WEBVTT - TOM's Talks | Mike Fratello Looks Back on Coaching Doc Rivers 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:08.480 search seventy Sixers podcast wherever you get your pods. On 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:11.880 this edition of Tom's Talks, we visit with former NBA 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:15.480 head coach Mike Fritello. In a coaching career that spanned 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:18.759 thirty years, Fatello coach more than twelve hundred games in 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:22.520 the NBA. In nineteen eighty six with the Hawks, he 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:25.520 was named NBA Coach of the Year. It was in 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:29.960 Atlanta that Fortello coached then NBA rookie Doc Rivers. He 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:33.400 could see early on the leadership qualities of the seventy Sixers. 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.960 New head coach Fortello shares what Doc Rivers will bring 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.320 to the Sixers. He talks about his time in the 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:43.120 mid seventies as an assistant coach at Villanova and his 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:47.320 role as the lead analysts for NBC's NBA coverage when 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:51.279 he was dubbed the Tzar of the teleostrator. Mike Fritello 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:56.840 on Tom's Talks. Welcome to another edition of Tom's Talks. 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:01.480 We're joined by NBA coach Mike. Hello, and coach, thank 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:03.560 you so much for doing this. We appreciate it to 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:06.920 join us from outside Cleveland, Ohio and back in the 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:09.400 in the mid eighties, you were the head coach at 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:12.880 the Atlanta Hawks and now the sixties head coach Glenn 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:16.200 Doc Rivers was a rookie in the NBA. If I'm 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:18.520 not mistaken, you were in your first year with the Hawks. 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:22.840 What did you see and the young player from Marquette 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:26.160 in Doc Rivers in the way of you know, like 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:30.360 leadership capabilities as a rookie player with you know, a 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:32.760 lot of confidence coming into your program with the Hawks 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.080 at that time, Tom good to see probably if it's 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:38.480 okay with you, give you some background on the situation 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:41.319 how Doc wound up in the spot that he did. 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.320 When I got the Atlanta Hawks job, it was a 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:52.200 team that was old, overweight, slow, but smart enough to 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:55.040 know just how to win fifty percent of day games 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:58.360 therefore qualify for the playoffs. And that's not what it 0:01:58.400 --> 0:01:59.920 was supposed to be all about. When we were at 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.680 about thirty eight hundred people per game in the sixteen 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:07.760 thousand seed Dominie, so we made a decision to start 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:12.480 over again. So in that first draft, we decided we're 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:16.640 going to try and come up with some young guys speed, quickness, athleticism. 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:19.000 We had one there that wasn't too bad that we 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:22.160 had done a trade with Utah, and that was Dominique Wilkins. 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:26.480 So we decided to keep Dominique and keep Tree Rollins. 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:30.040 Probably a good decision with Nique. Don't you think what 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:36.320 happened was when they hired me. Okay, there was an 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:41.799 agreement made between Atlanta and Chicago that Atlanta would give 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.359 Kevin Lockery, who was the head coach at the time, 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:49.560 permission to talk to Chicago about their opening that they had. Well, 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:52.840 when they hired Kevin, they said, well, we'll come up 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:56.600 with some compensation down the road. Both teams agreed on it. 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.400 Now I get the job, and I had remembered reading 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:03.000 something about compensation down the road. So I said to 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.680 the general manager, when we get in that compensation and 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:07.919 he goes, well, you know, we'll come up with like 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:10.000 a second round pick or something. I said, let's get 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:12.959 it right now, because I'm thinking about I mean, I'll 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.520 be there very long. Let's get what we can. So 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:18.760 we get the compensation was a second round pick. And 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.120 we're watching the names drop and as we had everything 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:26.120 lined up by position, point guard, two guards, small forward, 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:31.040 here's Doc Rivers, Glenn Dock Rivers, name dropping, and Doc 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:33.280 had been promised by a club that he would be 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.080 picked in the top ten players. Well they didn't keep 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:39.080 their word, and he's dropping and dropping and we get 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.960 to pick I think it was thirty one in the 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:46.280 second round, and here's Doc's name up there. I just said, look, 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:52.240 this guy is six four strong. We have to take 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.600 this guy. He's just like he's there. We gotta take him. 