skoek

Craig Harris
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 27, 2003

Sidewalk dining with a cityscape view, outdoor movies and even a Starbucks.

A new chic locale? Nope. Just a renovation of the Purple Palace.

A $50 million facelift of America West Arena, home of the National Basketball Association's Phoenix Suns and concerts, is nearing completion. Operators hope the renovation will keep the 11-year-old facility a downtown destination.

Improvements include a 15,000-square-foot glass pavilion with ticket counters; a Paseo walkway with a projection-surface canopy, food outlets and a bar; a new Italian restaurant, a Starbucks and a team shop. Also: an outside TV studio for pre- and post-game shows, an elaborate water fountain, five escalators and air-conditioned ticket booths.

"When we opened in '92-'93," Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo said, "it was the beginning of a rebirth downtown, and we were the latest and greatest state-of-the-art building. Then in 10 years, we are the 20th-oldest building in the league (NBA) . . . You need to continue to put improvements in your facility because the buying public demands it."

When fans come to the home opener Thursday to see the Suns play the Cleveland Cavaliers, with well-hyped-rookie LeBron James, many of the new amenities will still be under construction. But they will open gradually as the season progresses.

"Everything we have created is big-city oriented," Suns President Rick Welts said. "This is not a renovation. This is a whole new concept."

Much of the concept has the amenities facing outward, toward downtown, so residents can enjoy them even if they don't have tickets to the events.

The renovation began in June 2001, when Chicago-based Levy Restaurants took over the food service and when improvements, such as additional women's restrooms, were made on the concourse. The Platinum Club, a 13,000-square-foot exclusive lounge with full view of the arena, also was added. This year, much of the exterior was covered in glass to give the arena a modern look.

"They are really at the cutting edge of a grand experience," NBA Commissioner David Stern said. "They are making it more a part of the city life, and they are doing it without losing a game in terms of a construction schedule."

Stern said what makes the arena renovations unique is that they face outward, which merges them into an urban setting. He said that as other NBA arenas begin to age, their owners likely will take a cue from the Suns.

He added that the renovations likely will not make much of a difference in whether Phoenix gets an All-Star game, which Colangelo is seeking by 2009.

But Stern said it is realistic to expect Phoenix would land an All-Star game before the end of the decade because America West Arena is a great building for games, and Phoenix has "great hotel stock, great climate and great management."

The renovations began to formulate in 1999, when Colangelo was visiting the new Staples Center in Los Angeles. He wanted to add some of the same amenities to AWA.

The Suns, which run the arena through a related business called Sports &amp; Entertainment Services, also realized the next year that they would be losing the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes, who were looking to build a competing arena in Scottsdale.

The Coyotes ended up in Glendale, where their new arena will open in December. The Coyotes are already looking to steal major concerts and shows from AWA after signing a deal last week with AEG, a major Los Angeles-based concert producer.

The Coyotes also have a major financial advantage as Glendale is paying for nearly 86 percent of their $210 million arena, while the Suns and their investors are paying for roughly 80 percent of the AWA improvements. Phoenix is picking up the rest from revenues generated at the arena.

"You used to go to a city or county and ask for $300 million to build a new building. But except for the city of Glendale, you can't do that anymore," Welts said.

Patrick Grady, economic development director for Phoenix, said the city's contribution is a good investment and will help the city-owned America West Arena remain competitive with other entertainment venues.

Welts added that one of the major coups in the renovation was landing a Starbucks, which will become the first company-owned store in an NBA arena.

Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, said the deal benefits both sides because Starbucks gets additional foot traffic from events and being in a prime location, while AWA becomes a stronger downtown destination.

Schultz, also principal owner of the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, believes other companies will build around AWA.

"Starbucks has become, over the years, one of the leading consumer brands," Schultz said. "We have been able to provide opportunities for other national retailers to follow us because we have validated the neighborhood or community."

Next to 1,200-square-foot Starbucks along Jefferson Street will be a 3,500-square-foot team shop and a 4,500-square-foot Italian restaurant, iL Palazzetto/ZZ Lounge, which will have open-air, street-level dining. The restaurant will open Nov. 11, while Starbucks will open Nov. 3, and both will be open throughout the year, even when there are no events at the arena.

