Steve Nash is poised for as many big things on the bench as he accomplished on the floor, say his Island mentors.
The two-time NBA most valuable player and basketball hall of famer from Victoria was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, despite having no previous coaching experience.
Ken Shields, who coached the Canadian national team and guided the University of Victoria to seven consecutive national titles, was an early mentor to Nash, who as a kid was greatly influenced by watching UVic point-guard and two-time Olympian Eli Pasquale in McKinnon Gym.
Shields said Nash’s skills as a communicator and leader will serve him well as a coach.
“He has always been a great leader on the court, and as a point guard, Steve saw the whole court so well and saw where everybody should be.”
Nash spent time with the Golden State Warriors in several non-playing capacities and saw how it ran “inside out and upside down.”
“Steve is a student of the game. He loves and understands so many different sports, including soccer, and is not uni-dimensional.”
He can also relate well to players and knows Nets star Kevin Durant well from Golden State, said Shields.
Getting buy-in from star players is very important in the NBA, said Ian Hyde-Lay, who coached Nash at St. Michaels University School, and who Nash mentioned, along with Shields, in his hall of fame acceptance speech in 2018.
Hyde-Lay said that as a point-guard, Nash knows how to pull together diverse elements into a team. “Point guards know how to be flexible — they see the entire floor, and know what is essential and works and what can be discarded.”
Commentators have pointed to former NBA point-guard Steve Kerr, who also came in with no head coaching experience, but built the Golden State dynasty.
Kerr posted his congratulations to Nash on Twitter, thanking him for his work with the Warriors, and adding: “You are going to crush it in Brooklyn!”
Canadian women’s national team star and Olympian Kia Nurse, who plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association for New York Liberty, also commented on Nash’s selection, writing on Twitter: “More Canadians in Brooklyn. I’m all for it! Congrats Steve Nash.”
Not everyone was on board, however. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, while praising Nash as a player and “beautiful person,” added: “This is white privilege. This does not happen for a Black man. No experience whatsoever on any level as a coach and you get the Brooklyn Nets job?”
In a statement, Nash said he had always considered coaching as something he would pursue when the time was right, adding: “I am humbled to be able to work with the outstanding group of players and staff we have here in Brooklyn.
“I am … excited about the prospects of the team on the court.”
The 46-year-old father of five captained the Canadian team for a decade, leading it to a 5-2 record at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was named MVP of the 2004 Athens Olympics qualifying tournament, even though Canada failed to advance.
Nash later became manager of the national team program from 2012 to 2019 and even retrieved balls for Canadian players during pre-game warm-ups.
“Coaching is about relationships with players, and Steve excels in that area so naturally, because of his leadership and teaching ability,” said Shields.
Nash, who attended Hillcrest Elementary, Arbutus Middle School and SMUS and played 18 seasons in the NBA, is third in all-time NBA career assists behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd.