Ladies and Jents, We Have a New Assistant Coach

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[sturt]

Notably.... NOT the former Buckeye coach I had in-mind.

[KB21]

Hmm.  He has head coaching experience in the G-League, so I wonder if this will be for an assistant's position or as the head coach of the Erie team.

[sturt]

https://www.landof10.com/ohio-state/ohio-state-basketball-appears-parting-ways-assistant-coach-chris-jent

 

Quote

 

With Thad Matta out as Ohio State basketball coach, assistant Chris Jent could be headed for the door as well.

On Sunday, rising senior guard Kam Williams posted a photo of him and Jent on Instagram, with a caption that read, in part, “This man, in his short time here has impacted my life on so many levels. Just wanted to take this time to say Thank you Coach Jent.”

Jent coached at Ohio State in 2012 and 2013, then left to serve as an NBA assistant, before returning to Matta’s staff last year. He played professionally for 10 years and has coached at many levels, but his only experience as a head coach came with the NBA Developmental League’s Bakersfield Jam, for a single season.

He was reportedly a candidate to replace Matta as Buckeyes head coach.

 

So, my man Matta's #2.

Or, maybe.... this is the lead-up to Matta coming here??? Could Jent maybe be the new Erie coach?

EDIT: (Great minds, @KB21 )

 

[sturt]

Ah ha.

I see the end game now....

 

[benhillboy]

3 minutes ago, sturt said:

Ah ha.

I see the end game now....

 

From the quote I'm guessing he's some kind of shooting specialist?

[sturt]

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/12/lebron_james_chris_jent_cavali.html
 

Quote

 

..."We have an unbelievable staff (in Cleveland) that voices their opinion about what I should do, what things they can do to help me get better," James said. "I had a shooting coach years back in Chris Jent that helped my shot out a lot when he was here as an assistant coach. From there on I just kept the same routine. He helped me out a lot."

The Cavs, like most (but not all) NBA teams, do not have a designated shooting coach, the way all pro baseball teams have a pitching coach or golfers have swing coaches.

Jent held the titles of player development coordinator and assistant coach when he worked for the Cavs from 2006 to 2011, but he was essentially James' personal instructor.

Under Jent's tutelage James enjoyed three of the best four seasons he's ever had at the foul line, including a career-best 78-percent shooting effort in 2008-09.

Jent, the former Ohio State Buckeye and NBA vet who is now the head coach for the Phoenix Suns' D-League team in Bakersfield, Calif, still watches James' shot from afar."....

 

 

[GrimeyKidd]

22-28 the year he coached. Notable names. Xavier Munford, Cory Jefferson, Terrico White, Xavier Silas, and CJ Wilcox

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[sturt]

http://www.nba.com/kings/video/teams/kings/2014/07/11/CoachMicdmov-3324473

[benhillboy]

Cool.  I wanna see Dennis' jumper re-worked from top to bottom.  Jent will probably put in overtime with Collins and Bembry, too.  I just want Baze gone.  My bad, that was unrelated and unnecessary.

Edited July 6, 2017 by benhillboy

[sturt]

Rebirth of Hawks U with highest-level faculty would be the single most important development of this off-season, bar none.

No, really.

Bar. None.

Count me as one of those who are encouraged by what we can see on the surface. Good first step. There's at least one more significant hire to be done, and if I have my way, want to see at least three of our four new hires to come in with this level of qualification.

My dream team? In addition to Matta, I'm looking for Don Newman (w/ Bud for years at SAS, and considered a leading defensive coach) to join Jent. Then, I think we go get Pero, who might be retiring from Euro ball. You like to have a Euro connection on the coaching staff, and heck, we need another big-man coach anyway.

EDIT: C-Viv reminds in his write-up that we never actually replaced Atkinson... so, make that five new hires total (including Jent) that seemingly should be coming up.

 

[capstone21]

I remember watching him back on Ohio State along with Jimmy Jackson and Laurence Funderburke.  

[sturt]

https://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/from-lebron-james-to-buckeyes-a-coach-brings-his-shooting-touch/

 

Chris Jent, left, talking with referee d*ck Bavetta in April 2005 when Jent was the interim head coach of the Orlando Magic.Credit Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

 

Quote

 

DAYTON, Ohio — When second-seeded Ohio State bulldozed Iona in its West Region opener Friday, shooting 48 percent from the floor, one Buckeyes assistant took no small amount of personal satisfaction.

Chris Jent, in his second season on Thad Matta’s coaching staff, is Ohio State’s shooting guru. His credentials — a former Ohio State star, 10 years playing professionally, 8 seasons coaching in the N.B.A. — appear almost impeccable.

But there is one notation that especially stands out to the players: for four years, from 2007 to 2010, Jent was the personal shooting coach for LeBron James.

“Yeah, that qualifies him,” guard Aaron Craft joked.

As an assistant coach and director of player development with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jent worked out daily with James, playing the role of a personal trainer who would show up whenever James called. And he would call a lot.

