At Seattle's Garfield High School, a dozen (十多个) basketball players are practicing. These guys take the game seriously at this school. A half-dozen coaches keep everyone focused as Garfield prepares for a Saturday playoff game. In the middle of all this is Brandon Roy, the former NBA All-Star and Garfield's greatest player. Roy is the head coach.
Bad knees forced him out of pro basketball well before his time. Four years after his forced NBA retirement, he began coaching at Seattle's Nathan Hale High School in 2017 with no background whatsoever and won a state championship. He moved to his alma mater (母校) the following year and got another state title with a once-beaten team. "Really the thing that brought me to coaching was I missed basketball," Roy said.
After taking 2019 off from coaching to deal with personal issues, Roy returned and has his team pointed at state again. He owns a 78-5 coaching record.
With his success, others frequently discuss whether Roy wants to move up the ranks as he did as a player. "My ultimate goal is not to coach in the NBA but to build a real strong foundation at my alma mater. I don't feel challenged to make it to the next level. I feel challenged right here to make it at this level."
As practice comes to a close, Roy gathers his players around him and his coaches and they talk about the game ahead. Before everyone heads home, he has them shake hands. Players and players. Coaches and players. It's a show of respect and togetherness.
Mostly, he just listened to his mother and followed her insightful direction to become a topflight coach. "My mom gave me the best advice — she said keep your ego (自我) out of it," Roy said. "She told me to forget what I had achieved in the NBA and be down-to-earth. She trusted that I'd be pretty good at it."
