Vogel Worked His Way to the Top (Part 3)

Editor's Note: This is Part 3 of a three-part story on Pacers head coach Frank Vogel's life and career. Read Part 1 »   Read Part 2 »

Vogel's career took an unexpected detour following the loss to Arizona at the end of the 1996-97 season. He had been at Kentucky three seasons, working his way deeper into the program's fabric each season – first as an office temp/student manager who outworked the in-state kids, then as a full-fledged student manager and JV player. After that second season, when UK won the national championship, O'Brien began looking for a position for him at a Division II school as a graduate assistant coach. Vogel wanted to stay in Division I, however, and had an interview lined up with Lon Kruger at Illinois to become a graduate assistant. He canceled it after Pitino decided to keep him on as the video coordinator and director of basketball operations.

The assumption throughout Vogel's three years in Lexington was that Pitino would stay there forever. That's what Pitino had told reporters, and there seemed no reason for him to ever leave there. He was a godlike figure because of his success and charisma, and seemed perfect for the part.

Three years earlier, however, Vogel had received an unwitting hint about a potential change when O'Brien had dumped the Avid video system in his lap.

“All the NBA teams are using this,” O'Brien told Vogel. “You never know. You'd be smart to learn this equipment and this software because you can take your basketball knowledge and make yourself marketable for the NBA. Or who knows? Maybe Rick will go to the NBA in a couple of years.”

And so he did. On May 7 of '97, it was announced Pitino had accepted a 10-year, $70 million contract from the Boston Celtics as their coach, general manager and CEO. Where did that leave Vogel? In limbo, for a while. Pitino's original plan was to hire the husband of his nanny, a Lexington area high school coach, as his video coordinator in Boston. O'Brien told Vogel he would put in a good word for him wherever he could, and would try to convince Pitino's successor, Tubby Smith, to keep him on in the same capacity at UK.

Then, as tended to happen for Vogel when he was looking for a shot, he received an assist. Jersey Red Ford, who had been the chef for Pitino's teams at Massachusetts and had remained a close friend despite being about 20 years older than Pitino, had befriended Vogel on his trips to Lexington. Vogel, as the student manager, had often acted as a chauffeur for Pitino's friends, and impressed them with his demeanor and attitude.

When ol' Jersey Red heard of Pitino's plan to leave Vogel behind, he went off.

“What do you mean you're not taking that kid?!” he shouted. “That kid has a future!”

With further prodding from O'Brien, Pitino changed his mind and appointed Vogel as the video coordinator for the Celtics, with the nanny's husband as his assistant.

Suddenly, Vogel was in the NBA, something he'd never dreamed of – not since he was in junior high school, anyway, when he planned to make it there as a player. If not for Pitino deciding to jump to the Celtics, and then deciding to take Vogel with him, Vogel probably would be a Division I coach today. Pitino surely would have landed him an assistant's position somewhere, and he would have worked his way up from there.

Instead, he remained stuck in a video room, preparing edits of upcoming NBA opponents. Luxury and sleep continued to evade him. He estimates he slept on a sofa in his office area more than at his apartment during his seasons with Pitino in Boston, but he continued to learn.

It didn't work out as expected for Pitino with the Celtics. He was dealt an unlucky blow in the 1997 draft when San Antonio won the first draft pick and the right to draft Tim Duncan despite the Celtics having the worst record and best odds of winning that prize. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish never walked through that door, and the Celtics never had a winning season. After going 102-146 in 3 ½ seasons, Pitino walked out the door to go back to college.

Vogel (second from left) joined the Pacers coaching staff was Jim O'Brien was hired as head coach in 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)

Despite all those hours spent in dark video rooms, Vogel did get out on occasion. One night in the fall of 1998, he and Andy Enfield, then the Celtics shooting instructor, went to the Mercury Bar in downtown Boston after work. Spotting a group of four women sitting in the VIP section, Vogel went over and introduced himself to the one with the prettiest smile, Jen Sia. They talked. Vogel told her he worked for the Celtics. She was a basketball fan, one who worked for a financial company across the street from the Celtics arena, but was skeptical. Probably just a clumsy pickup line, she figured. She believed him later when he called and “Boston Celtics” popped up on her caller ID. They exchanged e-mails, and began dating.

They went to an Italian restaurant on their first date. He told her his story and his ambition, which by then was to become an NBA coach. She was impressed by his dedication and vision. So there was a second date. They were supposed to go to a Will Smith movie, Enemy of the State, but he asked if she minded if they stopped by the practice facility first so he could catch up on some work. She read a magazine while he worked with Avid. For 90 minutes. They went to the movie on their third date, and were married in 2001.