Near Third Street is the Paseo, which will be covered by a 48- by 316-foot canopy that serves as a projection surface. The glass covering on the building's east side will be used to show projected images as well. The Paseo will have food service and a bar, and it will be home to the outdoor TV studio for pre- and post-game shows.

Welts said that when the Paseo opens in December, it could be used for corporate functions and outside movies. He said the Suns might replace sponsorship signs inside the arena with new electronic ones once the $50 million project is completed.

Grady, the economic development director, said the covered Paseo area could serve as an attraction to out-of-town conventions based at nearby Civic Plaza.

In April, the glass pavilion should be completed at the front entrance of the arena at First and Jefferson streets. Along with the ticket counters, the inside will have a massive video wall and escalators. Outside will be the new water fountain.

Brian Kearney, executive director of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, said the renovations will continue to enhance the Copper Square area downtown.

"It will help the arena become integrated in the urban fabric . . . When you create activity on the street and sidewalk, that serves as a catalyst to the next business investment," Kearney said.

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Facelift At Arena Keeps It In Vogue

By Steven Koek, Suns.com
Posted:  Oct. 8, 2003

The Suns' center-by-committee position became more of an international committee Wednesday with the signing of Yugoslavian big man Dejan Koturovic (pronounced DAY-un Kah-tour-o-vich). The 31-year-old from Serbia &amp; Montenegro became a free agent when his Italian club, Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna of the Euroleague, recently folded.

“I’m glad I signed for the Phoenix Suns, to finally be in the NBA," he told Suns.com. "I’m going to do my best to do my job very well. I know I need to make the people around me happy with me. And then they’ll make me happy. That’s how it is.”

The 7-foot, 260-pound center has played 13 seasons internationally, including stops in Yugoslavia, France, Turkey, Germany and Italy. With Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, he averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 2002-03.

“He’s more of a banger than he is a skill guy, and he's got experience at the five position,” said Suns President General Manager Bryan Colangelo. “We’re going to see what kind of shape he’s in, what kind of condition he’s in and we’re going to see how he stacks up with these other guys.  Obviously, with Scott (Williams) being out for the next six weeks (after thumb surgery) and with (Jake) Voskuhl’s (Achilles) injury status uncertain right now, it has forced us to look at alternatives.”

The Suns' newest alternative posted averages of 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on the Yugoslavian National Team that captured gold at the 2002 World Championships, during which he roomed with current Suns rookie Zarko Cabarkapa.

"Zarko was an influence on Dejan coming here," said Radi Filipovich, the agent for both players. "When Zarko first came here, he loved it. He expressed that to Dejan to 'check it out.'”

In his latest online journal, Cabarkapa expressed his excitement over having a fellow Serbian on the Suns' roster. But he also told Suns.com on Wednesday that he's happy the team checked out Koturovic and that the little-known big man could be a big contributor this season.

“He’s a great fighter,” said Cabarkapa, “a great defender, a good rebounder and he runs the floor very well.  He’s tough as a center. On the national team, he ended up as starting center for the world championships in Indianapolis, taking the gold medal. He had good success against American players.”

After two previous unsuccessful attempts at an NBA roster spot with the Lakers and Celtics, Koturovic is hoping that the "third time is the charm" and he will be able to produce at the highest level of basketball in the world.

“There is more quality in this league,” said Koturovic. “(The Suns) are a more serious organization. It’s a real place to want to be for coaches and players. In Europe, there is a lot of pressure. On some clubs, you have to play injured. (There’s) pressure to score. Sometimes clubs want more than they deserve or (players) can do.  Here if you play well, everybody’s going to see it.”

With Wednesday’s release of free agents William Pippen and Trevor Huffman, the Suns' roster now stands at 18 players heading into their second preseason game in Denver Thursday night.

Long-time NBA Head Coach George Karl has been a guest of assistant coach Tim Grgurich at Suns training camp this week and likes what he has seen of the purple and orange gang.  He admits it will be a tough battle in the rugged and improved Western Conference, but has been particularly impressed with the play of last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, Amaré Stoudemire.

