense of humility, and you

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<v Speaker 1>get to this point and you actually feel like you

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<v Speaker 1>build it to come to this. He's the son of

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<v Speaker 1>a coach. He was a head coach at I think

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<v Speaker 1>twenty three. He knows Philadelphia in this area intimately. He's

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<v Speaker 1>highly respected by coaches all over the place, especially in

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<v Speaker 1>this area. He's a man of integrity. I think the

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<v Speaker 1>pairing of him in Saint Joe's for sort of even

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<v Speaker 1>spiritual reasons makes sense. I think he's just gonna take off,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think that the timing in his life is

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<v Speaker 1>ripe to accept this and grab it right by the

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<v Speaker 1>throat and take off with it. Lang wasn't only appreciated

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<v Speaker 1>by his coaching peers, but players as well. He was

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<v Speaker 1>the type of coach who would in value over for

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<v Speaker 1>Thanksgiving dinner if you had nowhere to go, even if

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<v Speaker 1>you are a Canadian. Here's a text we got from

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<v Speaker 1>former seventy six or Nick Stauskus, who is Canadian, right

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<v Speaker 1>after the news of Lang's hiring by Saint Joseph's became official. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>Billy had us over for Thanksgiving a few years ago.

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<v Speaker 1>The food was amazing. We got to spend some time

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<v Speaker 1>with his wife and kids. I'm really happy for Billy.

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<v Speaker 1>He was one of the hardest working and passionate coaches

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<v Speaker 1>I've played for. He has the kind of personality and

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<v Speaker 1>spirit that's well suited for college head coaching. So I

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<v Speaker 1>think Saint Joseph's made a great decision. There were plenty

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<v Speaker 1>other acts of kindness that Lang was involved with as well.

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<v Speaker 1>For one player, he'd serve as a supportive companion to

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<v Speaker 1>a place of worship. I'm so happy for hum. He's

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<v Speaker 1>my family to me who's been here since I got here.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I'm really close to his whole family, kids, his wife,

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<v Speaker 1>then clude people. We sometimes you spend time together and

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<v Speaker 1>then someone to time we go to church, so we've

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<v Speaker 1>gone closer the past fall five years. I'm extremely happy

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<v Speaker 1>for him. That's big Tom. I told him that definitely

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<v Speaker 1>gonna go check him out. Whatever. Octo Lang provided a

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<v Speaker 1>complete package. But just like that he was gone and

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<v Speaker 1>the Sixers were left in need of a replacement. We

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<v Speaker 1>found out Delay is going to be taken the job

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<v Speaker 1>at Sanchez. How do you address on the fly, like

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<v Speaker 1>who do you see stepping up and taking all different responsibilities?

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<v Speaker 1>Right um, rarely like when you're about to lose somebody

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<v Speaker 1>when things come up, do you feel like this makes sense?

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<v Speaker 1>Like it's a natural fit? What was the fit who

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<v Speaker 1>made the outcome of this scenario such a win win?

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<v Speaker 1>If you're the type of fan who follows these sort

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<v Speaker 1>of things closely, you might have noticed not noticing Jim

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<v Speaker 1>O'Brien much this season. The respected wise veteran coach took

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<v Speaker 1>on a new role this year as Brett Brown Senior Advisor.

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<v Speaker 1>As a result, he willingly gave up a spot of

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<v Speaker 1>the front row, so Brown couttet more flexibility structuring this

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<v Speaker 1>year's staff. Jim O'Brien, the former seventy six ers head

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<v Speaker 1>coach before last year, oversaw the franchises winning a season,

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<v Speaker 1>says the two thousand and one finals run. He was

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<v Speaker 1>Brown's answer to have Jim O'Brien, you know, still with

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<v Speaker 1>me in a conciliatory type role, has been with me

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<v Speaker 1>all season to be able to take, you know, a

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<v Speaker 1>former head NBA coach and a man of his experience

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<v Speaker 1>that has been with me and knows me in the

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<v Speaker 1>system and the plays and say, okay, coach, you know

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<v Speaker 1>you're now coming in and sitting on the front of

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<v Speaker 1>the bench again and assuming you know, sort of that

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<v Speaker 1>leadership area with a defense it all fits. Really, is

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<v Speaker 1>it that palatable? Listening to Brown talk about O'Brien, it's

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<v Speaker 1>clear there's a high degree of respect that Brown holds

