Pooh Jeter is many issues: a Los Angeles native, a mid-major product and an abroad hoop legend, to call a couple of. And now you may add NBA participant growth coach and G League assistant GM to the listing. However there’s one identifier that’s the inspiration of Pooh’s whole existence. Above every part else, Pooh is a person of religion.
He’s made it abundantly clear that he finds his life’s goal in serving to serve others and offering mild in occasions of darkness. After a spectacular profession on the College of Portland, the undersized level guard went undrafted within the 2006 NBA Draft. However his religion didn’t permit that to discourage him from his aim of turning into knowledgeable basketball participant.
He’d find yourself having a 17-year professional profession that spanned a handful of nations and a short stint within the NBA with the Sacramento Kings in 2010-11. Final 12 months, he introduced his retirement as a participant after spending his final two seasons as a participant/mentor with the NBA G League Ignite.
He adopted up his retirement with information that he’d be becoming a member of the Portland Path Blazers as a participant growth coach and their G League affiliate, the Rip Metropolis Remix, as an assistant GM.
Pooh pulled as much as the SLAM workplace and chopped it up about every part: his new twin function with the Path Blazers, his transition from participant to teach, founding the Black Coaches Affiliation, what neighborhood means to him and extra.
This interview has been barely edited for readability and conciseness.
SLAM: I respect you for being right here, first issues first. We’ll get into a couple of issues, however I wish to begin along with your newest accomplishment, turning into a coach within the League. How’d that come about?
Pooh Jeter: First, reward God that we’re in a position to have this dialog and converse on the SLAM platform. That is big. You already know, me being on this new function–I wasn’t anticipating it. I used to be actually anticipating to nonetheless be taking part in with Ignite, till I obtained this chance from Mike Schmitz, the assistant GM [for the Portland Trail Blazers] and a longtime buddy of mine. He had an thought of this twin function, within the entrance workplace and training. As soon as Chauncey Billups—who I’ve been realizing since ’05—discovered, he was like, I want him too! So it simply made sense to have this function of being a participant growth coach [for the Trail Blazers], and likewise being assistant GM of our NBA G League [Rip City] Remix crew.
SLAM: So, what’s Coach Pooh like?
PJ: Coach Pooh is—I’m nonetheless a hooper. However I’m in a position to share my experiences. One factor I find out about participant growth is folks don’t take into consideration the growth half. That’s not simply basketball. Me being on this function, I’m nonetheless like a teammate since I only in the near past made this transition. For me to have the ability to faucet in so that you can deliver out your greatest don’t actually gotta do with basketball; we’re human beings as effectively. I feel the belief that gamers have with me, they’re in a position to actually let me know what’s happening with them. As a result of, the basketball stuff is—I’ll be capable of assist with that, for positive.
SLAM: How’s that transition from participant to teach/entrance workplace government been for you since asserting your retirement final 12 months?
PJ: The transition has been wonderful, man. The final two years I performed with G League Ignite actually helped me make my transition even higher. I nonetheless get down and observe, which is cool. I’m one of many solely folks within the League with this function. It’s a tremendous steadiness; I’m in a position to actually discuss to either side. I’ve skilled a lot and it’s not meant for me to carry it, it’s for me to share. My complete mission is refreshing others; that’s what I’m about.
SLAM: In one other interview, you talked about how vital it’s so that you can share data along with your neighborhood first. Are you able to converse to this a bit extra? What does neighborhood imply to you?
PJ: Neighborhood is every part to me, wherever I’m at. We gotta repair inside if we wish to do issues on the surface. When you deal with that half, every part is gonna deal with itself. That comes with data, that comes with love. Coming from the interior metropolis, you actually should faucet into that to actually change narratives. That’s the entire level of me being a messenger and servant. I gotta serve. As soon as I’m ready to do this, [the younger generation] is gonna do the identical. It begins with neighborhood.
SLAM: I wish to contact on the Black Coaches Affiliation (BCA). How did that come about and what are you making an attempt to do with it?
PJ: BCA actually began with coaches John Thompson, Nolan Richardson, George Raveling and John Chaney across the late ’80s. Then it simply went away. I had a dialog with Coach Jason Hart—he’s any individual I actually look as much as for lots of various causes. He was venting to me, as a result of at the moment (and now) the Pac-12 didn’t have a Black head coach. That’s bizarre for a Energy 5 convention—like, why?! Properly, I’m actually into emblems and as soon as I noticed Black Coaches Affiliation/BCA was out there, I obtained on it. So then, with the relationships that I do have, right here comes [a long list of Black coaches] that turned members of the affiliation. I used to be nonetheless a participant on the time, and there was a lot happening on the planet. I simply wished to ensure these coaches have been alright psychological health-wise. Everyone began making their calls and it obtained large! We most likely have 2,500 Black coaches in our database.
Now that I’m on the sidelines, I’m different professional gamers who wish to get into teaching. Once more, it’s about who we’re getting our data from. I’m simply tryna do one thing to ensure the neighborhood—my neighborhood—is ready for the chance. Black Coaches Affiliation is my child. It’s an actual ardour and precedence of mine.
SLAM: What’s left for Pooh to do within the recreation of basketball?
PJ: I’m gonna go to this scripture within the Bible: “though I’ve plans in my coronary heart, God directs my steps.” I’ve to proceed to hope and simply be aligned with the steps we’re on and hopefully, these steps are main someplace. You already know, I wasn’t anticipating to be a coach and within the entrance workplace; that wasn’t my plan. I simply pray that my steps are being directed in the appropriate means, with God. One of many necessities is to stroll humbly; I’m simply making an attempt to stroll humbly and ensure God’s will is finished.
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Photographs by Marcus Stevens.
