Mike Malone Q&A

Q: How was the camp experience for you?
A: It was great. I really had an opportunity to interact with the players. Scouts sit up in the stands and watch, and I think it’s invaluable when you get a chance to talk one-on-one in a teaching and learning atmosphere with these players. You get a chance to meet the guys and see what kind of attitude they have. All those things are really valuable insights.

Q: How did you get picked to coach?
A: The league selects based on experience. There were quite a few people who tried to get in there this year, so to be selected was an honor for me. It also helps our franchise because there’s a great chance that the player we take with the 43rd pick will have played in Chicago. I will have worked with him, and I’ll be able to offer some insights that we wouldn’t have if I hadn’t worked the camp.

Q: Did you have any role in choosing your team?
A: No, the organizers of the camp tried to make the six teams as even as possible. They assigned me to a team. Recently, they’ve changed it from years past. It used to be that a coach worked with the same team for the whole week, but things were getting too competitive. Some coaches were back in the hotel, having practice in their rooms. That’s not the spirit of the camp. We want these kids to be able to showcase their abilities to all the teams in the NBA. So this year each coach worked with three teams.

Q: You coached at Manhattan and Luis Flores ended up on your camp team. Coincidence?
A: Yeah, it just worked out that I was able to coach him at the camp, and both Luis and I were happy about it. We have a terrific friendship we’ve built over the years. Obviously, I’m biased. I love Luis. I think he had a great week and really helped himself.

Q: Were there any other players you knew?
A: I recruited Delonte West very hard out of high school, and he had narrowed it down to Manhattan College and Saint Joseph’s when he was deciding where to go. So I’m good friends with Delonte and his family and his high school coach. I coached at Providence College for three years and I recruited Ryan Gomes out of high school and I know his AAU coach very well. Having the relationships that I have with Luis, Delonte, and Ryan was nice because I can give them some information to help them out. It’s good for them when they have someone they know and trust. [Note: Ryan Gomes, an early entry candidate, has withdrawn his name from the Draft.]

Q: Did you practice with the team at all before you went out on the court?
A: The players all flew in on Tuesday morning and we went over to the gym on Tuesday afternoon. We spent about two hours with the team, and introduced three offensive sets. All the teams ran the same offense. The first night there were no games played, but players scrimmaged and got a chance to meet their teammates and learn the sets.

Q: How did the rest of the week play out?
A: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday had pretty much the same setup. The kids came over in the morning, and three teams went through shooting drills, a one-on-one station, a two-on-two station and a scrimmage station. When they were done, the other three teams came on and did the same stuff. Each of the six teams played one game per day. All 30 NBA teams had people there watching all the drills and they look at these guys under a microscope. Do they have a good work ethic? Do they pay attention? It’s easy to play hard when the game comes, but the scouts really look at the whole picture. It’s a long process for the kids.

Q: Do you think your experience at the camp will allow you to give some advice during the draft?
A: At the end of each day, after the games were over, I met with our scouting staff that was out there and we talked about the team that I had just coached. We didn’t necessarily talk about their basketball ability, because the scouts have seen these guys and watched their tape. Where I can help is if we’re considering a player and I’m asked, “You had him in Chicago. How was he? What was your gut feeling? Was he a good kid? Good attitude? Selfish? Competitive?” Unless you’re really with a guy, it’s not easy to decipher all those things. I’m the only guy on our whole staff that had a chance to interact with these guys one-on-one. We ride the buses to the games with these kids and stay with them at the hotel, so it’s not just on the basketball court where we get a chance to be with them. You really get to know them.