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<v Speaker 1>for the kind yet no nonsense Philadelphia native. There's a trust,

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<v Speaker 1>even a reverence. Perhaps, Notice how Brown refers to O'Brien

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<v Speaker 1>as coach with a capital C. Last summer, when O'Brien

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<v Speaker 1>was modifying his responsibilities, Brown was open to just about

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<v Speaker 1>any idea that O'Brien had. There was only one result

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<v Speaker 1>that Brown wanted more than anything, and that was to

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<v Speaker 1>keep the sixty seven year old Saint Joseph Alum involved anyway. Anyhow,

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<v Speaker 1>I sort of explored with him, how can I hold

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<v Speaker 1>on to you? Because he's a wealth of knowledge. He's

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<v Speaker 1>different than anybody on my staff. He's a man's man,

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<v Speaker 1>you know. It was all about how do we keep

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<v Speaker 1>you in the program and still sort of somebody that

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<v Speaker 1>I personally can go to as a sounding board. He

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<v Speaker 1>is my sort of confidant and you know, type of

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<v Speaker 1>mentor type of conciliatory, type of role. Jim O'Brien's life

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<v Speaker 1>has essentially been built out of peach baskets, hardwood, and

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<v Speaker 1>perforated orange leather. His basketball pedigree is lengthy, prestigious, and

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<v Speaker 1>a reflection of his roots. His path reads like a

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<v Speaker 1>history book of Philadelphia hoops. I've been in love with

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<v Speaker 1>this game of basketball for many, many years, and it

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<v Speaker 1>all started when I was eight years old. Having coaches

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<v Speaker 1>that had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm taught the values

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<v Speaker 1>of the game, but most importantly, taught the fundamentals of

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<v Speaker 1>the game. Here are some of the Highlights from O'Brien's resume,

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<v Speaker 1>mark Word Award winner at Roman Catholic, three year starter

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<v Speaker 1>at Saint Joseph's during the Mike Banton days, playing for

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<v Speaker 1>Jack McKinney, a season as a coach at Maryland under

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<v Speaker 1>the legendary Lefty Drizzelle, then back to his alma mater

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<v Speaker 1>on the staff of Harry Booth before joining former Penn

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<v Speaker 1>player and coach Dick Harter at Oregon. Later on, O'Brien

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<v Speaker 1>would link up with Rick Patino, first with the New

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<v Speaker 1>York Knicks, then at Kentucky, and also with the Boston Celtics,

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<v Speaker 1>where O'Brien ultimately replaced Patino as head coach. O'Brien took

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<v Speaker 1>the top job with the seventy six Ers in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and four, led the franchise to a forty three

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<v Speaker 1>and thirty nine record. He then coached the Pacers for

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<v Speaker 1>four seasons and served as a Dallas assistant twenty twelve

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<v Speaker 1>twenty thirteen. O'Brien belongs to both the Saint Joseph's and

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<v Speaker 1>Big Five Hall of Fame. He's married to the daughter

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<v Speaker 1>of the iconic Jack Ramsey. He's a bona fide part

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<v Speaker 1>of our City's great basketball lord. If I had a list,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe the top five players by position that I've ever

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<v Speaker 1>coached in the NBA might look something like this. Alan

0:11:20.679 --> 0:11:23.600
<v Speaker 1>Irvison at the point, Paul George at the two, Paul

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<v Speaker 1>Pierce at the three, Dirk Navitsky at the four, and

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<v Speaker 1>Patrick Gowing at the five. Well, what's interesting about these players?

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<v Speaker 1>They all love the game, but they all need to

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<v Speaker 1>be taught the fundamentals of the game, almost on a

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<v Speaker 1>weekly basis. So if O'Brian wasn't on the bench the

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<v Speaker 1>past five months, what was he doing exactly? Just about

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<v Speaker 1>everything else that comes hand in hand with being an

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<v Speaker 1>assistant coach. O'Brien still is in office at the seventy

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<v Speaker 1>six ers training complex and captain. He still tended practices

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<v Speaker 1>and shoot arounds on a regular basis and took part

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<v Speaker 1>in coaches meetings. His voice most definitely carried away. He

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<v Speaker 1>just wasn't seen as much publicly. That is, and this

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<v Speaker 1>is why O'Brien's whereabats during games. We're back in the

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<v Speaker 1>locker room. Coach has the benefit back here of a