“(The Suns are) an exciting team,” the former head coach at Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle and Milwaukee said after watching Wednesday morning’s workout at the AWA practice court.  “It’s a team moving in an upward direction.  This Stoudemire kid, in the three or four days I’ve been out here, has been extremely impressive.  I think that’s something that’s going to get better.  How fast it gets better and where it goes, is exciting for everybody.  For this city, for himself, and also for the coaches.”

Karl is content to take some time off after coaching in the professional ranks for more than 16 seasons.  And while he will spend the next year golfing and spending time with family and friends in between doing some basketball commentary for ESPN, the 52-year-old says he would still like one more shot to draw the Xs and Os for an NBA team.

“Right now, I just like to be free and enjoy the year,” he said.  “The game has a way of figuring it out and I’ve been blessed.  I’ve had great opportunity.   I don’t know if I’m a lifer, but I could be a lifer and definitely think I could go ‘round one more time.”

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Suns Sign Yugoslavian Center

Culver City, CA – Phoenix Suns forward Amaré Stoudemire and several other NBA stars, WNBA players and NBA legends will team up with America’s favorite game show, when they appear on Wheel of Fortune's NBA Week, it was announced today by Wheel of Fortune and the NBA.  The shows will be taped on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It is scheduled to air during the week of November 17-21, 2003 in national syndication (check local listings for station and time).

Hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White will cheer on the 15 players who each will be partnered with a fan from their team’s city. The fans will be playing for cash and one-of-a-kind NBA-themed prizes. The NBA and WNBA stars will be playing for their favorite charities. Three player/contestant teams will be featured each night.   Suns forward Tom Gugliotta participated on Wheel of Fortune’s NBA Week during the 1999-2000 season.

Current NBA stars scheduled to appear include Stoudemire, Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Steve Francis (Houston Rockets), Jalen Rose (Chicago Bulls), Michael Finley (Dallas Mavericks), Allan Houston (New York Knicks), Derek Fisher (Los Angeles Lakers), Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings) and Malik Rose (San Antonio Spurs).  NBA legends scheduled to play include Julius “Dr. J” Erving (Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets), Walt Frazier (New York Knicks), Bill Walton (NBA legend and current NBA on ABC and ESPN announcer) and James Worthy (Los Angeles Lakers).  WNBA players set to appear include Teresa Weatherspoon (New York Liberty) and Sue Bird (Seattle Storm).

“NBA Week provides a great opportunity to team some of the most popular athletes in the world with the most popular game show in the world," said Wheel of Fortune Executive Producer Harry Friedman. "It's also wonderful that we are able to help raise a significant amount of money for a variety of great charities."

The contestant from the team with the week's highest total winnings will be the envy of basketball fans everywhere, as he or she will win some very special themed prizes, courtesy of the NBA, including a trip for four to the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles with VIP access to NBA All-Star 2004 Events.  They will also win NBA memorabilia provided by Upper Deck Authenticated, NBA apparel by Reebok and a DirecTV package, including an NBA League Pass subscription.

Additional special prizes featured on NBA Week will be:

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Stoudemire to Appear on "Wheel of Fortune"

The young men who enter the NBA these days are advised by the league as to what to expect from the transition into the world of a professional athlete.  Incoming rookies attend an orientation in New York where they are briefed about the many changes that will occur in their day-to-day existence and the pitfalls to avoid in social and financial dealings.

Nothing, however, could have prepared Suns guard Casey Jacobsen for last season’s roller coaster that was his first year in Phoenix.  While his play had the typical ups and downs expected of a player adjusting to the pace and intensity of the pro game, life away from the court must have seemed faster than a three-on-one break, and at times, more intense than taking a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Weeks before the start of his first professional training camp last October, Casey’s mother, Becky, was diagnosed with cancer.  She would hold on long enough to see Casey play in the NBA and attend his wedding to college sweetheart, Brittney, immediately following the season, but succumbed to the disease shortly after.

If this is news to even the most die-hard Suns fan, it is by design.  Although he touched on his mother's illness in his online journal and mentioned his girlfriend from time to time, Casey preferred to keep his personal struggles and triumphs of the past season within his family circle.

“I kind of like to keep my personal life as private as I can,” confided the California native.  “I don’t mind Suns fans or basketball fans in general knowing about my life, but I try to keep some of the things private.  I didn’t want any more distractions than there already is during a basketball season.”

As he prepares for his second season with the Suns and his first as a married man, it seems as though the events of the last 12 months are beginning to sink in.  He is facing the adjustments in his life with the dignity and class Becky would expect and admire.

Casey Jacobsen grew up the third of four boys in what can only be described as a basketball family.  Oldest brother Adam played collegiate ball at Pacific University and is currently an assistant coach there.  Brother number two, Brock, who played for the University of San Diego, is an assistant coach at Glendora (CA) High School where youngest brother Derek is a player, and their father, Von, played for San Diego State.

It was Casey, however, who rose to national prominence at Glendora High, amassing a school-record 3,284 points, including a personal-best 53 points in a game his junior year, and ultimately placing him second on California’s all-time high school scoring list.

Casey’s mother, meanwhile, became a basketball enthusiast, chauffeur, cook and cleaner.  In other words, Becky Jacobsen was a fulltime, stay-at-home mom.

“She was never my coach,” Casey recalls, “but she was my friend and someone I confided in about basketball.  She was a homemaker for my entire childhood and that was a sacrifice.  Four boys playing basketball on different teams going all over the place and my mom was always there.  She was so smart, she could have been doing all kinds of things, yet she chose to raise four boys and she did an amazing job.”

Casey went on to play basketball and major in communications at Stanford.  Mike McDonald, the Cardinal’s starting point guard at the time, introduced him to Brittney after the pretty co-ed caught Casey’s eye in a freshman class called Communication in Children.  But before the two of them could start dating with any seriousness, there was one detail that needed to be worked out.

“She had a boyfriend at the time,” Casey remembers with a grin.  “It was a little complicated.  He did not go to Stanford, so it was a long-distance relationship.  He was a football player, big guy, and he definitely could have beaten me up (laughs).  But it didn’t take me long to pry her from that relationship.”

It didn’t take took long for him to figure out that Brittney could be “the one” for him, either.  Casey realized within their first year together that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and they continued dating throughout his three years at Stanford, where he became the first basketball player in school history to earn All-American First Team honors.

“I knew after a short time being with her that I wanted to marry her but it was just a matter of timing,” he said.  “I didn’t want to get married if I didn’t have a job and couldn’t support myself and another person.”

That support came in the form of his first professional basketball contract after being selected by the Suns with the 22nd pick in last summer’s NBA Draft.  Both his parents and Brittney accompanied him to Phoenix for the press conference introducing Casey and fellow draft pick, Amaré Stoudemire, and the entire family was excited to see him start his career in the Valley of the Suns.

Casey began his rookie season with the Suns still coming to grips with the severity and consequences of his mother’s illness while trying to decide the proper course and timetable to propose marriage to Brittney and set a date to for the wedding.

Instead of wallowing in the details of his personal life though, Casey looked to the game of basketball as a means to get away, if only temporarily, from the stress of the two life-changing developments taking shape off the court.  Escaping was easy in the early portion of the season.  He was playing well, and as a result, was getting consistent, regular playing time.

“Basketball was a nice escape for me,” admits Casey.  “To be honest, I forgot a lot about my challenges and problems off the basketball court when I was on the court.”

It had been three months since he had last seen his mother and as a December 20 game against the Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles approached, Casey worked with Suns Vice President of Basketball Communications Julie Fie to ensure that Becky had wheelchair priority seating to see her son play professional basketball for the first time.

“That meant a lot to me,” he says.  “She never let a day go by when I would talk to her on the phone without telling me how proud she was of my career and where I was at.  Her seeing me play at the professional level was something special for me because my mom’s not going to be around for the rest of my career, and she definitely had a big influence on the person I am, as well as a basketball player.”

The Suns had a couple of off days during the week of Christmas and the Jacobsens met at their family home in Glendora to celebrate the holidays.

“We were opening presents in our pajamas Christmas morning,” Casey related.  “I excused myself from the room and went and changed into a suit as fast as I could.  I had my dad give Brittney a present that was from me, but she thought it was from my dad.  She opened it and it was an empty ring box.

