Assisting Avery: Krystkowiak's College Experience
September 1, 2010
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—
During a recent workout at the PNY Center, standing underneath the basket and observing Petro’s form, assistant coach
“You’ve got to start making them before you get confident, but you certainly have you start with the fundamental mechanics of it,” Krystkowiak says. “I always thought I gave myself a chance, because I had a coach one time talk about how you wanted to, if you were shooting a free-throw, do this (makes a rigidly vertical shooting motion), because if you were making a machine out of metal, it would be in a straight line. I might miss it short and I might miss it long, but at least I’m alleviating that (swings shooting elbow side-to-side) from the equation. So this (motions again) is like a robot, and the rest of it is up between the ears.”
Krystkowiak (say it with me: Kris-STOV-ee-ack) has the playing experience (nine NBA seasons for six teams, 1986-97) to know why this advice proved sound, but was open to learning it and filing away the knowledge before drawing upon it and finding a way to effectively impart the tips as a coach. That process is one he hopes will continue to serve him well during his time with the Nets, where he joins
“Larry brings a little bit different strength that Sam doesn’t bring because he was a college coach, and a very good college coach for two years at Montana,” Johnson says. “And with us being a team that’s basically going to have one of the lowest average ages of any NBA team, we’re basically a college team in a lot of ways. So you need somebody who brings that college flavor, and that’s one of the things I was most attracted to Larry about. His playing career was great, and yes, he had a short stint as an NBA head coach and an assistant coach. But I wanted that college experience.”
In two years at his alma mater (2005-06), following assistant stints there (’98-00) and at Old Dominion (’01-02) along with one year as head coach of the CBA’s Idaho Stampede, Krystkowiak went 42-20 while winning back-to-back Big Sky championships and a upsetting Nevada in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. He likens the experience to being the general manager of a business, with coaching the most visible aspect of a wide-ranging set of responsibilities that included recruiting and glad-handing during an offseason with limited practice opportunities. After gaining such a broad understanding, Krystkowiak believes himself not to be an offensive or defensive specialist, but someone that can offer weighty opinions across myriad situations.
Krystkowiak saw an opportunity to learn under then-Bucks coach
“Some of it’s such a long story, and interwoven, that I kind of need to chalk it up to my own personal experience,” Krystkowiak explains. “I think the one thing that maybe I … actually, I know for a fact, the way I coached in college was a very disciplined, detail-oriented environment, and I had success with that; then, when I became an (NBA) head coach, for whatever reason, I was not the same disciplianarian and didn’t approach the job the same way. I almost said, ‘Well, I’m in the big leagues now, so I have to do something different.’ I compromised my values and morals and now, being away from it, I look back like, ‘Why did I do that?’ or ‘How did I do that?’ I certainly wouldn’t do that again.”
That he got away from discipline is perhaps surprising, being that hard work is what earned Krystkowiak a place in the NBA, despite “ground-bound” athleticism and a slight build (6-9, 220) for a power forward/center. In an April 29, 1991 Sports Illustrated article, he even credited that lack of jumping ability with helping him to recover quicker and more effectively from an ACL tear.
Krystkowiak elaborates the point by means of a dry-erase board demonstration, breaking down the “four classifications” of potential players: those with no talent and no work ethic (no chance), those with talent and no work ethic (perhaps good college players, but quickly weeded out via draft), those with no talent and supreme work ethic (role players) and those with talent and superior drive (the “Michael Jordans”). He lumps himself into the third category, saying that he’s unable to relate to players unwilling to put in the work to succeed, and that he believes himself to be a poor “effort coach,” though he’ll spend hours on the other stuff with a willing pupil.
Most recently, the coach’s attention has been focused on shorter targets – his five children. Krystkowiak made certain to spend time with his family between coaching stints, playing the role of stay-at-home dad to 3-year-old twin girls Samantha and Finley, while coaching youth basketball and baseball teams for older brothers Cameron, Luc and Ben. He says guiding the girls through their developmental stages has been the hardest thing he’s ever done, and half-jokes that it’s made the basketball seem easy.
Though he’ll be situated in nearby Hoboken, Krystkowiak will be doing so alone, leaving the family in San Diego to allow them to stay rooted, less subject to the whims of professional coaching. Being away offers him the opportunity to embark upon “a solo mission” without straining familial relations due to the consuming nature of the job. And though Krystkowiak’s tasted the top spot, he’s focused on smaller goals for now.
“I’ve always been a big fan of trying to get a little bit better every day,” Krystkowiak says. “That’s a personal goal for me. And I don’t have all the answers – don’t have close to all the answers. I’d love to pick up something each day that can help me get better at my job. And also be challenged with the players on the team, to make sure they’re doing the same thing. Really, I’ve been pretty fortunate having that mentality and that philosophy: bigger picture things tend to work themselves out when you focus on the day-to-day stuff. If that means head coach down the road, great. If not, I’m not getting restless and wanting anything to do with that. I’m just one day at time, and I’m real content with that philosophy.”