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<v Speaker 1>delayed monitor. My first year in San Antonio, when I

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<v Speaker 1>sat behind the bench, I had access to a delayed

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<v Speaker 1>monitor right behind pop And what a six second window

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<v Speaker 1>gives you is just incredible ammunition. Like you're right. You

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<v Speaker 1>think you see something in a game, and you look

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<v Speaker 1>at the monitor and you know he either gets confirmed

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<v Speaker 1>or something different. And so coach lives in home games

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<v Speaker 1>back here with a delayed monitor, and you know, we

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<v Speaker 1>come in at halftime and he's got a wealth of

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<v Speaker 1>information or things happen in a game, and he will

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<v Speaker 1>send out different thoughts as the game's unfolding. I'm always

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<v Speaker 1>like in private meetings with him, just he and I

0:12:56.679 --> 0:13:00.680
<v Speaker 1>just talking. After every game, I get an incredible report

0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:03.280
<v Speaker 1>of like what he saw, and so it's a collaborative

0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.160
<v Speaker 1>type of thing that he and I especially have. He's

0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:08.920
<v Speaker 1>a mentor to a lot of our young coaches. He's

0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:11.040
<v Speaker 1>in every one of our coach's meetings, you know, and

0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:13.240
<v Speaker 1>speaks when he wants to be heard. And so the

0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:17.840
<v Speaker 1>transition from Billy Lang to Jim O'Brien is really quite seamless.

0:13:18.920 --> 0:13:21.800
<v Speaker 1>Given how long O'Brien's been at it, over four decades

0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.719
<v Speaker 1>in the business, it really does seem natural to see

0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:28.840
<v Speaker 1>him back out there engaging with fellow coaches. Calm yet

0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:33.160
<v Speaker 1>deliberately delivering instructions and tips to players. There's no doubt

0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:36.199
<v Speaker 1>O'Brien's doing what he was put on this planet to do.

0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:40.160
<v Speaker 1>The passion continues to burn because he really doesn't have

0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:42.000
<v Speaker 1>to do with this. Does he like his career? He

0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:44.400
<v Speaker 1>speaks for itself. So what do you think like Petson's

0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:48.920
<v Speaker 1>own at this stage of his life. I mean three things. First,

0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:54.079
<v Speaker 1>the love of the game, he loves basketball. To the relationships,

0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:57.640
<v Speaker 1>you know, staying around a team, interacting with each other.

0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:01.000
<v Speaker 1>And I think three the competition, you know, the joy

0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:03.360
<v Speaker 1>of competition. To get him back with me on the

0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:07.920
<v Speaker 1>bench after Billy Lange left is fantastic. Instead of scrambling,

0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:10.880
<v Speaker 1>the seventy six Ers coaching staff has just kept on

0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:14.280
<v Speaker 1>keeping on. The routines and rhythms have stayed the same.

0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.760
<v Speaker 1>For Brett Brown, having assistance who know their X and

0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:20.880
<v Speaker 1>o's is of course important, but being surrounded by good,

0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:25.280
<v Speaker 1>trustworthy people, whether that's Billy Lang or Jim O'Brien, that

0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.960
<v Speaker 1>is what Brown considers to be the ultimate backup plan.

0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.160
<v Speaker 1>I have a great staff. I think that we have

0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:33.160
<v Speaker 1>bases covered. I say that out of respect for the

0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:35.840
<v Speaker 1>people that I have and also recognize that Billy brought

0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:38.320
<v Speaker 1>a lot to the table, there's no doubt about that.

0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:41.400
<v Speaker 1>But I just feel like it's a rare thing that

0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.120
<v Speaker 1>has happened. It's going to be good for everybody, and

0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:48.720
<v Speaker 1>I think that that we have bases covered all things considered,

0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:50.760
<v Speaker 1>a good spot for the seventy six ers to be

0:14:50.840 --> 0:14:54.200
<v Speaker 1>in at such a late stage of the year. Thanks

0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.600
<v Speaker 1>for checking out this episode of the podcast. Next time

0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.400
<v Speaker 1>we speak to you on the Pot it will be

0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:02.600
<v Speaker 1>a playoff gave you audition coming out later this week.

0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:04.960
<v Speaker 1>Should be sure to check your feeds and stay tuned.

0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:06.320
<v Speaker 1>Talk to you that see him