Meet the New Assistants

Johnny's Takes... Magic coach Johnny Davis offers the following assessments on his new assistants, plus a comment on Paul Westhead, the only returning coach from last year's staff: Paul Westhead "He's arguably the best there is in terms of having ideas of fastbreak basketball. It's a style of play that I always enjoyed and a style of play that puts relentless pressure on the defense. I like movement, I like quickness, I like being able to do those things and he's the guy who can bring some of those things to the table for us because he's done it for the last 40 years." Ron Ekker "He's a very experienced coach whose niche is defense. He's a guy who has been on the defensive side of the ball his entire career. That's his specialty, that's what he really enjoys. He brings a lot of valuable input into that side of the ball." Clifford Ray "He is arguably one of the best teachers of big men in the industry. He's a guy who played in the NBA, understands the position. He brings a wealth of knowledge in terms of how to develop a big man and that's very important to us, especially with a young man like Dwight Howard on our team." Chris Jent "A young, up-and-coming coach. Was an assistant coach at Philadelphia last year and is a guy who will at some point become a head coach himself as he develops. Has just an incredible feel for the game, incredible way of communicating with players and a real high-energy type guy." Morlon Wiley "I really had a chance to see his work ethic and got to know him [in Atlanta] in terms of his personality and what he brings to a team. He's a guy who understands the backcourt, playing the point guard position as well as the off-guard and small forward. He brings that knowledge to us in terms of being able to get out on the floor, along with Chris Jent, and not just say it but demonstrate it."

The image and direction are now all Johnny Davis'. A nearly complete overhaul of the Magic roster coincided with the same for the assistant coaching staff. When Davis was appointed head coach Nov. 17, he worked with the assistants who had been hired by former coach Doc Rivers.

Every head coach, however, wants his "own guys." Davis now has his after making four hires this off-season, keeping only Paul Westhead from last year's staff.

"It gives me a chance to really set the foundation the way I think it should be set," Davis said. "And that's not to disparage the previous coaching staff or the way we did things. I was obviously a part of that. But all of us were brought in to complement Doc and to help him in terms of what he was trying to do. "When the shift came and I became the head coach, then it became important that we do things the way I want to do them, shaping the team the way I felt we could make progress as a team. And I wanted to be able to bring in guys who complemented me as the head coach and to bring in players who play the style of basketball that I like to play and coach and teach."

Davis sought assistants who he says are true teachers of the game. He feels he got just that in hiring Ron Ekker, Chris Jent, Clifford Ray and Morlon Wiley. "I think it's a great collection, just a super staff," Davis said. "They all have something unique they bring to our staff and our players. I just think the chemistry between us and the things that we're focusing on is just really special."

Morlon Wiley: Blast from past
In a lot of ways, it's like 1989 all over again for Morlon Wiley.

He was part of Orlando's first transaction when he and 11 other NBA players were chosen in the expansion draft to form the inaugural team's foundation. Everyone -- coaches and players -- were relatively new to each other, sort of like it is now, 16 seasons later.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, says Wiley who played in 74 games during the Magic's first two seasons and nine of a third year before signing with Atlanta.

"You kind of become a band of brothers and everyone wants to do their best and is jockeying for position as far as leadership and making an impression on coaches and the organization," Wiley recalls of the attitude in 1989. "It just seems that you have guys playing harder when everyone's new. That kind of motivates guys because you don't have a lot of baggage. It's like 'what I did last year doesn't matter now. I have a clean slate.' "

Wiley will rely on some familiarity and history, however, with Davis. The two crossed paths when Wiley arrived in Atlanta where Davis was an assistant. The former NBA point guard tutored Wiley on the ways of the position and the league.

"Johnny used to stay in my head," Wiley recalls.

There was a mutual positive impression formed then that led to this summer's reunion in Orlando.

"It's the trust issue," said Wiley, who spent the last four years working as part of Dallas' player development staff. "He knew me as a player and a hard worker and I knew him as a coach and a hard worker and nothing has changed over the years.

"I'm looking for the opportunity to learn and grow. Not only is he a good person, he's a good coach and he has championship experience [with Portland in 1977]. I want a piece of that. I want to know what that's all about and how do we transfer our knowledge as coaches to these players to do what we need to do to be successful."

Wiley's main charge will be working with a backcourt that includes NBA all-star Steve Francis and college player of the year Jameer Nelson, plus Cuttino Mobley, Keith Bogans, DeShawn Stevenson and Hedo Turkoglu. It's a solid group that Wiley says will benefit greatly from bonding together, sort of like that unit did in 1989.

"We lost quite a few games that first year but we played hard," Wiley said. "It was a great bunch of guys who said 'you know what, we're going to make this thing work.' "

Chris Jent: Special delivery
Moving a family from Philadelphia to Orlando is one thing. Unpacking and getting an 8-year-old acclimated to new surroundings and school take on added elements of challenge when they're done on the brink of back-to-back hurricanes.

