Q&A With Bakersfield Jam Head Coach Chris Jent
By Scott Chasen
On Friday, the Bakersfield Jam — the NBA D-League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns — named former Kings assistant Chris Jent as their next head coach. Yesterday, our Scott Chasen spoke with Jent. Here is what he had to say…
Scott Chasen, ValleyoftheSuns.com: When did you first fall in love with the game of basketball?
Chris Jent, Bakersfield Jam head coach: Well I think when it really jumped at me was the summer before my eighth grade year. I was from a small town where you’d play three sports, at least — that’s just kind of what you did. There was just a certain attraction, creativity, where you didn’t need much. You just needed a ball and a hoop. It just kind of became a safe haven.
SC: In that “safe haven,” who did you look up to? Who were your role models?
CJ: My oldest brother. He was a lefty as well and could really shoot the ball. I’d watch him and his friends playing. But growing up on the East coast, it was a great era for basketball. I remember watching Chris Mullin, another lefty, on TV. You had Dr. J in Philadelphia. The NBA was fantastic.
It was kind of like a group of things, until my eighth grade year, a gentlemen moved in and became one our of gym coaches. He actually became my high school coach and he had the same love for the game. So it was coaching, it was what I was watching and being around the game — kind of all those things put together.
SC: Looking at your playing career as a whole, what would you say was the most satisfying thing for you? Winning an NBA championship seems like the obvious choice.
CJ: The NBA championship was the most overwhelming. It was just an incredible experience, but I’ve had several things happen — obviously not as momentous things — but there’s some things that certainly happened overseas that I really valued. But I think just in all, the magnitude of winning an NBA championship — and just how hard it is to do — is probably the pinnacle.
SC: Now, throughout your career you played in more playoff games than regular season ones. Is that something you were aware of?
CJ: Yep.
SC: Do you ever think about it?
CJ: I think about it at times. It’s kind of — in my view — disappointing. I feel like I could have been a better NBA player than my career had shown. But at the same time, it’s a fun fact I was aware of for sure. I feel lucky to have participated in whatever I did in basketball. It’s a little disappointing as far as a career goes, but I got to share in something that not a lot of people get to do.
SC: Any other playing-career “fun-facts”?
CJ: There’s one fact that’s not documented, but I took pride in. Overseas I was never cut from a team. Every team I started with, I finished with. You take pride in that as an overseas player. You’re over there to be successful and try and do good things for the team. And it’s not easy. There’s a lot of challenges over there, so I took great pride in that.
SC: So when did you first decide that coaching basketball was a realistic option for you?
CJ: Early. Just the game itself became such an integral part of my life at a young age. Even in high school I was thinking of the game a little differently — the mechanics of the game — I was very fortunate to be around great coaches in high school. Growing up in Jersey, my high school coach was fantastic.
I got to spend a lot of time with Coach Bobby Hurley; he was a big influence, and so was my AAU coach Sandy Pyonin. So, it was at a young age. I think in high school I realized this is what I want to do, whether I’m on the court with a uniform on, or coaching the guys in the uniforms.
SC: Who’s been your go-to-guy for coaching questions?
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CJ: Randy Ayers, who I played for in college for three years and gave me my first opportunity to coach in the NBA, has been my soundboard for a lot of different situations. He knows me very well, having coached me at a young age, and he gave me my first opportunity, so Randy is a guy who I’ll pick up the phone and call when I need some advice or just need to vent or talk about anything.
SC: Certainly a good opportunity. Led to another good opportunity to coach LeBron James. What was it like to be in there with perhaps the best player in the world?
CJ: There were a lot of dimensions. I think one of the most important things was just being honest and being prepared because he’s very smart. His thinking process of the game matches his abilities. You just had to make sure you were on point.
Whether it was a workout and you had a focus, or it was during game, you had to make sure you were on your Ps and Qs, so-to-speak, so that you had the right answer for him and at least some knowledge to show you’re looking into whatever situation came up.
SC: Having been around LeBron for half-a-decade, do you feel like Eric Bledsoe’s Mini-LeBron nickname is accurate?
CJ: I think his physical attributes certainly resemble the figure of Bron — just his physicality and how he plays with that downhill style. You know I’m really looking forward to being around [Eric] and seeing how he views the game. I spent a very small time with Eric when he was first coming out of college when he was with Bron, so I don’t know how he looks at the game. But as far as his physical goes: Heck yeah. He definitely is a compact version of [LeBron].
SC: Now that you’re with the Jam and the Suns organization, as a shooting expert, how do you coach guys up knowing you’ll sometimes only see them for a couple of games?
CJ: Well a lot of it is based on time you spend with someone. Shooting is an ego thing. You can’t just dive in and start attacking someone’s shooting or ability to shoot, because that’s how it’s interpreted at times. It all goes back to the relationship thing; you need to be spending time with them. So if you’re spending a week with someone, you’re just looking to find little things they can do to find their shot.
Where can they be on the floor? What can they do in the scheme of things to find those shots? Is it on the break? Is it within the offense? So you just try to find them better opportunities and [help them] learn how to space the floor and find open areas. I think that precedent is there before the actual mechanics, because you might see a guy for just a few days.
SC: And are there any guys on the Suns right now — Warren, Goodwin, Booker or someone else — that you’re really excited about potentially coaching?
CJ: Well I think everybody. However, those guys need to be playing with the Suns. I think they’re going to be needed. But any time you can spend with players of that caliber and any time you can help a young player understand what it takes to be a pro for a long period of time and to help them hone their craft — whether it’s a day, an hour, a workout or whatever it might be — is valued.
SC: Looking ahead, what would you consider a successful season, just from a personal standpoint?
CJ: I think if we can stay together as a team in the sense that we have a common goal every night that we play, and that we are all on the same page every night we step on the floor. I would love to see success of our individuals as well. I would love to see guys get rewarded for great team play and great individual play, and get to where they want to be in their careers. And hopefully, as an individual I can learn a lot from the experience. I’m sure we all will.
SC: Finally, if there was one thing you could tell people about Chris Jent, what would it be?
CJ: Gosh, I don’t know. That’s an interesting question. Kind of what you see is what you get. I’m not the type of person to hide things. The way I am — and how I am — is not orchestrated. I think I’m a pretty sincere person in that regard. That’s a tough question. I don’t know where to go with that one, but I guess that’s the best that I can do. But yeah, [I would say] that I’m a sincere person and just that obviously I have a great passion for the game.
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