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Robert Pack begins latest chapter for him in New Orleans basketball history

Robert Pack’s numerous New Orleans-area friends and family have provided him with overwhelming support throughout his six-year NBA coaching career, but sometimes a line needs to be drawn. In the spring of 2015, with Pack serving as an assistant coach for Oklahoma City and the Thunder vying with the Pelicans for eighth place in the Western Conference, some of the Big Easy backing of Pack became a bit less fervent.

“We were fighting the Pelicans to get in the playoffs,” remembered a smiling Pack, a New Orleans native. “So I had some people in New Orleans who were (straddling) the line. I was getting texts like, ‘I know you’re my boy, but we really need the Pelicans to make it!’ ”

Divided local allegiances are no longer a problem for Pack, who joined the Pelicans as an assistant coach under Alvin Gentry on June 22.

“We don’t have to worry about that anymore,” the 13-year former NBA point guard said. “I’m at home with the Pelicans now, so now they don’t have to split their loyalty. It’s all in one place now.”

Pack’s return to the Crescent City is the latest chapter for a man who has the unique distinction of attending New Orleans Jazz games as a youngster in the late 1970s; becoming a high school basketball star here (Alfred Lawless High); playing for the inaugural New Orleans Hornets (helping them reach the 2003 NBA playoffs); serving as an assistant coach for the Hornets in 2009-10; and now joining the Pelicans.

“I watched Truck Robinson, Rich Kelley, Pistol Pete (Maravich),” Pack, now 46, said of the Jazz teams who played here from 1974-79. “Those were the guys. I remember going to games at the Superdome as a kid. To be able to play here was huge and now to coach here is really an exciting experience.”

Pack’s New Orleans ties make for a nice story, but he's also enthusiastic about the makeup of the Pelicans’ roster and the team’s future, as well as the chance to work with head coach Alvin Gentry for the first time.

“I was definitely excited about the opportunity,” Pack said. “First, that it’s a good, young team that’s ready to take these next steps. Also the chance to work with Coach Gentry, knowing what he’s done in the past. The icing was being able to come back home, in the city where I dribbled the ball up and down the streets as a kid. To be able to be back here and coach was something I was really excited about.”

On the court, Pack has earned respect around the league for the work he’s done with backcourt players, beginning with serving as a mentor for 2009-10 All-Rookie team guards Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. The USC product went on to play an instrumental role in the Los Angeles development of Eric Bledsoe with the Clippers, then worked closely with the on-the-rise Reggie Jackson in Oklahoma City, as well as Russell Westbrook. A fierce defender during his NBA career (1991-2004), Pack is not far removed from his playing days, allowing him to provide hands-on instruction with the guards he coaches.

“Being able to put your hands on guys is important,” the 6-foot-2 Pack said of one aspect of his coaching approach. “You can help guys expand and put other things into their game and continue to grow at the position. I was a worker. The pride I took on the defensive end was big – I didn’t want guys to score on me. I studied the game, and that’s something that can always help a guy defensively.”

Coincidentally, Pack’s previous stint as a New Orleans assistant coach took place during the same 2009-10 winter that the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV. Pack and the Hornets were in Orlando during a road trip on the February night the Saints defeated the Colts.

“I was here coaching when the Saints had that (championship) parade, and I know what it did for this city,” Pack said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity of the Pelicans having that parade. I think we have a great start with great young players and a coach who wants to play an exciting brand of basketball. I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”