But Chris Jent is staying on his toes. There's one more event coming that's bigger than anything a storm could throw his way. His wife, Alice, is due with the couple's second child.

"It does not get any easier but it is more exciting, though," said Jent, whose son is named Jimmy.

Jent comes to Orlando after spending one season on the 76ers' staff. He played professionally for 10 years, splitting time between international leagues in Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece, the CBA and the NBA. The former Ohio State standout was part of Houston's 1993-94 NBA Championship squad and also played a season with New York.

All other challenges aside, Orlando presents an opportunity that Jent didn't have to think over too long, despite only having met Davis for the first time this summer.

"I think everything is right about this," Jent said. "It's a great opportunity for the coaching staff. I really like Johnny and was familiar with the other coaches. It was a quick fit."

Jent defines his role as "kind of a jack-of-all trades thing," listing player development and game preparation among his top priorities. As far as he's concerned, it's never too early to begin understanding all you can about your opponent.

"Normally, this down time [before training camp] is used to better yourselves and to be as prepared as possible," Jent said. "There are a lot of changes that have gone on during the off-season but you need to be prepared for what teams want to do against you.

"A great advantage for us [as a new staff] is you can set precedence, you can do things the way you want to do it and it's fresh for everyone. You can just come in and say, 'OK, this is how it's going to be done for the course of the season, from day one.' I think that's a great advantage."

Ron Ekker: Recruiting reversal
It took more than 30 years, but Ron Ekker finally is on the same court with Davis.

Ekker and Davis share a history that dates to when Ekker was the head coach of West Texas State and Davis was on his radar as a top recruit. "I thought we were going to get him but at the last minute he decided to go to Dayton," Ekker said.

Davis said it was difficult turning down Ekker but the coach left an impression that remains strong in the former point guard's mind.

"I was impressed with Ron Ekker," Davis said. "I remember listening to him talk about how he viewed the game and how he liked to play the game. I thought even at that point 'this is the style of basketball that I like to play.' I gave serious consideration to joining his team."

With Davis now playing the role of recruiter, he brought in Ekker to shape and solidify Orlando's defense. Davis likens Ekker, a 35-year coaching veteran, to a defensive version of Paul Westhead, Orlando's veteran offensive specialist.

Ekker, who most recently was an assistant in Cleveland from 2001 to 2003, can't wait to get started with his newest challenge, one that includes turning around a team that struggled defensively last season. Opponents averaged a league-high 101.1 points against Orlando, with the Magic also ranking last in steals and blocked shots.

Ekker doesn't flinch at the task ahead.

"I realized it was somewhat of a precarious situation in that they didn't have a real good year last season but I've been in those situations before and, as coaches, usually those are the situations you get into," said Ekker, who was with Dallas for 10 seasons before joining Cleveland.

"I have a lot of confidence that Johnny will do the right thing to get this thing going. My decision to come here was based on him. I believe he can make this happen."

Clifford Ray: Tutor to the stars
Orlando didn't wait long in making sure prized lottery selection Dwight Howard had a personal NBA tutor. This post-draft task was assigned to Clifford Ray, who spent more than a month with Howard, including time in his hometown of Atlanta, and remains on the teenager's speed dial.

Ray comes to Orlando with a wealth of coaching and playing experience, particularly as an NBA big man. He played 784 games in 10 years with Chicago and Golden State, making his marks in rebounding and shot blocking.

But he's discovered a skill of teaching young players such as Howard more than how to box out an opponent. Ray has worked with the likes of NBA players Erick Dampier, Adonal Foyle, Shawn Bradley, Chris Webber and Carlos Boozer.

"When you're trying to develop a young player, you have to be able to have that player believe in you as well as you believe in him," said Ray, a member of the 1971-72 NBA all-rookie team. "You also have to be able to work with them in the trenches to a point where they don't want to disappoint you. That takes a lot of time and a lot of effort but that's what you have to do today because the players are so young.

"I feel like I know what it takes to take a young player and develop him. It works."

So what are the initial impressions of the Magic's future centerpiece?

"I think Dwight Howard is a quality young man," Ray said. "His values and what he wants to accomplish and everything else pretty much is directly in line with his family and our team. He's a lot further along than a lot of young kids that I worked with when I started out with them. He's also getting his education on things that he sees and he doesn't want to be as a player."

Ray, who also is working closely with another Magic big man -- 7-foot-1 Mario Kasun -- feels his message can spread throughout the team.

"What I can bring to this organization is to get them to understand that we're in this together and we're a close family and we're a small circle," Ray said. "When we succeed, we succeed as a group. When you fail, you don't make excuses. You dust yourself off and you get back up.

"The formula is not that complicated and there's not that much difference in talent. You have one Shaquille O'Neal, you have one Kobe Bryant, one Tim Duncan and a lot of other great players, but it takes 12 guys working together night in, night out with one thing in mind, just like you saw with the Detroit Pistons."

This article originally appeared in the October 2004 issue of Magic Magazine.