Making it in the NBA

Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Ron DuBois passes the ball to Grizzlies guard Kyle Lowry during the pre-game shootaround on Thursday night at Arco Arena in Sacramento. DuBois, a Lodi native, is in his first season with the Grizzlies. (Whitney Ramirez/News-Sentinel)

Making it in the NBA

Lodi's Ron DuBois is asked to do a little bit of everything in his first season as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies

By Ted Mero
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Saturday, January 12, 2008 7:06 AM PST

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In a mostly empty Arco Arena, Ron DuBois feeds jumpers to Memphis Grizzlies guards Damon Stoudamire, Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry during the pregame shootaround.

Sporting a blue Grizzlies warm-up shirt and matching gym shorts, the 30-year-old assistant coach looks like he could be one of the players. His 5-foot-9 stature might be a clue that he isn't, but the man did play hoops at Lodi High and Arizona State, so he knows his way around a basketball court.

"I like working one-on-one with the players and being active," DuBois says after the shootaround.

A former guard, DuBois has found himself working prominently with the Grizzlies' perimeter players during his first season with the team.

"It's kind of worked out that way," DuBois said.

Conley, a rookie out of Ohio State, has taken over as the team's starting point guard, while second-year player Lowry is playing key minutes off the bench. The 34-year-old veteran Stoudamire, whom DuBois calls a "basketball encyclopedia," has seen his minutes drop but has been vital to the development of his younger teammates.

But whether he's working with the fresh-faced rookie or grizzled veteran, it's DuBois' job to have each of them prepared for the night's game. In this case, the Sacramento Kings are the focus as the first opponent of a three-game road trip.

"I work with them on sets, matchups, how to attack the defense. Or personnel, what individual players like to do," DuBois said. "But we have to have a focus. We don't want to overload the players. We want to make sure they stay loose."

Back home for the first time this season, some of DuBois' focus has been on his family, scrambling to acquire tickets to tonight's game for his parents and having dinner with his brother's family the previous evening.

"It's exciting to see them because I don't get to see them much," the coach said.

In his first season on an NBA bench — he previously spent two seasons as assistant video coordinator for the Phoenix Suns — DuBois has been asked to do a little bit of everything under first-year coach Marc Iavaroni.

Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Ron DuBois, left, compares notes with fellow assistant David Joerger during a timeout in Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings. (Whitney Ramirez/News-Sentinel)

DuBois and former NBA Developmental League coach David Joerger are the only coaches of the five assistants without previous NBA coaching experience. The rest of the staff is made up of league veterans, so DuBois is just happy to fill whatever role is asked of him, be it significant or mundane.

"Whatever the coaching staff needs me to do," DuBois said. "It's just great to be with these guys, to learn and pick their brain."

DuBois has no long-term goals of becoming a head coach or moving up in the coaching ranks, though; he has no time to think about such things.

"I'm just worried about tomorrow," he says.

In this case, tomorrow means having a scouting report compiled for the Golden State Warriors. With less than two hours until tonight's tip with the Kings, DuBois already has that task completed. Now it's time for him to grab a quick bite to eat in the press lounge before the game.

When he returns to the court, DuBois has scrapped his warm-ups for the more standard apparel of an NBA coach: a well-pressed suit.

He takes his seat directly behind Iavaroni, where he'll keep to himself for the most part, tediously charting deflections — a minor but important statistic that reflects defensive effort.

This game is a big one for the young Grizzlies, who want to open their California road trip on a positive note. Only 10-24 on the season, there's clearly much room for improvement.

"Spirits have really remained high and practices have been great," DuBois said. "The players still have a lot to prove. Every game is a challenge and a chance to get better."

As tonight's contest gets underway, it's apparent that Memphis is focused and has come into the game with plenty of energy and intensity. But as is the case with many young teams, closing games is always a challenge. The Grizzlies watch a 10-point fourth-quarter advantage slip away when Francisco Garcia's 3-pointer gives Sacramento the lead with 7.9 seconds remaining — its first since the second quarter — and Rudy Gay's turnover at the other end sends the Grizzlies to their eighth loss in 10 games.

But there's little time to reflect on the tough loss as the Grizzlies quickly pack up and exit Arco Arena. After all, they have to get to the Bay Area, where the Warriors await.

And as DuBois said of the NBA prior to the game: "No chance to pout here."

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