More on Nate James and a Pet Peeve of Mine
I knew it was coming, but even when it happened, I had to grit my teeth to keep from saying something.
A few minutes into Nate James' introductory press conference, someone asked whether James would be Duke's new big man coach.
Look, I get that, at 6-6, James is now the tallest guy on the staff. But really, there's an unspoken subtext to this question: "You're going to be the big man coach, right? Because there's no way 5-10 Steve Wojciechowski should still be doing that job."
Nate came up with a smooth, thoughtful reply, which bodes well for his future dealing with us media types.
"Seeing (Chris Collins and Wojciechowski) do the jobs that they do, it doesn’t matter if they’re 7 feet tall or 5-11 or however tall they are, they do a tremendous job," James said.
You can take issue with whether Wojciechowski does a tremendous job with Duke's big men. And it's certainly possible that Wojo will take over coaching the point guards now that Johnny Dawkins is gone and that James will indeed coach the big men.
Just please, please don't assume it's because James is eight inches taller than Wojo.
First, think back to when James played at Duke. He was a gritty, tough player, but he was a swingman. When did you ever see James post up on the low blocks? So he has as much playing experience in the paint as Wojo.
Second, take a look at other coaching staffs around the ACC, and around the country for that matter? See many 6-9 guys on the bench? Didn't think so. So just about every college has a guy who's not a big man coaching its big men. I'm not exactly sure why that is but, as Sidney Lowe would say "It is what it is." I've never stood really close to UNC big man coach Joe Holladay - that would probably creep him out - but I don't think he's a towering figure. Yet I'm pretty sure the Tar Heels are solid on the inside.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox for a moment and admit I'm part of the problem. Back in the day when I was full-time on the Duke beat and I was always looking for some story, any story about the Blue Devils, I did the "Hey, isn't it neat that a former Duke point guard is coaching big men?" I'm not proud of it. But ost of the story ended up being about how you don't have to be a big man to coach them. Would it help? I'm sure it always helps to have personal experience at the position when you're teaching it. But it's not a requirement.
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