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University of Michigan: Tommy Amaker
February 27th, 2006
by Michael Tillery
Michigan basketball is back! Armed with a young, talented and intelligent coach, the Wolverines are poised to once again be regarded as one of the nation’s top programs. After a tumultuous start taking over a program that was in ruins because of NCAA sanctions, Coach Tommy Amaker's goal is to restore faith in a program that has sung "Hail to the Victors" after winning championships many times in many sports.
Michael Tillery: You had such a big win against the Illini, comment on such an emotional win.
Coach Amaker: Over the course of the season, you are always looking for signature wins. For a team and a program like ours right now, we are trying to establish ourselves and get back to the NCAA Tournament. This sets a measuring stick in a lot of ways, at least from the outside looking in. I think with that kind of win for us this late in the season against a team that we have struggled against in the past; we felt that it was a very satisfying win. Yet hopefully, it is one that we can use and build on towards the end of the season and into the post season.
Michael Tillery: Why is the Big Ten so tough on the road?
Coach Amaker: I have been involved in the ACC, the Big East, and now the Big Ten, and honestly I feel this conference has been as tough, or tougher than any league I have been associated with in regard to winning on the road. The home court environment is tremendous. The support that the home teams get around this league is outstanding. One of the things you think of in Big Ten basketball is that you are really in part talking about older veteran, senior, red-shirted players. You don't see that a lot in other leagues. A lot of kids get red-shirted, but not because of injury. In football, when they get recruited a lot of kids get red-shirted their first year. It seems like in basketball, in our league with Wisconsin and Michigan State, the Minnesota’s and the Illinois, they seem like they have players that have been red-shirted and they are continuing on. So you have older players and veteran players and that makes it very hard when you go into those buildings with those kinds of players and environments.
Michael Tillery: What are your expectations going into the upcoming Big Ten Tourney?
Coach Amaker: We are just finishing up our regular season now. We have a home game March 4th against Indiana. We are trying to finish as strong as we possibly can so that we have some momentum and feel good about ourselves as we go into the Big Ten Tournament. When you go into conference tournament play, things tend to get really interesting. Hopefully we can be really competitive and put ourselves into position to win the games and go forward in the conference tournament. Hopefully the conference tournament will allow us to have some success and help prepare us as we go into post season play as well.
Michael Tillery: You've had your share of injuries and this year, how has that affected your game day coaching?
Coach Amaker: Coach Amaker laughs. It's been an interesting mixture of things for us in terms of injuries we've had. It's not just the kids going out on injury, but also the rotation that is affected. Also it's delegating minutes to that player who ultimately comes back from injury. When guys are out, because the rotation is thin, we have to watch guys' performances closely.
Michael Tillery: Like keeping Graham Brown out of foul trouble?
Coach Amaker laughs: That's exactly right! Players have to adjust their roles and their games to compensate. It's unfortunately a part of the game.
Michael Tillery: Comment on security at sports events and the incident at Michigan State.
Coach Amaker: That was a very unfortunate circumstance we were involved in. Both sides should have reacted differently. We wished that we had better security and personnel to not allow that to even occur. I wish that we had handled that differently with our player-for him not to respond or react in a way that could cause any problems or harm or issues beyond the playing of the game. It is an unfortunate one but one that a lot of us can learn from without having to go through a whole lot of turmoil because of it.
Michael Tillery: Do you feel Black athletes as well as Black coaches are held to a higher standard?
Coach Amaker: I think athletes and coaches in general are held at a very high standard. What comes with that obviously is the factor of race and other things are generally factored in that are unfortunate at various levels. I think Black athletes are accustomed to some of the types of standards that are out there that you have to abide by and hold yourself up to. Unfortunately this is the world that we live in but I do think it is a realistic one as well.
Michael Tillery: Why is there a lack of Black Division 1 football coaches?
