Denton: Van Gundy Attempts to Limit Mental Wear and Tear
By John Denton
December 29, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – In an effort to try and reduce some of the mental wear and tear that coaching puts on him, Stan Van Gundy made a vow this season to put down the clicker and either get outside or get out of his hotel room at least once a day.
Admittedly so, it’s a goal that has been met with mixed results.
Because Van Gundy is usually so immersed in preparation – whether it’s watching hours of video footage from Orlando Magic practices or of the upcoming opponent or pouring over statistical data – the coach often makes little time for the world outside of basketball.
On roadtrips, he is more wont to opt for room service than a fancy restaurant because the former allows him to work through dinner. And when at home in Orlando, he often arrives at Amway Arena some four hours before games so that he can make final preparations that include personally drawing up that night’s plays on the dry-erase board inside the locker room.
Because he’s so dialed in and Game 26 means as much to him as one in the playoffs, Van Gundy admits that he hasn’t always been successful at upholding his vow of shutting off basketball from time to time during the season.
``I am trying to at least get outside every day, but it’s just not enough because you are in it,’’ Van Gundy, 50, said of his all-consuming preparation routine. ``I don’t know if that stuff helps, but we’ll see.’’
Van Gundy’s Magic (22-8) host Milwaukee (11-17), and rest assured the coach will have Orlando prepared what with Monday’s three-hour-plus practice and Tuesday’s session focused specifically on the Bucks.
With University of Florida coach Urban Meyer resigning and then instead taking a leave of absence because of health scares caused by the stresses of coaching, Van Gundy was asked if the rigors of coaching in such an intense, full-bore manner had similar effects on him. He said health concerns have never been an issue for him, but he does worry about sleeping too little and poor eating habits because of his demand for detailed preparation.
What Van Gundy could most relate to was the pain that coaching causes by taking him away from his family so much. When the Magic played the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, Van Gundy said he spent ``about 15 minutes’’ with his family because of his need to arrive at the arena early for game day preparations.
And long roadtrips are especially difficult because they keep him away from his wife Kim and their four children: Shannon (18), Michael (15), Alison (12) and Kelly (10). Missing his family once caused Van Gundy to leave the coaching profession in 2005 when he was then the coach of the Miami Heat. There’s no chance of him doing that again anytime soon, but Van Gundy said the problematic balance of trying to be a husband, father and coach weighs on him often.
``All of those things do tug on you,’’ he admitted. ``As much as you thrive on the game, the competition and the camaraderie and building a team, I’d like to say that you have to sacrifice a lot, but in reality your family sacrifices a lot. There’s definitely a tug there where you wonder if it’s worth it.
``I read (Meyer’s) quote where he said he put every waking moment into Florida football and that’s a sobering quite right there.’’
Van Gundy got a firsthand look at what coaching could do to a family when his father, Bill, was a high school and small college coach for years in Northern California and upstate New York. But Stan and brother, Jeff, didn’t miss out on much time away from their dad because they were often fixtures at practices, games and recruiting trips.
``The time away was similar, but it was a different level. My dad was gone a lot, but I was also able to be a part of what he was doing,’’ Van Gundy remembered. ``When he was a high school coach I could go to practice and sit on the bench during games. And when he was a college coach, we could go to practice after school and on the weekends I could be there and go recruiting with him.
``So it wasn’t as hard on my brother and I as it is with my kids now,’’ Van Gundy continued. ``We were able to get to all of his games and he didn’t play halfway across the country. He was playing within driving distance.’’
Van Gundy said his biggest issue now is being able to forget about basketball even when he’s away from the office or the basketball court. Because he so often lives and dies a little with each win or loss, he said it’s often hard for him to shut down the all-consuming thought process that goes with coaching. But he stressed that he’s never gotten to a point where the preparation has caused his intensity or passion to waver.
``I would like to turn it off, but a lot of times I just can’t turn it off,’’ he admitted. ``I don’t have to fight against burnout though. I think if I ever get to the point where I’m burned out and I don’t have the enthusiasm, the will and the passion to be here, then I’ll get out. I’ve never felt burn out. Even in Miami I didn’t feel burn out, but I just felt like I should be somewhere else.’’
Van Gundy said he’s so consumed with trying to lead the Magic to the championship that so narrowly avoided them last season that he’s given no thought to how long he wants to coach. Some in the organization fear that he burns too hot at times and will tire of coaching much too soon. And Van Gundy admitted earlier this season that he had to rein back his intensity somewhat because he had grown too negative as a coach. He has since worked at finding constructive points rather than ones that are too critical.
What Van Gundy has no questions about is how long he wants to coach. He marvels at Utah’s Jerry Sloan, saying he could never see himself lasting 21 years the way the ultra-intense Sloan has with the Jazz.
Van Gundy said he wants to go as hard as he can for as long as he can, then gracefully step away from coaching. He stressed that he would know when the time was right.
``I’ll do it as long as my enthusiasm, passion and intensity are there. And I’ll do it as long as they want me. That’s the bottom line,’’ he said. ``But I can’t fathom what Jerry Sloan has done. I can’t fathom it and I don’t have any desire to get there. I don’t want to be in my ‘60s -- retirement age – and still coaching in the NBA. There are other things I want to do. I want to do as good a job as I can here and when they decide to get rid of me, I’ll hang it up. Or there might be one more job in me if they got rid of me soon enough. But I don’t want to be at this forever.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonDecember 29, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – In an effort to try and reduce some of the mental wear and tear that coaching puts on him, Stan Van Gundy made a vow this season to put down the clicker and either get outside or get out of his hotel room at least once a day.
