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We continue our season preview coverage with Evansville coach Walter McCarty. It is fascinating to look back at the 1996 Kentucky Wildcat championship roster and see how many of the players on that team went to to have further success as players and/or coaches. Nazr Mohammed won the 2005 NBA title as a player for San Antonio, Derek Anderson/Antoine Walker teamed up to win the 2006 NBA title as players for Miami, Allen Edwards won the 2017 CBI as head coach at Wyoming, and Mark Pope was named head coach at BYU last April. Evansville hopes that Walter McCarty can add to that legacy: after spending close to 2 decades as an NBA player/assistant coach, the Aces hired him as head coach in 2018 and he enters this season having lost 3 of his top-5 scorers from last year. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach McCarty about winning an NCAA title and coaching his hometown team.
In 1994 as a player at Kentucky you scored 23 PTS including a 3-PT shot with 19 seconds left to overcome a 31-PT deficit en route to a 4-PT win at LSU (which remains the biggest 2nd half rally in NCAA history), and in Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals as a member of the Celtics you had 4 REB as your team overcame a 21-PT 4th quarter deficit en route to a 4-PT win over New Jersey (which set a record for the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history): what is the secret to coming all the way back to win a game? You need guys who are really connected and care about each other as a team. The biggest thing is to be tough enough to come together and get the job done.
In the 1996 NCAA tourney title game you had 7 REB in a 9-PT win over Syracuse: what did it mean to you to win a title? It was awesome! We learned a lot the previous year when we thought we would win it all but fell a little short against North Carolina. It meant a lot because we worked really hard and the Kentucky fans were ready because it had been a long time since they had won a title.
You spent 10 years in the NBA: what is the biggest difference between college basketball and pro basketball? In the pros you have guys who are taller/more athletic and their response time is quicker. The pro game is faster/stronger and is the highest level of basketball: you cannot get it unless you are there in person.
After retiring you became an assistant to both Rick Pitino at Louisville as well as Brad Stevens with the Celtics: what is the most important thing that you learned from either of these 2 great head coaches? Both guys prepare better than anyone I have ever seen, which is something they have in common. I learned the importance of a good work ethic from Coach P, and Brad taught me how to keep my composure and treat my team well.
You were born in Evansville: what does it mean to you to be coaching your hometown team? It is awesome and I am thrilled/appreciative every day: each time I drive to work I see something that brings up a fond memory. It is an honor to be back here.
Last year you started 9-9 before losing 12 of your final 14 games: what happened? I love my guys and they played hard for me but we just did not have enough talent. We played hard/played together but knew that it would be a tough season.
Your 1st road game of the year is a trip to Lexington in November: will you treat it as just another game or do you think that it will be a very special moment? It is always a special moment to be in Lexington because I had the time of my life there for 4 years. It will be a businesslike approach as we try to get a win but will also be fun to see my friends.
You lost a pair of experienced assistant coaches last month in Todd Lickliter (who retired) and Matthew Graves (who became an assistant at Xavier): how comforting is it to be bringing in Bennie Seltzer (who was an assistant to Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma and an assistant to Tom Crean at Marquette/Indiana) as 1 of your new assistants? It is very reassuring. I believe in Bennie and love what he has been able to do for this team. His basketball knowledge is on another level so I have already seen the tremendous impact that he will have.
You lost 3 of your top-5 scorers from last year (Marty Hill/Shea Feehan/Dainius Chatkevicius): how will you try to replace all of that offense? We had some guys who sat out last year so we will not have any problem scoring the basketball: I am not concerned with that at all.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our goal is to be the most physical/connected team as well as the team that plays the hardest. If we can do that on a daily basis then we will have a fun season.