Post by wtm97 on May 21, 2015 18:56:08 GMT -5
POINT MAN: Guard guru Jeff Battle joins Friars coaching staff
Jeff Battle, pictured here with Wake Forest where he was an assistant coach for 13 seasons,
will join the Providence College coaching staff next season. Battle has long been regarded as one of the top assistants
in the major college ranks, having tutored players such as Chris Paul, Jeff Teague and James Posey while at Wake.
(Photo by Brian Westerholt - Sports on Film)
By
BRENDAN McGAIR
bmcgair@pawtuckettimes.com
May 17, 2015
PROVIDENCE – In basketball, as in life, timing is everything. That’s why PC Friar fans should take note of the addition of Jeff Battle to Ed Cooley’s staff – it comes at an intriguing juncture for the program.
It’s hard to avoid associating Kris Dunn’s return to PC for his redshirt junior season and Battle’s arrival as an assistant. Dunn has NBA point-guard pedigree, and who better to educate the talented youngster than a coach who knows a thing or two about working with top-tier college point men.
At Battle’s previous basketball home, Wake Forest, he had the fortune to assist in the development of two All-American point guards who became the undisputed floor generals for their respective pro teams. Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers is widely considered the gold standard of today’s NBA point-guards, while Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks has recently blossomed into an all-star.
Paul and Teague received pointers on how to properly run the point from Battle, who now gets the opportunity to pass on that knowledge to Dunn. All signs point to Battle’s presence as a big-time boon to the reigning Big East Player of the Year.
Reached last week, Battle said that by taking last year off from coaching, he was able to watch a ton of college basketball, which previously proved difficult while working as an assistant. More specifically, Battle says that he tuned in to a lot of Providence games. His eyes quickly zoomed in on Dunn.
“Watching Kris from afar, I feel comfortable knowing his game already and his strengths and stuff like that,” said Battle. “I’m excited to get the chance to work with him. He’s a talented young man and hopefully I can help him continue to develop and get where he wants to be.
“He’s extremely athletic and has great size for the position. He showed great leadership with his teammates … all the qualities that I think you need to have in a point guard. He’s got a high ceiling and hopefully he continues to put the work and time in during the summer.”
The first area that Battle figures to help Dunn with is managing expectations. Paul was the leading vote-getter for the 2004-05 Preseason All-American team, a distinction that he more than lived up to. He was a runaway choice to earn First Team All-America before leaving Wake Forest after his sophomore year.
“Each kid is different, but first and foremost they have to understand that it’s about the team and not about them. One of the good things that Chris (Paul) did was that he deflected stuff off of himself. It was about the team, not him per say,” said Battle. “He did a great job of incorporating his teammates and I think by doing that, you take some of the pressure off yourself.
“You have to sit them down and explain what’s about to happen. It’s probably something that you’ve never dealt with before,” Battle continued. “The most important thing you do is between the team lines anyway. You forget about the hype because at the end of the day, all you can control is your work ethic and just having tunnel vision to work in the gym and work some more. All the other stuff doesn’t even matriculate in because you’re so focused on what you need to do.”
Battle says he has no “magic pixie dust” for growing college point guards into NBA stars, but nevertheless his track record during his 13 seasons with the Demon Deacons is impossible to ignore when examining the talent that has shipped off to the pros.
“You can learn from watching Chris and Jeff Teague and (another Wake Forest product in Philadelphia’s) Ish Smith, but I’m not sure that guys are looking at them and automatically think Jeff Battle,” said Battle. “All I do is share thoughts on what I think works and it’s up to them to put the work in. Obviously we’ve had a lot of work with guards and specifically point guards during my tenure at Wake, and that’s a main cog in the wheel for me if you will. I take pride in that, but it’s all about the individual. I’ll share some stuff but at the end of the day, you have to be who you are.”
Battle takes the place of Bob Simon, who last month left PC for an assistant’s position at Alabama. Cooley acted quickly to phone a coach that has been on his radar since taking over the Providence job four years ago.
“I have a long and great relationship with coach Cooley. We’ve been friends for a long time. We tried to work together in the past but for different reasons it didn’t work out,” said Battle. “This was an opportunity that presented itself and I’m honored and blessed that (Cooley) would give me a position on his staff.”