Admittedly so, it’s a goal that has been met with mixed results.
Because Van Gundy is usually so immersed in preparation – whether it’s watching hours of video footage from Orlando Magic practices or of the upcoming opponent or pouring over statistical data – the coach often makes little time for the world outside of basketball.
On roadtrips, he is more wont to opt for room service than a fancy restaurant because the former allows him to work through dinner. And when at home in Orlando, he often arrives at Amway Arena some four hours before games so that he can make final preparations that include personally drawing up that night’s plays on the dry-erase board inside the locker room.
Because he’s so dialed in and Game 26 means as much to him as one in the playoffs, Van Gundy admits that he hasn’t always been successful at upholding his vow of shutting off basketball from time to time during the season.
``I am trying to at least get outside every day, but it’s just not enough because you are in it,’’ Van Gundy, 50, said of his all-consuming preparation routine. ``I don’t know if that stuff helps, but we’ll see.’’
Van Gundy’s Magic (22-8) host Milwaukee (11-17), and rest assured the coach will have Orlando prepared what with Monday’s three-hour-plus practice and Tuesday’s session focused specifically on the Bucks.
With University of Florida coach Urban Meyer resigning and then instead taking a leave of absence because of health scares caused by the stresses of coaching, Van Gundy was asked if the rigors of coaching in such an intense, full-bore manner had similar effects on him. He said health concerns have never been an issue for him, but he does worry about sleeping too little and poor eating habits because of his demand for detailed preparation.
What Van Gundy could most relate to was the pain that coaching causes by taking him away from his family so much. When the Magic played the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, Van Gundy said he spent ``about 15 minutes’’ with his family because of his need to arrive at the arena early for game day preparations.
And long roadtrips are especially difficult because they keep him away from his wife Kim and their four children: Shannon (18), Michael (15), Alison (12) and Kelly (10). Missing his family once caused Van Gundy to leave the coaching profession in 2005 when he was then the coach of the Miami Heat. There’s no chance of him doing that again anytime soon, but Van Gundy said the problematic balance of trying to be a husband, father and coach weighs on him often.
``All of those things do tug on you,’’ he admitted. ``As much as you thrive on the game, the competition and the camaraderie and building a team, I’d like to say that you have to sacrifice a lot, but in reality your family sacrifices a lot. There’s definitely a tug there where you wonder if it’s worth it.
``I read (Meyer’s) quote where he said he put every waking moment into Florida football and that’s a sobering quite right there.’’
Van Gundy got a firsthand look at what coaching could do to a family when his father, Bill, was a high school and small college coach for years in Northern California and upstate New York. But Stan and brother, Jeff, didn’t miss out on much time away from their dad because they were often fixtures at practices, games and recruiting trips.
``The time away was similar, but it was a different level. My dad was gone a lot, but I was also able to be a part of what he was doing,’’ Van Gundy remembered. ``When he was a high school coach I could go to practice and sit on the bench during games. And when he was a college coach, we could go to practice after school and on the weekends I could be there and go recruiting with him.
``So it wasn’t as hard on my brother and I as it is with my kids now,’’ Van Gundy continued. ``We were able to get to all of his games and he didn’t play halfway across the country. He was playing within driving distance.’’
Van Gundy said his biggest issue now is being able to forget about basketball even when he’s away from the office or the basketball court. Because he so often lives and dies a little with each win or loss, he said it’s often hard for him to shut down the all-consuming thought process that goes with coaching. But he stressed that he’s never gotten to a point where the preparation has caused his intensity or passion to waver.
``I would like to turn it off, but a lot of times I just can’t turn it off,’’ he admitted. ``I don’t have to fight against burnout though. I think if I ever get to the point where I’m burned out and I don’t have the enthusiasm, the will and the passion to be here, then I’ll get out. I’ve never felt burn out. Even in Miami I didn’t feel burn out, but I just felt like I should be somewhere else.’’
Van Gundy said he’s so consumed with trying to lead the Magic to the championship that so narrowly avoided them last season that he’s given no thought to how long he wants to coach. Some in the organization fear that he burns too hot at times and will tire of coaching much too soon. And Van Gundy admitted earlier this season that he had to rein back his intensity somewhat because he had grown too negative as a coach. He has since worked at finding constructive points rather than ones that are too critical.
What Van Gundy has no questions about is how long he wants to coach. He marvels at Utah’s Jerry Sloan, saying he could never see himself lasting 21 years the way the ultra-intense Sloan has with the Jazz.
Van Gundy said he wants to go as hard as he can for as long as he can, then gracefully step away from coaching. He stressed that he would know when the time was right.
``I’ll do it as long as my enthusiasm, passion and intensity are there. And I’ll do it as long as they want me. That’s the bottom line,’’ he said. ``But I can’t fathom what Jerry Sloan has done. I can’t fathom it and I don’t have any desire to get there. I don’t want to be in my ‘60s -- retirement age – and still coaching in the NBA. There are other things I want to do. I want to do as good a job as I can here and when they decide to get rid of me, I’ll hang it up. Or there might be one more job in me if they got rid of me soon enough. But I don’t want to be at this forever.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
