Hoops HD

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 16 gold medals in the 19 tournaments they have participated in during the past 87 years, while the women have won 9 gold medals in the 11 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 47 years. With the 2024 Olympics in Paris just over 1 month away, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will fill the void by interviewing as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible. We continue our coverage by chatting with Mike Thibault about his career, which included winning a gold medal in 2008 and a WNBA title in 2019. Mike will head to Paris in July as an assistant to Coach Cheryl Reeve and try to win yet another gold medal.

After graduating from college in 1979 you won 2 titles as an assistant coach with the LA Lakers in a 3-year span from 1980-1982: what was it like to have a front-row seat for the start of the “Showtime” era? Pretty good, but it spoiled me! We were so good that I thought I would get back there a lot, but it is pretty hard. It was a special group: having those kinds of players was a coach’s dream. Those guys wanted to excel every night and be great all the time.

In the late-1980s you left the Chicago Bulls to coach in the World Basketball League (where you were named 1988 COY) and Continental Basketball Association (where you won the 1993 title): you obviously made the right decision in terms of being a successful head coach…but do you ever wonder how your life would have been different if you had stuck around to watch Phil Jackson win 6 titles during the 1990s? I did not have a choice! When Jerry Reinsdorf bought the team Rod Thorn and I had been in charge of drafting Michael Jordan but they brought in Doug Collins as head coach. Phil actually took my place as an assistant coach. It was a pretty interesting situation…but could have been even more interesting.

In 2004 and 2005 as head coach of Connecticut you lost back-to-back WNBA Finals: how close did you come to winning either/both series? We came within 1 missed shot of winning it all in 2004. 2005 was 1 of the best teams we had but our PG Lindsay Whalen got hurt in Game 1 after being our engine all year. We probably had an even better team in 2006 but had a couple of significant injuries.

You were an assistant women’s coach for team USA at the 2008 Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It was awesome! Anytime you get to represent your country it is great. I got to coach the USA men in the past but not on the Olympic level. The opening ceremonies are the coolest thing ever, and then hearing the national anthem when you win a gold medal is a dream come true.

As head coach of Washington you lost the 2018 WNBA Finals before winning the 2019 WNBA Finals: what did it mean to you to finally win a title? I know a lot of people think that it “completed the cycle” for me, but what I recall is looking around during the final minute at our season-ticket holders in the stands crying and our players on the bench celebrating because they all had so much invested in it. It was more about the group than anything else.

1 of your assistants on that title-winning team was Marianne Stanley: how reassuring was it to have a Hall of Famer by your side? She is a special person. She had great insights after I convinced her to stay and I am glad that she stuck it out. Her basketball resume as a player/coach speaks for itself.

You spent 55 years in coaching, were a 3-time WNBA COY, and your 379 regular season wins/16 playoff appearances remain the most in WNBA history: what is the secret to being a great coach? That is not an easy 1 to answer but when I talk to young coaches I tell them several things. Be yourself because players will know when someone is phony. Be honest with them and coach to your personality because players want you to be consistent in what you do. Allow your players to be part of the plan/process so that they have a stake in it: they are the ones executing on the court and it is not just a top-down thing. Remember that it is a kid’s game so keep the joy in what you are doing: you should be curious and always-evolving. If you think that you have figured it all out then you should stop coaching because you never have it all figured out!

In 2022 your son Eric succeeded you as head coach and your daughter Carly was named head coach at Fairfield: how much of an impact were you on their own decisions to go into coaching? My wife says that I had a big impact because my job looked fun to them. I have been around coaches who were miserable a lot of the time but I truly enjoyed going to work every day. They saw that even with the down times it was a pretty rewarding experience if you did it the right way.

You will be an assistant for team USA again in Paris this summer: is it extra-special that you get to share this journey with 2 of your players from 2008 (Diana Taurasi is playing in her 6th Olympics and Kara Lawson is now 1 of your fellow assistants)? Yeah. There is some continuity because I have been a part of the USA experience for 30 years. The head of it all (Jim Tooley) and I have worked together since 1993: there is a grind sometimes but we have a lot of day-to-day laughs. I have known Diana since she was a college sophomore at UConn: she used to play pickup ball with my son!

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? That I did it the right way and brought positivity. Part of being a good coach is being a good teacher so I hope my players remember having a good experience both on and off the court. Most of the time you do not look back at the wins/losses but the idea of doing things together.