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Tyrone Corbin Excited to Rejoin Youthful Suns as Assistant Coach

The first time Tyrone Corbin joined the Phoenix Suns, the team was floundering, wrapping up a disappointing 28-54 season punctuated by a coaching change and subsequent turmoil.

The 16-year swingman and new Suns assistant coach, however, sees other similarities with this present Phoenix team and the one for which he played in the late 1980s.

“We had a talented young guard in Kevin Johnson, a couple rookies in Dan Majerle and Tim Perry, and some guys who were out to prove themselves,” Corbin recalled. “Now we’ve got Devin Booker, two young rookies and some guys who want to do the same thing.”

In 1988, that formula produced a 27-game turnaround and a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Neither Corbin nor the Suns have the same lofty expectations in 2016-17, but they are intent on helping their young players make as high a leap as they can.

Corbin, who boasts 12 years’ worth of NBA coaching experience in addition to his playing career, is well suited for the job of bringing along a team of young talent. He has played alongside and coached various up-and-comers, including Johnson, Steve Smith, Deron Williams and Gordon Hayward.

The former Suns forward is also excited to join Head Coach Earl Watson, who played for Corbin when he was head coach of the Utah Jazz.

“It’s fun to coach for a guy you used to coach,” Corbin said. “Earl knows how to relate to people. He makes them want to play the best they can.”

That will be especially important on one of the youngest teams in the NBA, highlighted by the rookie forward tandem of Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender. Corbin believes they offer optimism for the future – much like Perry and Majerle did – but added they will require additional seasoning. Where Perry and Majerle were seniors coming out of college, neither Chriss nor Bender will be 20 years old by the time their first NBA seasons are complete.

“The thing is, they’re so young,” Corbin said. “They’re going to learn the speed of the game, put time in the weight room... They’re talented, and we’re excited to see what they can do.”

Several Suns alumni are equally excited to see their former teammate back in the fold, including broadcasters Eddie Johnson and Tom Chambers as well as Mark West, Director of Player Relations. Those four, alongside Johnson, Majerle and Jeff Hornacek, were part of one of the most successful eras in team history under late head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.

Corbin’s role in that era was a bittersweet one. After serving as the ultimate “glue guy” in the Suns’ 1989 run to the conference finals, the 6-7 forward was left unprotected in that summer’s expansion draft due to Phoenix’s overwhelming glut of talent. Minnesota leaped at the chance to select Corbin, who was disappointed to leave a team coming off such a momentous turnaround season.

“We had a talented young guard in Kevin Johnson, a couple rookies in Dan Majerle and Tim Perry, and some guys who were out to prove themselves. Now we’ve got Devin Booker, two young rookies and some guys who want to do the same thing.”

— Tyrone Corbin

Phoenix wound up regretting the loss of Corbin less than six months later, when a lack of unselfish hustle left the team mired in a 7-9 start to the 1989-90 campaign. They recovered by trading for fan favorite Kurt Rambis, but the team openly bemoaned needing to add what it already had in Corbin.

“Cotton and I talked afterward and he was pretty open about it, saying how they wish they could’ve kept me,” Corbin said. “He was real sincere, and I’ll never forget that.”

Now in a different phase of his basketball career, Corbin is once again ready to serve as the "glue guy", albeit on the coaching staff. Known for his hard-nosed defense as a player, the former Depaul standout has focused on that end of the court as a coach. With big men anchors (Alex Len and Tyson Chandler) and perimeter aggressors (Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker) at his disposal, Corbin is eager to add his own skill set to the Suns’ overall game plan.

“I’m excited to be back,” Corbin said. “I have a lot of great memories here, and I’m sure I’ll make some more now that I’m here. We’ve got a good young team with a lot of potential.”