Ran into Trey Burke's grandfather this weekend. His granddaughter and my son play in the same basketball league. I saw him in the gym wearing a Jazz hat (this is in San Antonio), and just had to go meet a fellow Jazz fan (not many around down here). Told him it was pretty rare to see someone sporting a Jazz hat in San Antonio and he said "I wear it because my Grandson plays for them"... kinda caught me by surprise.
Anyways, his grandfather is a class act. Retired USAF (I separated from USAF in 2008, so we spent a lot of time talking USAF stuff too). Pretty interesting insights:
His grandfather had been stationed at Hill AFB, so while he was a bit disappointed that Trey was drafted in Utah (because the distance was so far away), it didn't last long. The family really was happy with him going to SLC. As a young athlete there are not a lot of distractions and its a place they feel he's safe (kinda don't think about the risks NBA players have on many levels). Said he knew it was a great place because he's been there, and that players really love it once they get there.
Talked about how Trey is out doing NBA Without Borders right now, getting paid extra during the summer. He talked about the people that crawl out of the woodwork looking to pitch "investments" and what not, and he was really happy to see that Trey had a great investment strategy in place with reputable companies. Again, stuff that I think the NBA is doing better than other leagues is helping these really young players take care of finances.
We talked about the past season as well. It was interesting to hear that Trey's family was really concerned to see how he would handle coming off the bench. His grandfather is really proud of how Trey handled it... he imagined it would bother Trey because he had been starting since AAU days, but pointed out that its just seemed to be a better fit. They (a lot of the family) actually like the role because his impact on the game is pretty obvious in their minds. Some of the family is hoping he stays in Utah, but they all know its a business first and foremost so they are really focused on helping him have a career in the NBA and staying with one team is very, very difficult. The goal is to help him have a long career in the NBA and get to the next level... always pushing to become a better player.
Once final interesting tidbit is the difference between coaches. The comment that struck me was that Synder is approachable "unlike the last coach". He said the last coach (never said Corbin's name once, said Synders name a lot) was only interested in big man ball, and everyone had to adjust to do things his way. Synder is there coaching, teaching but more importantly trying to figure out how to get the most out of every player instead of making every player adapt to a system regardless of whether or not its a fit.
Anyways, I really enjoyed my entire conversation with him. Great guy (Trey's grandmother is also awesome). They (the whole family) all follow and are really proud of their son/grandson (as they should be) for making it to the NBA. It's a lot harder than we realize (implied there are a lot of politics in basketball, especially at the college level, that casual fans just don't get). So yeah, their family continues to follow him and is vocal about their support.
The USAF and post-USAF life conversations were even better... great guy, had a lot of really good advice for vets making that transition to civilian life.
Anyways, his grandfather is a class act. Retired USAF (I separated from USAF in 2008, so we spent a lot of time talking USAF stuff too). Pretty interesting insights:
His grandfather had been stationed at Hill AFB, so while he was a bit disappointed that Trey was drafted in Utah (because the distance was so far away), it didn't last long. The family really was happy with him going to SLC. As a young athlete there are not a lot of distractions and its a place they feel he's safe (kinda don't think about the risks NBA players have on many levels). Said he knew it was a great place because he's been there, and that players really love it once they get there.
Talked about how Trey is out doing NBA Without Borders right now, getting paid extra during the summer. He talked about the people that crawl out of the woodwork looking to pitch "investments" and what not, and he was really happy to see that Trey had a great investment strategy in place with reputable companies. Again, stuff that I think the NBA is doing better than other leagues is helping these really young players take care of finances.
We talked about the past season as well. It was interesting to hear that Trey's family was really concerned to see how he would handle coming off the bench. His grandfather is really proud of how Trey handled it... he imagined it would bother Trey because he had been starting since AAU days, but pointed out that its just seemed to be a better fit. They (a lot of the family) actually like the role because his impact on the game is pretty obvious in their minds. Some of the family is hoping he stays in Utah, but they all know its a business first and foremost so they are really focused on helping him have a career in the NBA and staying with one team is very, very difficult. The goal is to help him have a long career in the NBA and get to the next level... always pushing to become a better player.
Once final interesting tidbit is the difference between coaches. The comment that struck me was that Synder is approachable "unlike the last coach". He said the last coach (never said Corbin's name once, said Synders name a lot) was only interested in big man ball, and everyone had to adjust to do things his way. Synder is there coaching, teaching but more importantly trying to figure out how to get the most out of every player instead of making every player adapt to a system regardless of whether or not its a fit.
Anyways, I really enjoyed my entire conversation with him. Great guy (Trey's grandmother is also awesome). They (the whole family) all follow and are really proud of their son/grandson (as they should be) for making it to the NBA. It's a lot harder than we realize (implied there are a lot of politics in basketball, especially at the college level, that casual fans just don't get). So yeah, their family continues to follow him and is vocal about their support.
The USAF and post-USAF life conversations were even better... great guy, had a lot of really good advice for vets making that transition to civilian life.