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:57.720 So we take him. And I never forget how angry 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:01.160 he was when I called to say, hey, Doc, congratulations 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:04.080 and I am so upset. And they told me and 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:07.880 I said, whoa Doc, I said, we picked you. I 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:10.280 love you. I said, come here him, show them that 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:12.280 they were wrong, show him that you're a great player. 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:15.480 And he eventually made the All Star team and led 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:18.040 our team for seven years at the point guard position. 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:21.320 So that's how we wound up as an Atlanta Hawk. 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:24.240 And you could tell from the beginning we wanted to 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.320 start him from day one, but we just felt we 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.599 had a veteran there, Johnny Davis, and we were trying 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:32.560 to move Johnny to another situation where he could win 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:34.520 some games. We knew we were going to start over 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.679 and build with young guys. So we waited for that moment. 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:42.040 The opportunity moved Johnny on and part way into the season, 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.560 that's when Doc took over as our starting point guard. 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:47.920 And you knew right away him he commanded the respect 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:50.800 of his teammates because of his work ethic. It was 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:53.479 not afraid to ask a question, a tough question, not 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:56.400 afraid to say, hey, couldn't we do it this way 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:58.800 instead of that way? What are the reasons we're doing 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:01.440 it this way? And I would not be surprised if 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.640 Doc went home after practices and wrote stuff down and 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:07.720 filed it away in his three ring notebook, knowing that 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:10.560 someday I might like to go into coaching. And this 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:14.440 is how it's turned out. When Doc was in Milwaukee, 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:16.800 Don Nelson was the coach of the Bucks, and he's 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:20.720 told the story before that, you know, even at Marquette 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:22.720 as a sophomore in a junior and this would be 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:25.840 totally outlawed by today's NBA. And I'm sure it was 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.160 even on the downlow back then, but he actually practiced 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:31.960 with the Bucks and I'm sure that informed his decision 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:35.120 a little bit about going to the NBA. But he 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:38.440 already had the confidence to know that he in part 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:41.839 play in the NBA based on that a little bit, 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:43.960 and so you saw a bit of a more polished 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:48.359 player than maybe a typical rookie player. Correct. Doc was 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:50.200 the first one to tell me, look, I was this 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:52.120 big when I was in high school. He said, I 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:54.479 was bigger than most of the guys. And he said, 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:56.760 you know, I was blessed with a strong body in 0:05:56.800 --> 0:06:00.080 this six three six full frame that he had, so 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:01.800 that gave a little bit of an advantage. And then 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:05.520 he was my locomotive. He We had two point guards 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:11.200 with that group. Doc was the the big, strong, slow 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.200 fast break guy, and then I had Spud Web behind him, 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:17.360 who was the sprinter. With that second unit, we had 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:21.479 ten deep with that group. So with Doc's group we 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:23.919 would run and if Dominique was ever out in front, 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:26.679 the idea was get him the ball in the open 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:29.640 floor and let him go. So Doc would pitch ahead 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:33.080 and Nick had the one man fast break, whereas Spud 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:34.960 was so fast with the ball in his hand, he 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:39.000 would just blow by everybody to create situations. But you know, 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:41.679 Doc was that straight line take it to the basket 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:45.679 overpowered people, and as he improved, and as his shooting 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:49.320 improved from the perimeter, we became a better team. That 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:53.800 training camp that particular season was in Charleston, South Carolina, 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.599 at the College of Charleston. John Crest opened up the 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:58.200 gym for you guys, and you came in there. I 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.400 remember Spud took it elbow from Tree. I was there 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:04.839 too as a television reporter in Charleston, and cut his 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:07.279 whole face hop and I'm like, man, at five to 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:09.080 seven or whatever, this is probably gonna have this kid 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:12.640 all the time. It didn't really do that, but that's 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.080 a pretty good combination in terms of Spud, Web and 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.600 Doc and I just shared that story. But Rivers to 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:20.640 come in there, and you had, like you said, some 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:24.480 veteran players, and even though the leadership maybe would have 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:28.760 grown and made itself evident later in his career, but 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:31.200 just to have the moxie and the wherewithal to step 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:32.680 into that group and as you say, it's said a 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.520 certain point takeover as a point guard. That right there 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.080 showed that he was a leader with a lot of confidence. Correct. 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:41.560 We had a built We had a young, wild group 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:45.400 of guys when we first put everybody together, and you know, 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:48.640 these were high energy, guys could go twenty four hours 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:51.679 a day, and sometimes they did go twenty four hours 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.000 a day and we paid the price the next night. 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:56.920 But Doc was the one that could talk sense to 0:07:57.000 --> 0:07:59.800 them and they would listen. They were all around the 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.960 age at that time twenty two twenty three, twenty four 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:07.480 years old, very athletic, and we were very deep as 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:10.560 a roster. But Doc's voice was the one that in 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.880 the locker room he could talk to them and saying, hey, listen, guys, 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:16.320 hold on a second, we don't get too excited. Let's 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:19.440 talkless over, Let's think about it. Here's the other side, 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:22.040 here's why Mike is doing this, here's why the staff 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:24.880 wants us to do this. So I think because of 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.920 the respect that they had for Doc coming out after 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:31.760 his junior year, that they would listen to him, and 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:35.280 most of the time to do with Doc would recommend it. So, 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:38.760 as you said, he's been a quick study over the years, 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:42.280 and he played for yourself and Larry Brown and pat 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:46.640 Riley and learned a lot. And then when do you so? 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:49.320 Maybe this is all that that body of work and 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:52.120 experience led to him being a very good tactical coach 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:55.480 with the xs and os. Did you see that? And 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:58.240 being a point guard or a quarterback certainly helps in 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:02.240 that realm. Did you see that? Well? They've always said 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:05.000 that point guards wind up moving on and becoming good 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:09.600 coaches if they decide to stay in the profession. But 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:12.920 when players are willing to ask questions, when they're not 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:16.959 just standing there nodding their head, Okay, this is how 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:21.040 we're doing it, When they're wanting an answer as to 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:24.120 why we're doing it this way versus another way, it 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:27.079 probably means a couple of things. One, they probably had 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:30.120 very good coaching before they got to you, so it's 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:32.360 making them remember what they used to do or how 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:34.920 they used to do it versus how you're telling them 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:38.440 to do it now. And then maybe thinking down the 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.520 road that someday I might want to get into this. 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.880 Tell me why we're doing it differently, what makes you 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:45.760 a way better than the other way? Or why are 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:48.720 we doing it this way tonight? Why are we changing 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:52.559 tonight from what we did last week against this other team? 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:57.000 All part of the inquisitive mind that makes the guys 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:01.199 research study and trying to come up with answer. How 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:03.520 do you think doc Rivers will do as the head 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:08.320 coach of the Philadelphia seventy six ers. I've been asked 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:10.720 that question a number of times now since Doc got 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:15.040 the job, and I hope people understand what my answer means. 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:19.680 I've said it depends what the players decide they want 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:23.679 to do. Doctor's going to give them everything that they 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:28.199 will want and need to be a big time winning program. 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:32.480 But it's how the players go about what he asks 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:36.200 them to do that will make the difference. Doctor's gonna 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:38.280 run good at stuff at the offensive end of the 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:42.320 floor side and underneath that abouts three point plays, end 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.840 of the game plays, Doc has a bunch of them. 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:47.439 They execute him very well, and he pulls the right 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:51.560 card out usually at the right time. Defensively, they will 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.880 be very solid because he's played for a number of 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:58.199 coaches that have emphasized defense, and the NBA now has 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:00.760 come to switching so much of the stuff that if 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.480 you learn his techniques and you understand when time to 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:07.160 switch and not time to switch, that will all simplify 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:09.720 the game for them. But if they don't want to 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:11.560 put the work in, if they don't want to put 0:11:11.600 --> 0:11:14.520 the effort in, if they don't want to sacrifice beyond 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.960 when they're on the practice court, do the film study, 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:20.240 do the extra work, come in on the off days, 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:22.959 get extra shooting in. Then they're not going to be 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:25.600 a championship team. No matter who you have coaching him, 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:28.360 the team is not going to get to the level 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:30.840 that they could get to. So you have to be 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:33.960 willing to accept the new staff coming in. You have 0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:37.079 to be willing to accept what Doca is saying to you. Understand, 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.280 he's done it, and he's done in a number of 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:42.439 times that he's won an NBA championship as a player 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:45.320 and as a coach. Well, now he's trying to take 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:47.840 this and pass it on to you. And if you 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:49.839 take it and run with it and do the things 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:53.800 he said and put more than just an even mess 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:57.560 effort out there, then you got a chance to be good. 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.120 But if you don't buy in to what he's asking you, 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:05.559 if it's false hustle, if it's false camaraderie, then it's 0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:07.160 not going to mean anything in the end. Look what 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:09.720 happened to the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs. 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:12.600 All they talked about was how good the zoom calls 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.360 were and how close they were, And that wasn't the truth. 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:18.880 They were fooling themselves and Doc knew it. You could 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:21.680 hear in Doc's press conferences. There was always something in 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:26.040 the press conference, in his honesty that you knew something 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:29.040 else was going on, that this wasn't one hundred percent. 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:31.360 And look what happens in the end, they get knocked 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:35.240 out earlier than anyone expected. Great answer, Coach, This is 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:37.360 kind of a general question. And again, you were an 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:39.520 NBA coach of the ear and did it well both 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:43.560 in Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis. What does it take to be 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.319 an NBA head coach? And I know some of it, 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:49.360 but because and you just addressed a lot of it 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:51.840 with what Glenn Rivers is going to bring to the Sixers. 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:54.600 But you know, because sometimes you get the guy at 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:56.520 the end of the bar is like talking about maybe 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:59.160 some of Phil Jackson's teams with Phobe and Shack or 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:01.960 Michael Scottie, I could have coached them, And I'm like, 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:03.880 I don't say that, but I want to say, you 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:05.679 couldn't even gotten into the room. You would even be 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.160 able to walk in the room. So you have to 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:10.560 you have the players have to know that you're going 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:14.160 to help them. But respect like that to me you 0:13:14.200 --> 0:13:16.400 can't even get in there and look them in the 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.920 eye unless they you have their respect, because that popical 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:24.040 list or right in there, without question, the players must 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:28.480 respect what the head coach is doing. As a head coach, 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:31.240 I think there's a certain amount of confidence that you 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:34.720 have to have. You have to have a game plan 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:39.200 in your mind of how you teach coach basketball. How 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.240 much do you practice, how hard? How long? You have 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.880 so many people now in analytics that are telling head 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.840 coaches do this, do that, give them off tomorrow. Don't 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:50.560 give them off tomorrow. You're practice them too long. You 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:53.040 need to practice longer than not in shape right now, 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:56.120 You and your own mind have to have an idea 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.480 of what's right what's wrong. And to me, I always 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:04.760 felt surrounding yourself not only with better players because better 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:08.160 players win more games in the NBA bottom line, but 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:11.680 I thought surrounding yourself with the right staff was so 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:15.640 important to me. I was blessed in all three places 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:17.839 that I was a head coach. I thought I had 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:21.760 outstanding assistance. I think eleven or thirteen went on to 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.080 become head coaches, and that means they must be pretty good, 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.520 and that means they're helping you. So if you get 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.320 guys around you that are helping you, giving you good ideas, 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:34.840 good suggestions, if they're experienced, and if you're willing to 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:37.720 listen to them, then you've got a chance of really 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:40.600 turning out a pretty good finished product. I think Doc 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.440 is more than willing to listen to his good assistance. 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:46.960 He's out outstanding guys along the way, and now he 0:14:47.000 --> 0:14:49.120 takes over a new group that has to listen to 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:52.680 what Doc is preaching because it's pretty darn good. We'll 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:56.080 have more of my conversation with Mike Fritello after this. 0:14:57.080 --> 0:15:01.000 In this time of social distancing, Nova Care Abilitation is 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:04.280 offering physical therapy from the comfort and safety of your 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:08.920 home through their new tell a Rehab program. Novacare will 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:12.560 virtually bring their services to you so you may heal, 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.680 build strength, and get back to the things you love. 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.800 Tell a Rehab let you easily connect with one of 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:23.760 Novocare's licensed therapists through web based technology that is Hippo compliant. 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:28.320 For more information, visit novacare dot com. Now back to 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:31.640 my conversation with Mike Vitello. We're going to go into 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:35.480 the wayback machine and go into the almost the beginning 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:37.760 of your coaching career. After a stop here and a 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:40.920 stop there, you ended up right outside Philadelphia here at 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:45.720 Villanova with Rollie Massamino, and we're an assistant for the Wildcasts. 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:47.960 I know you stay close to the program through Jay. 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:50.840 Talk a little bit about that time in your career 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:56.440 and working for coach mass one of those special situations. 0:15:56.640 --> 0:16:00.440 And I never was a coach anywhere that I was 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:03.440 that in my mind, I was saying, any year in 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.040 two years, I want to be a head coach somewhere. 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.160 I always felt that it would come along at the 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.200 time and I would know it was the right time. 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:13.640 So when coach mass had come after me the first time, 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:16.720 I had made a commitment to a coach named Lou 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.840 camp and Ellie down at Madison College. He was starting 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:23.560 the men's basketball program down there, a new situation, and 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.040 Lou had said, if you come with me, the only 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:27.880 thing I'm going to ask is that you stay for 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:30.400 two years. Well, at the end of the first year, 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:33.960 Roli gets the job of Villanova. Lou used to be 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:37.840 Rollie's assistant in high school. So Rolie closed low and said, 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:41.280 can I talk to Mike Fritello and Loui was like, well, 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:43.560 you know Roli, and Rolie's like, ah, come on, Loui, 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.400 what are you kidding me? Go Nova at Madison College. 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:48.440 So Luis said, okay, talk to him if you want. 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.760 So Roli drove down to Madison College. We had dinner 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:55.600 that night, breakfast the next morning. He said, what do 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:59.200 you think and I said, Roly, I can't come. I said, 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:01.600 I promised I would stay for two years. And I said. 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:03.560 We had a handshake, and that with me. That's all 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:05.960 you have to do. If I shake your hand, that's 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:09.000 it for me. So Rolie was like, okay, bump in 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.040 the car and he drove back to Villanova. I stayed 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.800 with lou two more years, and then Rolie lost a 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:18.320 couple of assistants, came back called again. I came up 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.240 there and it was just three of the greatest years 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:23.919 of my life to be with Rolie, to watch the 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:27.240 basketball knowledge and his teaching ability, and to be able 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:29.919 to take that Villanova program which had struggled for a 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:33.680 couple of years, and be part of the turnaround which 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.359 then eventually led to that championship that they wont I 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:40.000 had moved on by then, But to me, it's an 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.520 experience that I still stay in