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We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Wisconsin assistant coach Dean Oliver. He was a 3-time All-Big 10 player at Iowa, spent a couple of years with Golden State, and won a CBA title in 2004. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Oliver about being a good PG and his expectations for this year.
You went to high school in Iowa: what made you choose Iowa for college? I made my choice very really early during the recruiting process: I had not even turned 16 years old. I was friends with Ricky Davis and we talked about being a package deal in college. I grew to love Iowa during my time there after I committed as kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision.
You were a 3-time All-Big 10 player: how were you able to remain so consistent throughout your college career? Just hard work. I was a non-stop gym rat: I actually had a key to the arena and spent a lot of time there. I loved the game and we were able to have success as a team, which is the key to winning individual awards.
You led the conference in AST-TO ratio during your senior season: what is the key to being a good PG? It takes some experience: getting a lot of minutes during my 1st 3 years allowed the game to slow down for me as a senior. Decision making and ball-handling are also important when you are playing at a high level. It took me awhile: 1 year I was walking inside Walmart and a guy saw me and started shaking his head. I asked him what was wrong and he said he liked me…but that I turned the ball over too much!
After graduating you played 2 years with Golden State: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? I did not play a whole lot so most of my memories are from practice. I used to play full-court 1-on-1 before practice against Gilbert Arenas and I only beat him once…and then he took it out on me in practice immediately afterward!
In 2004 you won a CBA title with the Dakota Wizards: what did it mean to you to win a title? That was awesome. I was coming off of an injury but Coach Dave Joerger gave me a chance to play. We had a great team and I learned a lot about how to balance so much talent and get everyone on the same page by sacrificing to win a championship.
In 2017 you were hired as an assistant at Wisconsin under Coach Greg Gard: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is a great teacher and really reminds me of my old coach Tom Davis. He introduces concepts and thinks things out ahead of time. He simplifies stuff for our guys and helps them understand the importance of why we do all of the little things.
Last March you were the #1 seed heading into the Big 10 tourney before learning that the entire postseason was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? We all were in shock. We were in the locker room getting ready to head to the Big 10 tourney: when we got the news we were just wondering why they could not just postpone it. It was the right decision looking back on it now.
After Kobe King transferred/Brevin Pritzl graduated your current roster has 7 seniors/3 sophomores/7 freshmen: what will it be like to have so much experience/youth with very little in the middle? We really like it because our seniors are excellent leaders and we feel good with where we are at. They will teach the young guys the ropes and lead by example.
You have a birthday coming up next month: what will it be like to celebrate during a pandemic? Do not remind me! We usually have a game/exhibition on my birthday but I try not to make a big deal about it anymore.
What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020? This year has been challenging and is different than any other year. I have never felt like our country is so divided where you have to choose sides. I really hope people understand that it was not as divisive in the past and I hope some good can eventually come out of it.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Our guys are extremely hungry from last year after being the #1 seed in the Big 10 tourney last March. We want to win another Big 10 title and I do not think there is a ceiling for this team. We want to go to the Final 4 but we will take it 1 game at a time.