“Anywhere he went, I went with him,” Jent said. “We worked on everything.”

The relationship began during the summer after Jent’s first season, when Cleveland lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the N.B.A. Finals. James and Jent found each other working out simultaneously in the auxiliary gym at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. A relationship developed, and soon James trusted Jent enough to restructure his jump shot.

The next season, James shot 48.4 percent from the field, a career high to that point, while averaging 30 points per game.

Jent said he worked mostly with James on his spacing and footwork.

“We’d watch a lot of film,” Jent said. “We’d talk about the game, talk about areas of the floor. We tried to use what he was doing with the Cavaliers and where he was on the floor and improving those areas. Different spots going left, different spots going right.”

James would call Jent in two hours before a shootaround on game days to work on his shot. On days off on the road, James and Jent would normally work out twice a day.

“That’s what amazed me,” Jent said. “We’d work in the morning and then he’d show up in the gym at night and he’d have as much energy as he did that morning. It was just mind over matter. Incredible.”

As a 6-foot-7 forward, Jent helped Ohio State earn three trips to the N.C.A.A. tournament from 1990 to 1992 before playing two seasons in the N.B.A., five in the C.B.A., and others in Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece.

He was long and left-handed — not unlike Ohio State’s current star, the junior Deshaun Thomas, who has flourished working with Jent the past two seasons and praised Jent’s efforts on his footwork.

“You’ve got to plant your right foot and he talks about it a lot,” Jent said. “A lot of guys try to hop into their shot. He says to plant your right foot and get your legs into it. He always preaches that.”

Thomas added that knowing Jent’s relationship with James made it especially important for him to listen and learn.

“It felt good hearing from a coach who used to coach LeBron,” Thomas said. “He knows the things needed to get to the next level.”

Jent brought drills from Cleveland that he incorporates in practices and in individual work with the Buckeyes, mostly focused on footwork and strong hand/weak hand training. He said he also learned as a coach from working with James, whose work ethic and drive he said were unparalleled.

“I had to be prepared every single day,” Jent said. “I never wanted to step on the court and have him think I didn’t have a focus of what we were doing that day. It made you think I better be fresh and new sometimes. I need to keep him engaged. It helped me.”

Now it is helping the Buckeyes, who averaged six 3-pointers per game shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, both figures considerably up from last season.

“He’ll be the first one to say that the guys he works with are responsible for their success, but he has a big key in it,” Craft said. “We’re very fortunate to have him.”

 

 

[ATLSmith]

I like him already.

[sturt]

The official release:
 

Quote

 

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has added Chris Jent as an assistant coach, it was announced today by Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

Jent, who spent last season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, is a veteran NBA coach, having been on staff with the Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04), Orlando Magic (2004-05, including a stint as interim head coach), Cleveland Cavaliers (2006-11) and Sacramento Kings (2013-14).

He served as head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA G League in 2015-16.

“Chris is a great fit with our coaching staff. Player development is at the core of our basketball program and he has a track record of improving players’ skill level and understanding of the game at every level,” Budenholzer said. “His experiences as a coach and former player will add to our group.”

Jent spent 10 seasons playing professionally, including two years in the NBA. He was a member of the 1994 NBA Champion Houston Rockets and also played for the New York Knicks during the 1996-97 season. Jent played five seasons in the CBA and also spent time playing overseas in Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece.

Jent grew up in Sparta, NJ before heading to Ohio State. He played four seasons (1988-92) and helped lead the Buckeyes to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back Big Ten championships.

 

Ya know.... I half thought the press release would contain a quote from the GM instead of the coach. Didn't you?

And, am I wrong, or is this the first we've actually read or heard anything at all from Bud since sometime before Schlenk's hire?

Not complaining that we're finally hearing from him, but rather complaining that it's hard to have a good vibe about the so-called partnership when there seems to be a muzzle on him. Still can't believe we got through that draftees' presser, and not one quote from Bud.... even just the generic fluff "I'm thrilled we were able to get these guys," would at least be better than nothing, from where I sit.

 

[cam1218]

4 minutes ago, sturt said:

The official release:
 

Ya know.... I half thought the press release would contain a quote from the GM instead of the coach. Didn't you?

And, am I wrong, or is this the first we've actually read or heard anything at all from Bud since sometime before Schlenk's hire?

Not complaining that we're finally hearing from him, but rather complaining that it's hard to have a good vibe about the so-called partnership when there seems to be a muzzle on him. Still can't believe we got through that draftees' presser, and not one quote from Bud.... even just the generic fluff "I'm thrilled we were able to get these guys," would at least be better than nothing, from where I sit.

 

I was thinking the same thing, Bud finally speaks! It's been awhile.

[marco102]

Maybe Bud's working on getting his staff together while Schlenk's dismantles the team (jk).  In all seriousness, I think Bud is putting together a better staff to develop these younger players he will be dealing with.