PHOTO GALLERY: Frank Vogel Career Gallery »

Vogel moved a giant step closer to his dream after Pitino left the Celtics. O'Brien became the head coach, and he made Vogel – just short of 28 – one of his assistants. Finally, he had made it to the bench. The run in Boston was mostly successful, as the Celtics reached the playoffs each of O'Brien's two full seasons, including a surprise trip to the conference finals in 2002. O'Brien, however, disagreed with general manager Danny Ainge's philosophy toward building the roster and resigned on Jan. 28, 2004. Vogel finished the season as an assistant to the interim coach, John Carroll. O'Brien, though, was hired to coach Philadelphia the following season, and took Vogel with him. The Sixers reached the playoffs and Allen Iverson had perhaps the best statistical season of his career, but O’Brien fell out with management again and was fired after one season.

O'Brien was replaced in Philly by Mo Cheeks, Vogel's boyhood idol. Vogel got a courtesy interview for a place on Cheeks' staff, but knew he had no realistic shot at being hired. He kept a toe in the NBA as an advance scout for the Lakers in 2005-06 and for Washington the following season, then O'Brien was hired to coach the Pacers in 2007. Vogel went with him, and 3 ½ seasons later was an NBA head coach. He was 37, the youngest in the league at the time, 15 years removed from the Kentucky-Duke game that planted a seed, 12 ½ years removed from his first drive to Lexington, 10 years removed from his first job in the NBA. He was young, but he was confident because he had put in the time and felt totally prepared.

One of his first changes, minor but revealing, was to have The Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feelin” played before opening tip-off at home games. It begins, “I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night.” It reflected Vogel's sunny-side-up personality, and it infiltrated the team as it turned its season around.

He's won consistently, often impressively, since then, but there have been challenges. One doesn't coach four NBA seasons without them. Aside from the questions about strategies and lineups that all coaches face, he's had to learn to pull back a bit. All those years working for Pitino and O'Brien instilled a nearly maniacal approach to coaching. Twenty-four hours weren't enough to get each day's work done, because there was always another video waiting to be watched. Sleep was merely an option.

As an assistant coach under O'Brien, Vogel had memorized the other team's playbook for each game. He was doing the same thing as head coach, “grinding himself into the ground” some nights, and it was leaving him exhausted on game nights and affected his decision-making.

He learned from Brian Shaw, who joined his staff for the 2011-12 season, that he needed to let go a little. Shaw had played and coached in Los Angeles for Phil Jackson, the Zen Master who wouldn't be dominated by the job. About a month into his first season with Vogel, Shaw told him he needed to relax a little, to spend more time at home. He had capable assistant coaches and he had a family, too.

“When I got here Frank was always in the office, always watching film,” Shaw said. “He has two young daughters. You don't get that time back when you miss whatever it is … a school play, a dance, graduations, things of that nature. I just tried to impress upon him that those things are important and you have to balance those things out. There are times this game can really wear you down. When the game is over and you get that unconditional love from your family, you can't replace that.”

Vogel, by his estimation, still watches more video than most head coaches, and his players see plenty, too. He occasionally splices in clips from movies such as Rocky, Major League or Forrest Gump, to send a message or provide a laugh, but he believes he now avoids the trap of “crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ on film.” He's learned to devote more time to direct communication with his players, and with his family. He had to miss his daughter's school play for Friday's game against Cleveland, for example, but he attended the dress rehearsal on Wednesday.

But is he tough enough? Does that relentlessly upbeat and polite demeanor get in the way of instilling discipline in his team? Does he need to be more intimidating? His players say no.

“I don't get that,” West said. “He's not a pushover. If you play like ---- he's not going to sugar-coat it. But he's also not going to pile on unnecessarily. That's not his makeup.”

If he had any doubts, West was convinced of Vogel's fire in the 2013 playoffs. The Pacers had split the first two games in Miami to steal homecourt advantage, but gave it right back when they were drubbed in Game 3 at The Fieldhouse, 114-96. The postgame locker room wasn't pretty.

“I don't think he's gotten that mad since,” West said. “He was vocal, throwing stuff … he was really mad. But he was very honest. He wasn't just putting guys down, he was saying what needed to be said and you knew it was coming from a genuine place.”

That seems to be Vogel's way. Saying what needs to be said, but treating the players like adults.

“To say he doesn't hold us accountable is absurd,” George Hill said. “But he balances it. He talks to us like human beings. He has everyone's respect in this locker room.”

Sometimes a softer touch is needed, though. Last season, the Pacers finished poorly and backed into the No. 1 seed in the East. They faced an Atlanta team that posed difficult matchups for them in the first round, and lost Game 1 in Indianapolis. It was a doomsayer's delight, reprising all the negative conversation that had followed the team through the final six weeks of the season.

One of the network television commentators that night said Vogel needed to jump down his players' throats to get them going again.

“He told us he wasn't going to do that,” West said. “He wouldn't pile on; he just wouldn't buy into that.

“He's honest and real, but he gives you true optimism. When you're not playing well, some coaches will pile on or just say 'these guys aren't responding to me.' He never did that.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers' All-Time NBA Coaching Wins Leaders »

Vogel also listens more than most NBA coaches. He's always open to ideas, whether he incorporates them or not. Last year during the playoffs, before Game 6 in Atlanta, when his team was trailing 3-2 and on the brink of what would have been an embarrassing first-round elimination, his cell phone rang while he was away from it. Slick Leonard, the first of the four-year Pacers NBA coaches, had called. Vogel called him back. Slick offered a lineup suggestion. Vogel implemented it, although not to the degree Leonard had suggested. “Why would you not listen to someone like Slick Leonard?” he said later.

The Pacers won Game 6 in Atlanta and came back home to win Game 7, too. They won their second-round series over Washington in six games, and then lost to Miami in the conference finals in six. The 2012-13 season had been viewed as a major accomplishment, but last season's team won more regular season games and came up just one game shorter in the playoffs. Through it all, Vogel stuck with his players, particularly Hibbert, who was struggling worse than at any time in his career.

Vogel discounts the notion that an NBA coach has to breathe fire to get a response. Not if he's coaching the right players, anyway. Although he didn't play in the NBA, or even major college basketball, and hadn't been a head coach at any level before taking over the Pacers, he's never felt the players have questioned his authority.

“It's really about understanding the game and understanding what goes into winning basketball,” he said. “And then hammering home those habits. As soon as they're not done at the appropriate level, you've got to step on those guys. They want discipline and information, and my job is to give it to them.”

Vogel also maintains a cordial relationship with the media, regardless of whether he's complimenting them on their hats. The monotony of answering questions from reporters virtually every day, and up to three times on game days (after the morning shootaround and before and after the game) doesn't seem to wear on him as it does other coaches.

One memorable example occurred in New York two seasons ago, amid the Pacers' playoff series with the Knicks. Following a practice at a Manhattan athletic club, a mob of reporters surrounded him, jockeying for position and shoving a swarm of microphones within millimeters of his mouth. Had their tools included lights, they could have performed a group dental exam while they were at it. That's normally the time a coach will groan and ask everyone to give him room to breathe. Vogel merely smiled and said, “Everyone please move closer,” before calmly answering all questions. He's also begun a tradition of wishing everyone good luck with their deadlines after his pre-game media sessions throughout the playoffs, surely a first in league history.

Vogel's not known as a great quote, at least compared to the likes of Bird, whose bluntness was highly regarded by reporters. He doesn't publicly criticize his players, or anyone else for that matter, and he'll cover for those who played poorly. His tone might become terse after a particularly frustrating loss, but that's as uncooperative as he'll get. It was no surprise, therefore, that last season he received the annual Professional Basketball Writer's Association award given to a coach who shows exemplary cooperation with media and fans, as well as coaching excellence.

Bird, who coached the Pacers for three seasons, believes that's the normal shelf life for an NBA coach. Teams spend so much time together during the course of an 82-game season that players can tune out the coach at some point. Or, the coach can become burned out on his players, become too focused on their weaknesses and build animosity toward them.

Vogel has already defied that rule, and hopes to make a mockery of it. The other Pacers coaches who lasted four years in the NBA limped to their finish line. All of them had losing records their final season, and were clearly on a death march by the time it ended. Not Vogel. He's blown by the three-year mark and hopes to keep going for seasons to come, Popovich-like. He signed a multi-year contract extension in October, so he's got that going for him, and he clearly hasn't lost his enthusiasm for the job. His fourth team has a losing record, too, but for good reason with all the injuries. That six-game losing streak at the beginning of the season is a distant memory. His team is getting better as the season goes on, and might get Paul George back as well.

Vogel wanted to become a lifer in the game when he showed up at Pitino's doorstep in Lexington in 1994, and he still does. He has a contract that will take care of his family's financial needs for life, and he's accumulating fame, too.4 But it's not about ego or money. It's about the process of taking a group of players and coaches who want to win and helping them figure a way to do it.

“There's a million ways a player and a team can get better and there's a million subtleties about the opponent that can be exploited that I can't wait to share with our team each day,” he said, his enthusiasm oozing through every word. “It's like, 'Look, this is what's going to work for us. Come here! I've got the answers!' I love implementing our system to handle the variables out there, to put the jigsaw puzzle together of our opponents to see what is going to equal a win. And then I love sharing that.

“And when the game's over, doing it all over again.”

Editor's Note: You just read Part 3 of a three-part story on Frank Vogel's life and career. Read Part 1 »   Read Part 2 »

4 — In 2013, a banner in Vogel's honor was raised in Wildwood High School's gymnasium and his jersey number, 22, was retired. His father had worn the same number. Watch »

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