Jeff Battle, pictured here with Wake Forest where he was an assistant coach for 13 seasons,
will join the Providence College coaching staff next season. Battle has long been regarded as one of the top assistants
in the major college ranks, having tutored players such as Chris Paul, Jeff Teague and James Posey while at Wake.
(Photo by Brian Westerholt - Sports on Film)
By
BRENDAN McGAIR
bmcgair@pawtuckettimes.com
May 17, 2015
PROVIDENCE – In basketball, as in life, timing is everything. That’s why PC Friar fans should take note of the addition of Jeff Battle to Ed Cooley’s staff – it comes at an intriguing juncture for the program.
It’s hard to avoid associating Kris Dunn’s return to PC for his redshirt junior season and Battle’s arrival as an assistant. Dunn has NBA point-guard pedigree, and who better to educate the talented youngster than a coach who knows a thing or two about working with top-tier college point men.
At Battle’s previous basketball home, Wake Forest, he had the fortune to assist in the development of two All-American point guards who became the undisputed floor generals for their respective pro teams. Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers is widely considered the gold standard of today’s NBA point-guards, while Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks has recently blossomed into an all-star.
Paul and Teague received pointers on how to properly run the point from Battle, who now gets the opportunity to pass on that knowledge to Dunn. All signs point to Battle’s presence as a big-time boon to the reigning Big East Player of the Year.
Reached last week, Battle said that by taking last year off from coaching, he was able to watch a ton of college basketball, which previously proved difficult while working as an assistant. More specifically, Battle says that he tuned in to a lot of Providence games. His eyes quickly zoomed in on Dunn.
“Watching Kris from afar, I feel comfortable knowing his game already and his strengths and stuff like that,” said Battle. “I’m excited to get the chance to work with him. He’s a talented young man and hopefully I can help him continue to develop and get where he wants to be.
“He’s extremely athletic and has great size for the position. He showed great leadership with his teammates … all the qualities that I think you need to have in a point guard. He’s got a high ceiling and hopefully he continues to put the work and time in during the summer.”
The first area that Battle figures to help Dunn with is managing expectations. Paul was the leading vote-getter for the 2004-05 Preseason All-American team, a distinction that he more than lived up to. He was a runaway choice to earn First Team All-America before leaving Wake Forest after his sophomore year.
“Each kid is different, but first and foremost they have to understand that it’s about the team and not about them. One of the good things that Chris (Paul) did was that he deflected stuff off of himself. It was about the team, not him per say,” said Battle. “He did a great job of incorporating his teammates and I think by doing that, you take some of the pressure off yourself.
“You have to sit them down and explain what’s about to happen. It’s probably something that you’ve never dealt with before,” Battle continued. “The most important thing you do is between the team lines anyway. You forget about the hype because at the end of the day, all you can control is your work ethic and just having tunnel vision to work in the gym and work some more. All the other stuff doesn’t even matriculate in because you’re so focused on what you need to do.”
Battle says he has no “magic pixie dust” for growing college point guards into NBA stars, but nevertheless his track record during his 13 seasons with the Demon Deacons is impossible to ignore when examining the talent that has shipped off to the pros.
“You can learn from watching Chris and Jeff Teague and (another Wake Forest product in Philadelphia’s) Ish Smith, but I’m not sure that guys are looking at them and automatically think Jeff Battle,” said Battle. “All I do is share thoughts on what I think works and it’s up to them to put the work in. Obviously we’ve had a lot of work with guards and specifically point guards during my tenure at Wake, and that’s a main cog in the wheel for me if you will. I take pride in that, but it’s all about the individual. I’ll share some stuff but at the end of the day, you have to be who you are.”
Battle takes the place of Bob Simon, who last month left PC for an assistant’s position at Alabama. Cooley acted quickly to phone a coach that has been on his radar since taking over the Providence job four years ago.
“I have a long and great relationship with coach Cooley. We’ve been friends for a long time. We tried to work together in the past but for different reasons it didn’t work out,” said Battle. “This was an opportunity that presented itself and I’m honored and blessed that (Cooley) would give me a position on his staff.”
