Damon Stoudamire Rumors
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Damon Stoudamire
Position: -
Born: 09/03/73
Height: 5-10 / 1.78
Weight:173 lbs. / 78.9 kg.
Earnings: $99,672,198 ($164,741,891*)
Born: 09/03/73
Height: 5-10 / 1.78
Weight:173 lbs. / 78.9 kg.
Earnings: $99,672,198 ($164,741,891*)
Stoudamire did not want to comment on the specifics of the suspension. But he did reiterate his dedication to the Celtics and his love for his job. “It’s difficult for everybody, obviously,” he said. “We’re all processing everything to hopefully get to a decompressing state, if that’s ever the case. I believe this: Guys owe it to themselves. When I say guys — the players, coaching staff, upstairs — we all owe it to each other to come in here and put our best foot forward and stay professional. “Nothing has changed in the room in what the expectations and the goals are. That’s the biggest thing. We’ve got to be prepared from that standpoint, mentally more than anything, because I think physically things will be there. We’ll get to that point.”
“I love being here and I love my job. I love my job and I want to see these dudes be as successful as they could be and I want to be a part of it. Guys are hungry and guys are ready. We can’t skip steps to it. We all got a sour taste in our mouths about what happened last year and we want to redeem ourselves.”
“We’re going to figure this thing out and we’ve made a concerted effort from a coaching staff perspective and from a players perspective. That’s been the motto since the day I got here. We feel like if we put in the proper work, we’ll have as good of a chance as anybody.”
So, what is next for Stoudamire? Coach under Udoka for several more years? Become a first-time NBA head coach? Return to college basketball as a Power 5 head coach? Stoudamire appears open-minded. “What is meant to be for me is going to be, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart,” Stoudamire said. “Whether that’s in the NBA or college, somebody is going to see my worth, somebody is going to see what I’m really all about, and somebody is going to give me that opportunity. I’ve been blessed to have that opportunity at Pacific. That’s why I’m so indebted to them, and I know what I did at that program. It’s just all about me trying to help the players, and trying to help the other coaches grow …
Stoudamire says he isn’t surprised that Udoka, a longtime NBA assistant coach, has coached the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season as a head coach. “We go back 25, 30 years,” Stoudamire said. “Ime probably was closer to my dad on the initial than he was to me, going to my dad’s midnight league and things of that nature, but he is a really good dude. A guy who, for some, they might be surprised what he’s doing. It really doesn’t surprise me. He’s built for this. He’s seen it a little more than what everybody gives him credit for from that standpoint as well. So, I’m really happy for him and proud of him, proud to be a part of his staff.”
Stoudemire, 48, says the NCAA could take notes from the NBA on networking, open conversations, and respect for its prospective coaches. Fifteen of the NBA’s 30 head coaches are Black (with one opening yet to be filled), while a recent study showed only 24.3% of head coaches in Division I men’s basketball are Black. “They’re [NCAA basketball] getting better, but they’re far off,” Stoudamire told Andscape before the Celtics’ 107-88 loss Sunday night to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. “When I say they’re off, it’s from the standpoint that I don’t feel like the decision-makers get a chance to know guys.