“I was in the other room looking through the little opening in the door and as she was opening the present I walked in the door.  I had the ring in my hand and I proposed in front of my family.  To do it in front of my mom and dad and my brothers was a nice feeling.”

As the long NBA season wore on, the pressures intensified for Casey both on and off the court.  A reduction in playing time resulted from inconsistent play and throughout the second half of the season, he was uncertain how, or even if, he would be used from game to game.

“It was very tough,” he recalls.  “I wasn’t playing well and I wasn’t playing a lot.  Then throw in the fact that I proposed halfway through the season.  My mom had been sick throughout this whole time and, of course, that always weighed on my mind, as well."

The Suns' drive toward postseason play further complicated an already unstable situation for the 22-year-old rookie.  An uncertain finishing date to the season turned all wedding plans tentative and with Casey’s mind focused on the grueling schedule and raised intensity of play as the playoffs approached, it left him unable to contribute to the particulars of the planning process.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” he admits.  “Brittney did most of the work.  She took on the hard things.  We didn’t know how long my mom could fight her disease so that was another thing that pushed along the wedding planning.  I wanted to make sure that she was at my wedding.”

The Suns were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after giving the eventual-champion Spurs a run for their money in a six-game series.  The next day, Casey sat down with Brittney and the rest of the family and began putting all the wedding pieces together.  Everything was in place.  A caterer had been hired, the flowers had been ordered and all that was left to do was set a date and exchange vows.

Somehow, all the details were handled and everything was ready to go.  Four weeks later, Casey and Brittney were married in a small service in Maui, Hawaii.

“I’m definitely glad we did it because that was the last thing my mom got to do before she passed away.”

Now three months after becoming husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Casey Jacobsen are enjoying married life and have bought a home in the Valley.  Casey’s dad, a carpenter by trade, has been enlisted to help with some minor renovations.

Von and Becky Jacobsen were married over 30 years ago and Casey worries about the adjustment period for his father after losing what was such a major part of his life for so long.  Among his sons, only Derek is still living at home, which often leaves Von alone in a large amount of space filled with over three decades of memories.

“I can only imagine how stressful it would be to not come home to your wife of 30 years," Casey says.  "They were really good friends.  They were a great team and rarely ever fought.  They just worked really well together and raised us great, and I’m sure that’s a hard thing for him.”

Coming home to Brittney while he continues to deal with the death of his mother has been a blessing for Casey.  She knows what it is like to lose a parent after the passing of her father 14 years ago, and has provided invaluable understanding and support for her new husband this summer as he and his family go through the mourning process.

“She’s been dealing with that in her life for a while,” Casey confided.  “She knows how I’m feeling and how I’m going to feel.  It’s nice to have her support, her strength and her experience in a rough time like that, so I’ve appreciated that.”

Whatever obstacles lie ahead, Casey will be able to look at the past year as a learning experience that will help him better handle the challenges that life will throw at him in the future.

“Sometimes it was a little overwhelming,” he admits.  “But that’s life.  I’m not complaining.  I think I laid down a nice foundation and I hope to play in the NBA for a long time.  I felt like last season made me a better person, there's no doubt about it.  It definitely was the most challenging year I've ever had personally and career-wise.  Dealing with the challenges of the past year is only going to make those next ones, hopefully, a little bit easier to deal with."

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A Rookie No More

The Phoenix Suns have entered into a new, expanded marketing partnership with Southwest Airlines, as announced today by Suns and Southwest officials.

Under terms of the multi-year agreement, Southwest will become the official airline of the Suns, and will be the exclusive airline partner for all Suns-related media, including television, cable and radio broadcasts. In addition, Southwest will be featured on outdoor billboards, on the team’s website (suns.com) and will participate in game media promotions as well as community relations events and projects with the Suns.

“We are excited about the additional marketing opportunities this new agreement provides Southwest Airlines and the Phoenix Suns,” said Michelle Marlowe, Southwest’s sports marketing specialist. “Our enhanced media presence with the Suns will open the door to new and unique lines of communication with our customers.  We look forward to combining our efforts to make an even bigger difference in the Phoenix community and sharing our partnership with our more than 4,700 local Southwest employees, who will be thrilled to see Southwest as the Official Airline of their hometown team.”

