Sports Column

McMillan ready to tend to (unfinished) business

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Sep 22, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

SAM FORENCICH / GETTY IMAGES

Trail Blazer coach Nate McMillan says he never has a problem being "fresh and ready" for a new NBA season.

Before we talk about the start of Trail Blazer training camp a week from today, let’s review what was an eventful summer for Nate McMillan.

McMillan celebrated his 45th birthday with a trip to The Bahamas with his wife, Michelle, and children Jamelle and Brittany.

“We put our toes in the water,” Nate says. “We’d been there before. We had a great time.”

McMillan took a five-day trip with Brittany – a senior at Seattle Prep – visiting colleges in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

“We just wanted to give her a feel for potential schools next year,” he says.

McMillan agreed to another three-year commitment with the U.S. national team. He had served on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff as an assistant coach from 2006-08 and was aboard as the team earned a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

McMillan was also given a one-year extension on his contract with the Blazers, taking him through the 2010-11 season.

I was surprised McMillan re-upped with the U.S. team through 2012. Did he want to spend three weeks in London that badly?

“There’s some unfinished business there,” McMillan says. “We need to win the (2010) world championships.”

The U.S. players settled for the bronze medal in the 2006 world championships at Japan, watching from the stands as Spain beat Greece for the title. When U.S. national team director Jerry Colangelo asked the entire coaching staff to give it another three years, everyone said yes.

“I talked with Mr. Colangelo and Coach K and the rest of the staff about coming back,” McMillan says. “One of the things we want to do is win the world championship, and it’s another opportunity for me to represent my country. It’s no different than a player doing it a second time.

“The first time, it was good for me to be able to work with great coaches and some of the best players in the world. To be asked to be a part of it again was an honor.”

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