Coach Amaker: I am not familiar with the inner-workings of the sport, the hiring process or the evaluation of management. It seems odd obviously but I am really not familiar enough with the situation to have an informed comment about it. You would like to think that there is something fundamentally wrong with that equation or the formula that exists. When looking from the other side-in basketball-where you've seen a lot of progress. You see a lot of coaches such as myself that have been able to get tremendous opportunities i.e. coaching, management and ownership, all the way down the line. It is very disturbing when you look at it from the outside, but not to have enough information from the inside, I still think it is alarming.
Michael Tillery: What is your coaching philosophy?
Coach Amaker: We talk a lot about coaching but we don't talk enough about teaching. Teaching is what I love. You teach basketball but also you teach these young men at a critical time in their lives - 18 to 22 years old-to learn how to make decisions that are going to impact their lives from his particular time period. You need to prepare them for the next phase of their lives, to teach them to become responsible citizens, to become adult, and be the best they can be. Teaching is more of what I think about as my philosophy. I want to be a great teacher. I want to teach basketball, but be teacher of men as well.
Michael Tillery: Comment on your seniors.
Coach Amaker: Daniel Horton, Graham Brown, Chris Hunter, Amadou Ba, Sherrod Harrell, they are my seniors. Lester Abram is a senior but he has another year of eligibility because he was out last year with a shoulder injury. I consider him a part of that group. It is the first class that we recruited to bring in here. We talked about those kids from day one as having character and talent. They've helped us establish a program. They helped us win the NIT Championship two years ago. They've established themselves as a senior laden team and hopefully we will have a chance to participate in the NCAA tournament. We are going to go as far as they are going to take us. They have been everything to us and I am extremely proud of them. Coming here at a time when there was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of issues surrounding the program-which we were recently able to move away from-such as the stigma of sanctions and probation, issues that went on here in the past. These kids still came here and stayed here. They battled and put some good hours, years and sweat into this program to help to build it to where it is now. We think that we have a solid foundation because of those guys.
Michael Tillery: Duke and Michigan had an intense rivalry in past years. Did you ever envision yourself coaching the Maize and Blue when you were on coach K's staff?
Coach Amaker: I never thought about it in terms of elite positions like that. You think of Michigan as good as it comes and it is such a highly respected institution. To have a chance to be a part of this now, to be a part of this community, the staff and this department, this university-it is just an honor for me. I have been very fortunate to be a part of three great institutions-Duke, Seton Hall and now the University of Michigan.
Michael Tillery: Reflect on your playing days and winning the defensive player of the year award.
Coach Amaker: I had a wonderful experience. I was very fortunate. I base that on the people I chose to spend my four years with. It started with Coach Mike Krzyzewski. I wanted to be a part of what he was building, what his future was. I saw I could play a role in that. I loved that opportunity. I look back and I thank the Lord that I made that decision. The playing opportunity was a special one. I played with some great players and wonderful people. Seeing how we have all gone through different walks in life and have always connect back to those moments as teammates and players. We won championships, we won a lot of games and we had fun with it. We were able to maximize our opportunity with playing as well as our educational experience. Most importantly, we had great friendships and camaraderie. I'm hoping right now as I coach that my guys get a chance to experience the same kind of fun and enjoyment that comes with being a student athlete and not characterize it as being a burden.
Michael Tillery: What has Coach K meant to you?
Coach Amaker: As you can imagine, everything. I spent a great deal of my younger years under his tutelage, and his guidance as a student-athlete and a coach as well. I worked for him for a few years as well. I tried to gather a great deal from him -- from the way he leads his life-not only how he coaches and teaches, but I believe he is an example for any young man to be around. I think that is more important than anything that I learned from him.
Michael Tillery: There may be a blue chip player-or parents of a blue chip player for that matter-which might be reading this Q&A. What advice would you, give him or his parents?
