Bench Strength
Spring 2015
Brendan Suhr opens his desk drawer and begins rummaging. 麻豆精品 S淲hat is my job title? 麻豆精品 S� he asks rhetorically. He finally finds a business card and reads, 麻豆精品 S淒irector of Program Development. 麻豆精品 S� Suhr smiles.
At age 63, he 麻豆精品 S檚 beyond worrying about titles or courting the spotlight. Not that he 麻豆精品 S檚 ever been concerned with such things 麻豆精品 S� ask his boss. 麻豆精品 S淗e coaches coaches, 麻豆精品 S� says Donnie Jones, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 head basketball coach. 麻豆精品 S淗e 麻豆精品 S檚 a servant-leader. What I mean by that is that Brendan Suhr has the power to lead from behind. And he 麻豆精品 S檚 been like that everywhere he 麻豆精品 S檚 [worked]. 麻豆精品 S�
In the basketball world, Suhr seemingly has worked everywhere. Yet even with his decorated and varied background in the sport, he 麻豆精品 S檇 rather be at UCF than anywhere else.
麻豆精品 S淗ere is a guy who could be sitting on any NBA bench in the country. This is a guy who knows what it takes to win a championship at the highest level. Having him here, and having him as a mentor, is priceless. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淧eople sometimes ask me, 麻豆精品 S榃hy are you doing this? 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 honored to do this. Sure, I could be on an NBA staff. … I 麻豆精品 S檓 here because I want to be here. 麻豆精品 S�
Suhr (pronounced 麻豆精品 S渟ir 麻豆精品 S�) has been a key participant in some of the most prominent basketball moments of the past few decades. He was Chuck Daly 麻豆精品 S檚 assistant throughout the Hall of Famer 麻豆精品 S檚 coaching career, which includes back-to-back NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990. Suhr also was the head scout who put together the USA 麻豆精品 S檚 gold-medal winning 麻豆精品 S淒ream Team 麻豆精品 S� for the 1992 Summer Olympics 麻豆精品 S� a team that included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird 麻豆精品 S� which has been called the greatest assemblage of talent in any sport in history. In addition to the Pistons, he 麻豆精品 S檚 coached for the Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic. He 麻豆精品 S檚 also been a head coach, general manager and owner in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
So how did Suhr 麻豆精品 S檚 path lead to UCF? Friendship.
Pick some prominent names in the coaching ranks 麻豆精品 S� NCAA or NBA 麻豆精品 S� and Suhr likely has a relationship with them. One of those coaches is the University of Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Billy Donovan. When Suhr was an assistant coach with the Magic in the late 麻豆精品 S�90s, he 麻豆精品 S檇 occasionally visit Donovan.
麻豆精品 S淏rendan is one of the best coach-teachers I 麻豆精品 S檝e ever been around, 麻豆精品 S� says Donovan, who has won two national championships at UF. 麻豆精品 S淗e makes you think about how you want to [coach]. 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 an incredible gift, because if the decisions you make are not authentic 麻豆精品 S� it 麻豆精品 S檚 not going to come across well. 麻豆精品 S�
One of Donovan 麻豆精品 S檚 assistants at the time was a young coach named Donnie Jones. 麻豆精品 S淭he first time I met him, I was in awe, 麻豆精品 S� says Jones. 麻豆精品 S淚 knew who he was, and I was intimidated. He 麻豆精品 S檇 come up to talk ball with Billy, and I just wanted to sit and listen. But Brendan is so approachable. 麻豆精品 S� Here he was, this guy with such a great r茅sum茅, making me feel like I was important. 麻豆精品 S�
Jones and Suhr became friends, and Jones often consulted Suhr for advice, especially after becoming Marshall University 麻豆精品 S檚 head coach in 2007. And three years later when UCF courted Jones to take over its program, he again turned to Suhr for input. 麻豆精品 S淚t was a tough decision to leave Marshall and come here, 麻豆精品 S� Jones admits. 麻豆精品 S淚 remember talking to Brendan, and he had a great vision of what this job could be. He knew what a wonderful city Orlando is and the impact of it being an NBA city. He had a big vision for UCF. And let me tell you, it 麻豆精品 S檚 been everything he said it would be and more. 麻豆精品 S�
After Suhr sold Jones on UCF, Jones had to sell Suhr on something 麻豆精品 S� joining him. Suhr was overseeing two companies at the time, and though they dominated a good chunk of his energy, Jones 麻豆精品 S� offer was impossible to refuse.
麻豆精品 S淚t’s not too often in life that you get to work with your best friend. Every day we learn something new basketball-wise and life-wise. We’ve created a culture of getting better. 麻豆精品 S�
In three of their first four seasons together, UCF won 20 or more games. Suhr mostly stays behind the scenes. 麻豆精品 S淚 try to help all the coaches on the staff, 麻豆精品 S� he explains. 麻豆精品 S淚 help them in their development as coaches, in their personal development. I 麻豆精品 S檓 a sounding board, an adviser. 麻豆精品 S�
Offseason, Suhr focuses on speaking and consulting as the founder and president of Off the Court, while also working with motivational speaker Kevin Eastman. He and Eastman created Coaching U LIVE, which offers development in leadership and all other aspects of the coaching profession.
麻豆精品 S淭he best coaches can change lives, 麻豆精品 S� says Suhr. 麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e not teaching basketball; you 麻豆精品 S檙e teaching leadership. That thought struck me about 10 years ago 麻豆精品 S� it was an epiphany. With what I do, and especially with Coaching U, I have the ability to change thousands of people 麻豆精品 S檚 lives through coaching. 麻豆精品 S�
Jones still can 麻豆精品 S檛 believe his good fortune.