Southwest Airlines currently operates 182 daily nonstop departures from Sky Harbor International Airport to 39 cities with additional direct or connecting service to 16 cities.

“Southwest Airlines is one of the most successful airlines in the business and has an excellent track record in sports marketing and sponsorships,” said Harvey Shank, senior vice president of corporate sales for the Suns.  “They have been a valued partner of ours for the past 11 years and we are delighted to have them expand their level of involvement with us in such a significant way.  The ‘every effort’ attitude displayed by their employees mirrors our approach, and having them be our exclusive partner in a wide range of community projects means that a variety of schools and organizations will be the beneficiary of some outstanding programs.”

One unique feature of this new partnership involves the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program.  Starting in the 2003-04 NBA season, Rapid Rewards members can twice per month receive Phoenix Suns tickets at a substantial savings.  They will also receive a 20 percent discount at all Team Shop locations.

A significant aspect of this partnership will involve community outreach.  In one such program, Southwest Airlines will be donating 80 Suns tickets each game to various schools and non-profit organizations.  The tickets will be distributed to these organizations based on criteria set out by Southwest employees.

Southwest and the Suns will also be teaming up on a program tied into the Southwest slogan, “A Symbol of Freedom.”  Through this program, junior high school students from throughout Arizona will create posters depicting their own interpretation of “A Symbol of Freedom.”  Winning posters will be put on display in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s Terminal 4 and the school submitting the grand prize-winning poster along with 30 of his/her classmates will be treated to a trip to Washington, D.C. where they will visit many of our nation’s symbols of freedom.

Yet another youth outreach program the two companies will partner on is called “Southwest We Luv It Here.”  This program is aimed at instilling pride in one’s school by encouraging students to develop creative ways to make their school better.  Students from five schools will submit proposals on how best to use a $2,500 grant.  Students submitting the winning proposals from each school will have the opportunity to implement their idea utilizing the grant and will also be treated to a Suns game.

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Suns Enter Marketing Partnership With Southwest Airlines

By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
East Valley Tribune
May 25, 2003

Frank Johnson wasn’t expected to play for the Suns in the nearly magical season of 1992-93.

In fact, just before the season started, coach Paul Westphal took the veteran guard aside and gave him the bad news. As Johnson recalls, Westphal told him, "Frank, you did everything we asked. You deserve to be here, but..."

Johnson had been brought in as an insurance policy for Kevin Johnson, the All-Star point guard who — at least at this point in his career — wasn’t particularly injury prone.

So when KJ was ready to go after the exhibition season, the Suns released Frank Johnson. But within hours of returning to his home in Minnesota, he got a call from Suns vice president Dick Van Arsdale.

Seems that during a team practice, Suns center Oliver Miller tumbled to the floor, and KJ tried to pick him up with one hand.

As Johnson suggests, KJ was strong, but even Hercules would have had trouble picking up the rotund Miller with one hand. So KJ suffered a groin injury and was out for a while, and Frank Johnson was on board for the season, as it turned out.

Johnson edged out Negele Knight as the team’s fourth guard. He sometimes entered games early in the fourth quarter, often when the game was on the line.

He performed so well that he earned the nickname "Fourth Quarter Frank." The label was never more deserved than in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, when the Suns were locked in a tight battle in Seattle.

As Johnson was en route to 11 points, including some key late baskets in a narrow Suns’ win, media people from the Northwest were scrambling to find Suns media guides to look up the background of Johnson.

Off the floor, Johnson took it upon himself to be an occasional chaperone for hardpartying superstar Charles Barkley.

All in all, Johnson said of his times accompanying Barkley, "I tried to be a voice of reason.

"But do you think I could stop him from doing what he wanted to do?

Johnson played one more season for the Suns, then went to work in the team’s community relations office. He became known for his appeals to kids to stay in school, ending up as the NBA’s national spokesman in this regard.

Then he hooked on as an assistant coach under Danny Ainge, survived the transition to Scott Skiles and — when Skiles departed in early 2002 — became the head coach.