Coach Amaker: I don't know if I was considered a blue-chip prospect but I went though this at a high level as well. I think the most important part of this process is evaluating the people who you are entrusting to handle your future. You want to understand and be at a certain comfort level with these people. So many times when we are making these decisions, we become wrapped up in all the bells and whistles surrounding the recruiting process as opposed to what is truly important at the end of the day. You are trusting that they teach your child not only the game of basketball, but to become a support system in assuming the responsibility of helping in all things that are involved at the ages of 18-22. You need to look beyond the actual playing surface of the basketball court and ask yourselves how can your child benefit from this experience. Would these individuals at this institution be able to guide your child in the right direction in becoming a great player, a leader and a man? Making such a decision comes back to the people who are involved and sometimes we lose sight of that. Parents need to understand what their child is getting into and to make sure that their kids are able to handle such a monumental decision both academically and athletically.
Michael Tillery: How has your Seton Hall experience impacted your life?
Coach Amaker: It was my first opportunity to be a head coach and I'm very grateful for that opportunity. You have a school in Northern New Jersey, close to Manhattan-a more urban environment. A totally different experience that what I was accustomed at Duke. I really, really enjoyed that time of my life. It is a great institution, a small Catholic school. You had a semblance of family, camaraderie there, instead of a big school. That was a wonderful experience in itself of learning to deal with certain circumstances as a coach for the first time. We became the running water that helped build that program to get it back to where it was nationally recognized, make the NCAA Tournament and eventually get to the Sweet Sixteen. It was a great experience for myself, my players hopefully the university. I really enjoyed my time there. I was very fortunate and blessed to have had that chance.
Michael Tillery: What are your goals at the University of Michigan?
Coach Amaker: First, it's always to represent this place. As you know this is one of the finest institutions. We want to be just as good as all the other people that grace this campus in terms of athletics as well as academics. We truly have some great teams here as well as a great athletic department. We want to be the best! We want this school to be very proud of our program and to continuously strive to be the best the Big Ten has to offer as well as the best in the country. We want our players to strongly represent this school the way it deserves and to have a program that parents are very proud to send their children to. We want to be a first class winning basketball program.
Michael Tillery: Name a couple of your initial recruits. Where are they now?
Coach Amaker: Reggie Garrett and Chuck Moore. Chuck Moore ended up transferring to Vanderbilt. He's a high school coach in the Philly area. Reggie Garrett is from Somerset, NJ. He graduated, went to law school and he's working in the athletic department at St. Louis University. Those guys are doing tremendous things and I'm very proud of them.
Michael Tillery: My kids have visions of one day playing at Michigan. What advice would you give them and anyone that wants to play at such a respected university?
Coach Amaker: You should be proud, those are great aspirations. I hope that more kids have those dreams of playing at great schools. You don't hear enough of that today. You hear of kids wanting to play in the pros. Kids should dream of playing in college initially and then if they are good enough, follow their dream to the pros. I love that teens and preteens are looking at us as a goal to help enhance their future. Keep having that goal and dream. They have to understand what it takes to achieve all they aspire. Let's plan this out. How can they actually get here? First they have to understand what it's going to take academically to be admitted here. It can be very difficult and challenging. This is a very competitive institution. You can do it! Focus your minds at a young age and visualize your goal. If you believe it, it will happen. In terms of athletics, you have to try to become as good as you possibly can be so schools like Michigan can notice you. Develop your work ethic and separate yourself from your peers who don't have such a high but attainable goal in mind. When it's time to work, get to it! Do not procrastinate or succumb to peer pressure that will have you stuck in the same spot. Third, you have to have a high standard of character. There is no excuse for being in a situation that seems shady or unbecoming of a person who wants to be the best. The choices you make are yours, judge yourself accordingly. These are three components that we look for and I would stress to young people to keep these helpful guidelines at the forefront of their minds so they can put themselves in a position to get a scholarship at a place like Michigan.
Michael Tillery: Coach Amaker, good luck in the upcoming Big Ten Tourney and a probable NCAA Tournament bid. We at BSN appreciate the opportunity of granting us this interview.
Coach Amaker: Thanks BSN. I thank you for wanting to interview me. Let's stay in touch and I hope our paths cross to allow that to happen.
Coach Tommy Amaker, thanks for the soul flow.