麻豆精品 S淗ere is a guy who could be sitting on any NBA bench in the country, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭his is a guy who knows what it takes to win a championship at the highest level. Having him here, and having him as a mentor, is priceless. Brendan gets such a sense of self-satisfaction from helping other people, and he doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 care who gets the credit. 麻豆精品 S�
Jones pauses at that last statement. 麻豆精品 S淎ctually, he does care, 麻豆精品 S� he adds. 麻豆精品 S淗e gets great joy in seeing other people succeed while he remains in the background. 麻豆精品 S�
Others have benefited from Suhr 麻豆精品 S檚 generosity as well. If not for Suhr, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers might never have gone into coaching. 麻豆精品 S淚 drafted Doc Rivers to the Atlanta Hawks in 1983, 麻豆精品 S� Suhr remembers. 麻豆精品 S淗e was the 31st pick out of Marquette. We gave him a two-year contract; he ended up playing 13 years in the NBA. 麻豆精品 S�
When Rivers 麻豆精品 S� playing career ended, he transitioned into broadcasting. Suhr, however, thought he was better suited elsewhere. 麻豆精品 S淚 told him that I thought he 麻豆精品 S檇 be a terrific coach, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Rivers wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 interested. Undeterred, Suhr invited Rivers to try working for a few days with his CBA team in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rivers accepted and had a change of heart. Since then, he 麻豆精品 S檚 expressed on several occasions that 麻豆精品 S渨hen I was playing, I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 think I 麻豆精品 S檇 find anything I 麻豆精品 S檇 enjoy more, but I found it. 麻豆精品 S�
Few people know this backstory about Rivers, who now has an NBA championship under his coaching belt, and Suhr is fine with that. He 麻豆精品 S檚 quick to deflect any credit, saying instead, 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e so lucky to have someone like Doc Rivers in coaching. I 麻豆精品 S檓 so proud of him. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淭he best coaches can change lives. You’re not teaching basketball; you’re teaching leadership. 麻豆精品 S�
And Rivers is just one in a long list of NBA legends he has influenced. Suhr coached in two NBA All-Star Games while also helping to develop league luminaries such as Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, Dominique Wilkins, Penny Hardaway and Kenny Anderson. A defensive mastermind, he helped develop the infamous 麻豆精品 S淛ordan Rules, 麻豆精品 S� a strategy used to counter the offensive prowess of Michael Jordan.
His friendship with Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is especially tight. Thomas once said this about Suhr 麻豆精品 S檚 pro coaching credentials: 麻豆精品 S淏rendan is definitely a guy who 麻豆精品 S檚 been in the fire. He 麻豆精品 S檚 coached in championship games, and he 麻豆精品 S檚 been a part of organizations from startups to completion. So he understands how to roll up your sleeves and get dirty.
麻豆精品 S淚 guess the most important thing is that he understands how to respond to being down. This is a league where you 麻豆精品 S檙e going to be down, but you 麻豆精品 S檙e going to have to have the resiliency to respond and come back. Brendan understands that and is capable of doing that. He 麻豆精品 S檚 an extremely hard worker, and his X and O knowledge is beyond question. 麻豆精品 S�
It almost sounds like a job evaluation, but it falls short. How do you quantify an impact on a person 麻豆精品 S檚 life? How do you put something like that into words 麻豆精品 S� much less on a business card?
Suhr’s All-Time Starting 5
Of all the superstars Suhr has coached, these five stand out.
- Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons: 麻豆精品 S淚nch for inch, pound for pound, Isiah is the best player I 麻豆精品 S檝e ever seen. He was extremely competitive, had a genius basketball IQ, and he was a consummate leader. 麻豆精品 S� When you look at the other best players of his era 麻豆精品 S� Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan 麻豆精品 S� he beat every one of them in a playoff series, and with a lesser team, many times. 麻豆精品 S�
- Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks: 麻豆精品 S淸Dominique is] the human highlight film, the most exciting player I ever coached. He was the best dunker-finisher I ever had in the NBA. 麻豆精品 S� At his peak, Dominique and Jordan were on par. When they faced off against each other, it provided some of the most memorable plays I 麻豆精品 S檝e ever seen. He and Michael propelled the use of the dunk in the NBA and made them ESPN 麻豆精品 S楽portsCenter 麻豆精品 S� highlights. 麻豆精品 S�
- Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons: 麻豆精品 S淗e was the best rebounder 麻豆精品 S� offensively and defensively 麻豆精品 S� I 麻豆精品 S檝e ever seen, as well as the best defender. And he came from nowhere, going from a second-round pick to a Hall of Famer. He was one of my favorite guys ever to coach 麻豆精品 S� such a unique personality with a genius basketball intelligence. And the big thing about Dennis was that his will to win was unsurpassed. 麻豆精品 S�
- Derrick Coleman, New Jersey Nets: 麻豆精品 S淒errick was the prototypical power forward, 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, with an outstanding inside and outside game. 麻豆精品 S� As a great power forward, Derrick was right there with Karl Malone and Charles Barkley. 麻豆精品 S�
- Bill Laimbeer, Detroit Pistons: 麻豆精品 S淎 really unique player 麻豆精品 S� a 6-foot-10 physical center with a 3-point shot. His will to win, his intelligence and his competitiveness separated him from the rest of the pack. And he was one of the best teammates I ever had on a team. Everyone in the league hated Bill Laimbeer, but when you coached him he was one of your favorite players. 麻豆精品 S