Erik Spoelstra can take the heat

Ex-Jesuit, UP guard has bond with Dwyane Wade

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, May 8, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

ISAAC BALDIZON / GETTY IMAGES

Erik Spoelstra, 37, with Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison at his side, becomes the youngest head coach in the NBA.

Pat Riley’s handpicked successor as head coach of the Miami Heat is “a man born to coach,” according to the Hall of Fame-bound Riley.

Not entirely true, Erik Spoelstra claims.

Spoelstra, named last week to lead the Heat, did grow up as the son of NBA executive Jon Spoelstra.

“I wouldn’t say I was born to coach,” Erik says. “My dad didn’t influence me into coaching at all. I just happened to be passionate about the game, and from the time I was nine or 10, I was always around the game.

“I don’t know if any other kids of Blazer employees went to 41 home games a year and attended practices and summer-league practices and games. I loved it, and it just kind of stoked the fire for my basketball interest and opened the door to a coaching career.”

Spoelstra, 37, becomes the youngest NBA head coach. Riley moves into a full-time role as club president and gives up his coaching duties after the Heat suffered through an NBA-worst 15-67 campaign.

Spoelstra has served 13 years under Riley, in various roles.

Riley calls Spoelstra – who began with the franchise as video coordinator at age 24 in 1995 – “the next great young coach” and says he will have more input with Spoelstra than he did with Stan Van Gundy, who coached the Heat for two-plus seasons from 2003 to ‘05.

That’s just fine with Spoelstra.

“I welcome that,” he says. “Pat and I have a strong working relationship. How is that any different than anything I’ve been doing the last 13 years? He’s still my boss. He’s our leader and president, heading up the direction of the franchise. I’m still an employee. I’m not confused by that. The dynamics change a little bit, but I’m still hired to produce results.

“What greater resource could I have than Pat Riley? I’m sure there will be plenty of times when I'll be walking down the hall and poke my head into Pat’s office and say, ‘What would you do in this situation?’ "

It’s been a whirlwind 10 days since Spoelstra was named Miami’s head coach. At first, there were more media interviews than he could have imagined, “one after another after another,” he says. Then a day spent in meetings with the entire Heat personnel staff. Then some individual work with some of Miami’s young players and conversations with the others.

“I’ve talked to every player under contract, either in person or over the phone,” Spoelstra says.

Last Thursday, he departed for Portland for “a long weekend to visit family and close friends,” he says. Parents Jon and Lisa still live in Portland, as does sister Monica Metz.

Born in Evanston, Ill., Erik and spent much of his early childhood in Buffalo before moving to Portland at age “seven or eight.” Jon served about a decade in the Blazer front office, including time as senior vice president/general manager while running the business side of the operation.

Erik Spoelstra is a graduate of Raleigh Hills Elementary School, Whitford Middle School, Jesuit High School and the University of Portland, where he was a four-year starter and West Coast Conference freshman of the year in 1988-89. A point guard, he ranks third on the Pilots’ career list for assists (488), is tied for third in 3-pointers made (156) and ranks sixth in 3-point percentage (.384) and free-throw percentage (.824).

Spoelstra credits many of his coaches with being major influences, including Jesuit’s Herm Schattenberg (“he was phenomenal – my first coaching figure”) and Larry Steele, who coached Spoelstra all four years on The Bluff.

“Rick Adelman, too,” Spoelstra says. “I was a fan of the Blazers, and that was right in the heart of the ‘Rip City’ era. I remember admiring Rick as a man of character and integrity and thinking (coaching) would be a great profession.”

After he left UP, Spoelstra spent two years as a player/assistant coach on a pro team in Germany. Then he used his father’s connections to help him bag a job in Miami the summer of 1995.

The Heat had just let go interim head coach Alvin Gentry, who had taken over for fired Kevin Loughery midway through the 1994-95 season. No head coach was in place, but Dave Wohl, the vice president of basketball operations, was looking for a video coordinator. Chris Wallace, then Miami’s director of player personnel, had worked as a scout with the Blazers when Jon Spoelstra was there.

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