Stories

Bronco basketball team gets advice every SCU student can live by. 
 

Since they separated in March, Santa Clara Basketball Coach Herb Sendek and his staff have been diligently checking in with their players wherever they live around the U.S.—and the world—as a way of keeping spirits high  and training routines on track.

But every Monday at 1 p.m. has been reserved for something special: players, trainers and coaches have met via Zoom for once-in-a-lifetime inspirational talks delivered by marquee names in pro sports. Former Broncos like Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce ’98,  two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash ’96, and NBA agent Bill Duffy ’82 have all led discussions.

Other greats like Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Los Angeles Sparks coach Derek Fisher, former Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton, John Lynch, general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, and a U.S. Navy Seal have also sat down with the current team.

Their advice to the student athletes during this time of COVID-19 and social distancing are words that every SCU student can live by: 

•  Be the kind of team you were together—even though you’re apart.
•  Work hard—even if no one’s watching. 
•  Develop and hone your leadership skills. 
•  Start networking with your fellow SCU students and alumni.

With five weeks to go until SCU’s fall quarter begins, University officials this month decided the continued threat of coronavirus means all students will take their courses online, until at least the winter quarter. Indeed, the virus could still sideline the college basketball season, expected to tip off on Nov. 10.

But over the next three months, if the situation improves, and if the NCAA allows college basketball to continue, Sendek wants to make sure his team is ready to play—both physically and mentally—and the talks have helped them focus on both.

For players like Josip Vrankic, ’21, and Keshawn Justice ’22, the Monday Q&A format where some guests entertained questions immediately, while others wanted to deliver a message first, were more than just a brush with greatness.

Teamwork forged lasting bonds

Both Vrankic and Justice lauded all of the speakers, but especially the three SCU basketball greats whom they felt could best relate to them.

“They had a lot more memories about the stuff they cherished at Santa Clara,” says the 6-foot-9 forward from Toronto.

Pierce, for example, told them his closest friends are the same ones he had at the University, including Nash, a Bronco teammate. He and Nash also talked about what made their team so competitive, and how that competitiveness led to their success.

“It was more like how could we take our interactions off the court and translate that to success on the court,” recalls Vrankic. 

Pierce described a strategy his team used when they played at SCU, based on a hypothetical battle between giants: In a contest between a lion and a bear, which animal would survive? Some players chose the bear, and some the lion. It became part of every interaction the players had with each other, says Vrankic. 

“They would bicker back and forth about it, even at meals,” says Vrankic of Pierce's story. But the ensuing debate sustained a competitive nature off the court and on, helping to push the team to victory. 

Similarly, when Vrankic asked Nash about the best way to excel against a skilled opponent, Nash was direct: work even harder. He and others urged them to stay on task, work out, and keep practicing. As Nash freely acknowledged to the players, he was not the most athletic guy on the team or the most gifted athlete. But Nash was in the gym longer.

“He always went back at night to shoot,” says Vrankic.

Learning leadership strategies 

Justice focused on speakers who talked about the mental aspects of leadership, qualities the sophomore is developing. Nash related that his way of leadership was doing everything the right way, every day.

“That means doing the little things, being on time to everything, making those things a habit,” Justice says, quoting Nash.

The Madison, Wisc. native and sociology major also appreciated the advice from L.A. Clippers Coach Rivers, who like many professional sports coaches has learned to handle the clashes that come with star athletes’ egos. Rivers told them what he likes to see in a team leader is the ability to reach out to fellow players and, when necessary, point out mistakes, but without raising their voice. 

“Let them know they could do something better, but in a way that everybody can still be respectful,” says the 6-foot-7 Justice, a forward on the team.

Rivers, who coached the Boston Celtics from 2004-13, also prizes passion in leaders. He talked of team leader Kevin Garnett’s fierce dedication, and how it often rubbed off on the other players.  He recalled the night he and a few players walked into the Celtics’ gym just before a game and saw the star forward sprinting back and forth, talking to himself to prepare for the competition ahead.

“It was all about strengthening his mental and physical game,” says Justice. 

Never too early to network 

When it came to Duffy, chairman and CEO of the BDA Sports Management—and member of SCU’s Board of Trustees—the players were impressed by his savvy business advice and decades-strong ties to SCU.

“He talked about how the connections he made at Santa Clara allowed him to expand his knowledge and education, and how it helped him develop relationships in his business,” says Justice. 

Duffy, who has represented some of the NBA’s top talents—from Nash to China’s Yao Ming, and the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic—counseled the players that even if they go on to careers in pro basketball, they should remember to keep building connections along the way that will help them later in life. 

Then someone put Duffy on the spot, asking the veteran agent a delicate question: Who is the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan or LeBron James?

Duffy told them he actually played against Jordan when Santa Clara competed against the University of North Carolina in the 1981 Cable Car Classic. (He also went up against Magic Johnson in a high school All-American game, and for two seasons in college at the University of Minnesota before transferring to SCU.) 

Without hesitation, says Vrankic, Duffy named Michael Jordan, the former Chicago Bulls superstar, as No. 1.

“He said Jordan was much more competitive; he had that killer instinct,” recalls Vrankic. And Duffy reminded them that every time Jordan made it to the NBA Finals, it never went to a game seven.

Yet Vrankic, Justice and most everyone else on the Zoom call—except Sendek—consider James to be The King.

“I think it’s a generational thing,” quips the SCU business major. “We let the old guys do their thing.”

Duffy later clarified that despite his “older generation bias,” his answer remains the same.

“As much respect as I have for LeBron and Kobe, I have to go with Jordan because he was two levels ahead of the other superstars he played against at that time. And there was no debate even amongst the players themselves,” he says.
“At that time, there were some outstanding all-time superstars, and they just conceded that they were not at the same level as Jordan.”

As he has watched his team interact with the series of prominent guests, Sendek says he's pleased about the kind of wisdom and encouragement they're receiving from people outside the organization. And he credits assistant coach Jason Ludwig for organizing the 1 p.m. Pacific Time meetings, which allows players living in different time zones to attend, especially given their class schedules during the spring quarter.

“It’s really turned out more than anything to be a great learning experience for our players,” says Sendek. “There’s been a wide variety of subjects, and ultimately, a lot of common threads to success.”