In the relatively short time he has been a member of the organization, O’Brien has kept busy meeting with numerous local community groups, businesses and, most importantly, fans.

“I’ve spoken to just about everybody that’s interested in listening,” O’Brien said. “It's been fun and a great way to meet people who are interested in the Pacers, or anyone who could be a potential fan at our games, or follow at home. It gives them a viewpoint of what I want to accomplish.”

And what he hopes to accomplish, among other things, is a return to the playoffs, which the Pacers missed for the first time in 10 years in 2006-07. O'Brien believes the team not only will win, but do so with a style more appealing to fans.

“We have the fans' interests in mind,” he said. “We’re trying to put a product on the floor that everyone can be proud of.”

It seems that sense of pride may have been lost in some recently, like 10-year season ticket holder Kim Harvey but with O’Brien's words still fresh in her mind after he spoke at a recent gathering at Legends in Conseco Fieldhouse, she is excited for the upcoming season.

“We’re the type of fans who, even if the team isn’t playing well, we’ve always been proud that our team is a bunch of good citizens and really great for the community and we lost some of that in the last couple years,” Harvey said. “But to know that we’ve got a coach that wants to lead us into restoring that is wonderful to hear.”

In fact, she believes more people need to hear O'Brien.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for everyone to be able to meet the man we just see in the newspaper stories and the occasional news clip and really get to hear more answers and learn a little bit more about him,” she said. "What I’ve learned, is that this is a real man and he said when he started his speech that, ‘This isn’t B.S. It’s real answers.’ And I think that’s the kind of person he’s going to be and I think that’s awesome.”

O’Brien also made a stop at the Downtown Kiwanis of Indianapolis last month to meet and speak with club members like Greg Fennig, who introduced the coach before his speech.

“I didn’t know him before that night,” Fennig said, “but after hearing what he had to say and talking to him, I’m excited about him and the season.”

One particular conversation with O’Brien stood out for Fennig.

“He sat down with a bunch of us at our table and asked us what we thought was most important for him to be successful,” Fennig said. “We all just kind of sat there, scratching our heads, not sure what to say. He responded with one word: love. He said that it will be about getting the guys to respect each other and care about each other and work together. Those are the critical elements.”

Fennig agreed with Harvey in how important O’Brien’s appearances have been for the fans and the community.

“He is very effective in letting people know what his expectations will be this season and what the fans can expect from him,” Fennig said. “It was also nice to see not only his serious side, but also that he’s a normal guy. He lives in downtown Indianapolis and I don’t think a lot of people know that many Pacers call Indy home as well and I think that’s important.”

Prior to hearing O’Brien, the thought of another year with season tickets was no longer appealing to some guests.

Take, for example, Charles Ernstes and daughter Sarah, who were pretty unhappy with last season and had declined season tickets – until hearing O'Brien speak.

“I really liked the fact that we stopped by and I appreciate that he brought a lot of things up and that it didn’t just seem like lip service, they seemed like actual facts,” he said.

"I’m probably going to get tickets now. I’m just not sure which ones yet.”