touch with Jay right 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:45.720 all the time. You know, Rolie had passed away and 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:48.879 then Mary Jane, his wife passed away recently. But the 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:53.600 children and their children, it's a family. Just like Jay 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.960 preaches all the time. Villanova basketball is all about family, 0:17:57.400 --> 0:17:58.919 and that's what it is. I think when you go 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:00.920 there and watch their program them, you see the type 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:05.560 of young men that they have. My godson was picking 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:09.280 between two schools and I said, you know, you need 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:12.359 to think about Villanova as one of them. So the 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:14.840 third school came in, which is Villanova, and that's where 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.880 he is right now in year number two, a manager 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:21.280 for the basketball team on the coach right. So, like 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:23.280 I said, there's a lot of ties and a lot 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.600 of pride in that program. Absolutely well said. And I've 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:29.359 seen your picture with a coach in the Davis Center. 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:32.399 What And that was obviously a special time for you 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:36.320 there at Villanova. But if there was a time in 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.800 your career where you could say, man, that was center 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:42.880 cut right there, I wish I that that situation would 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:47.159 stay that way. In other words, your fondest memory, whether 0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:50.280 it's the eighties or just that that period that was 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:53.200 your sweet spot your group. You had some really good 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:56.240 teams there in Cleveland. What would you reflect back on 0:18:56.359 --> 0:18:59.159 it as you think back and remember, man, that was 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:01.400 an unbelievable It was maybe the prime of my career. 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:05.760 That was my best stop, if you will. There's probably 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:08.840 two situations that jump out. The one in Atlanta where 0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:12.560 when we lost Game seven by two points to the 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:16.240 Boston Celtics. That great Game seven with Larry Bird and 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:19.200 Dominique Wilkins had the shootout between and one at thirty 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:22.240 four thirty six and had forty six forty seven. I 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:25.520 think Nick had at that moment. We were a young 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:31.520 Hawks basketball team, and what happened is, you know, front 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:35.800 office ownership and the excitement of wow, we got two 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:39.280 points away from moving on to the conference finals. Tried 0:19:39.320 --> 0:19:41.680 to do a little too much. Didn't realize how much 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:45.440 chemistry meant to that team. So we added two pieces 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:49.800 that were all star players, but we lost our chemistry, chemistry. 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:52.280 It was like we had an all star team rather 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:55.200 than having a real team and the stuff that goes 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:59.159 into the team. And it was a shame because I 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.400 thought we had a shot. Just be patient, just add 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:04.359 a little piece here, a little piece here. Let these 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:07.320 young guys grow and develop. Another year or two, we 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:09.320 may have been at the top of the Eastern Conference, 0:20:09.320 --> 0:20:11.760 but we elected to go for it at that moment, 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:14.400 and you never know. Injuries could have knocked anybody out 0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:16.679 of the lineup. So I understand what they're thinking was 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:18.440 at the time, but I wish I had that back 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:22.119 to do over again. And then we got to Cleveland, 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:26.399 and after rebuilding twice because of injuries, we had a 0:20:26.440 --> 0:20:32.080 group that we started three freshmen, three rookies, and the 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:34.359 fourth one actually did start, but I asked him to 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:37.199 come off the bench. So we had four rookies that 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:39.840 made the Rookie All Star Game at one time was 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:42.840 the first time it had ever happened in the NBA, 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:46.520 and it was Brevin Knight, Derek Anderson, Cedric Henderson, and 0:20:46.600 --> 0:20:50.800 Zudrunas Ilgauskas were the four rookies. And we put Sean 0:20:50.920 --> 0:20:53.480 Kemp with that group, and they won forty seven games 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:58.000 with four rookies, Sean Kemp and Wesley Person playing the 0:20:58.040 --> 0:21:01.080 majority of the minutes. I said, this group we got 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:05.600 a bright future, and unfortunately we had a lockout season. 0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:10.520 Sean Kemp got hurt and that was the end of 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:12.959 broke his foot. That was the end of my career 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.399 in Cleveland, which was a shame because I thought that 0:21:15.520 --> 0:21:17.400 group could have really gone on if we kept them 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:21.359 all together and done a lot of damage at ease. Well, 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:24.680 and this is obviously speaking to you, but to me, 0:21:25.080 --> 0:21:29.040