When it comes to anything in life if you like something or you want to do something there is somebody you should thank for you liking/loving that thing. With sports in particular, you most likely gained the love for it because your parents played it or watched it regularly. There is always a chain of influence.
We all have our influences, whether you know it or not you do most things because of influence. New Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger has his influences in coaching and he’s recently talked about those influences.
As one of the youngest coaches in the Association, Joerger has studied the habits and tendencies of some the League’s greats in addition to Saunders, including Gregg Popovich, Rick Carlisle and Phil Jackson. “You try to do what they did and then see if you can take it a little bit further. Popovich and Rick Carlisle also let me be around practices and training camps and let me pick their brain. I’m very lucky to have watched those guys work.”
Joerger also labels Duane Ticknor, a minor league coach that gave Joerger his first foray into coaching. He also sees himself in the late, great Flip Saunders because they came up in similar ways, from the minors all the way up to the NBA.
Even if people don’t intend to influence they always end up inspiring someone. Maybe one day it’ll be Dave Joerger as an influence to somebody else.