If KJ hadn’t injured himself, none of it would have happened.

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Frank Johnson Wasn’t In Suns’ Plans

As part of its continuing efforts to cultivate and sustain new avenues in marketing and customer service, the NBA Phoenix Suns have appointed John Walker to the newly created position of Vice President of Business Development, as announced today by Suns President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts.

Walker will lead Customer Relationship Management (CRM) projects including offers utilizing the internal E-Mail networks of business partners, more extensive development of customer databases, and special targeted offers for sports and entertainment performances.

“Our objective is to be on the industry’s cutting edge as it relates to new technology and its potential to enhance our product offerings and customer service,” said Welts. “For 35 years, the Phoenix Suns have been leaders in developing new and more effective ways to achieve this goal, and this new outreach will allow us to continue to set the pace in this vital part of our business.

“We have every confidence that John’s experience and proven track record of success will help serve our customers better. The potential of this area for an organization like ours is tremendous.”

With multiple venues (America West Arena &amp; Dodge Theater), multiple teams (NBA Phoenix Suns, Arena Football League Arizona Rattlers and WNBA Phoenix Mercury) and a variety of entertainment events, CRM initiatives will play an increasingly important role in the future.

Walker has served as Vice President of Ticket Operations and Sales for the past three seasons with the Suns.  Overall, he brings 16 years of experience in the ticket sales and operations industry, including stints with Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals and the University of Oklahoma.

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Suns Expand Marketing Outreach

Kevin Johnson teamed with Dan Majerle for six seasons and formed one of the most popular guard tandems in Suns history.  Suns.com caught up with the Suns' legend recently to get his unique perspective on Thunder Dan joining him in the Suns' Ring of Honor.

Suns.com:  What were your original thoughts when it was announced that the Suns had drafted Majerle?  Did you have any prior exposure to him or know anything about him?

Kevin Johnson:  I don’t think too many people in the country were aware of Central Michigan and Dan at the time.  I knew we were rebuilding and needed some help on the defensive end and from what little I knew and was told, Dan could fill that void.  Management couldn’t have aced any better.  I also didn’t put much stock in the fans’ reaction following the announcement the Suns had drafted Dan.  Just one year earlier, many of the Cleveland Cavaliers fans weren’t overly thrilled with their selection.

Suns.com:  What does it say for Dan as well as the NBA that one can come out of a “middle range” college like Central Michigan and have a successful 14 year career?

Johnson:  That hard work and determination can get you a lot farther than most people think.  The game isn’t played on paper, but on the court, where desire and determination can often outweigh athleticism.  Dan is an exceptional individual with a work ethic second to none.  Combine that with his natural talent and it is not surprising he has had such a long and successful career.

Suns.com:  Dan’s game evolved over the years as he was able to adapt to injuries and the personnel around him.  How difficult do you think that was and what kind of person and player does it take to be able to make the kind of adjustments Dan made to extend his career?

Johnson:  Dan is a true basketball competitor and like all competitors he will do whatever is necessary to win ballgames.  When we needed him to score, he would score.  When we needed him to tighten up on the opposition’s scorer, he played ferocious “D”.  There was no one on the court who was going to beat Dan to a ball.  He sacrificed his body to do what most helped the team.  When the bumps and bruises from physical play on the defensive and offensive ends of the court began to take their toll, Dan adapted his game to develop one of the most deadly three-point shots in the game.  It’s a difficult thing to do (make adjustments) but competitors and team players will do what is necessary.

Suns.com:  What kind of guy was Dan in the locker room as far as being a team guy and leader?

Johnson:  The way Dan played on the floor elevated him to a leader.  He led by example.  His locker room personality was great.  He kept us loose with his sense of humor and unconventional outlook on things.  It was this approach and levity to things that helped bring us together as a team.

Suns.com:  Dan had a reputation as being a bit of a character off the court.  Can you recall any specific stories of Dan in the locker room or away from the game that illustrated his character off the court?

Johnson:  To protect the innocent, namely Dan’s family, friends and teammates, I am not at liberty to discuss some of his off court actions.

kj-on-majerle

KJ on Majerle

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