Brunson leaving?

To coach Temple?:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/14091790.htm

Chaney, naturally, has his thoughts on the subject. He already has talked to Bradshaw, and submitted a few suggestions. That list probably includes current top assistant Dan Leibovitz, who could have left after last season to take a job on the George Washington staff, and former Owl Rick Brunson, who is still playing in the NBA. It might even include former top assistant Dean Demopoulos, who left in 2000 and now works for the Portland Trail Blazers.

 

I still barely care, but for those of you interested, here is an update:

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/14101844.htm','351'

Ex-Owl Brunson puts hat in the ring to take Chaney's place
By PHIL JASNER
jasnerp@phillynews.com

Rick Brunson never wanted to say it publicly, not as long as John Chaney was still the Temple basketball basketball coach.

But in a rambling, emotional, signature news conference, Chaney retired Monday, and Brunson - in his ninth NBA season, - knew he could finally express himself.

He wants to coach. He wants to coach Temple. He has no idea about his chances. All he knows is what he wants to do.

"No question, it's not a secret," said Brunson, who completed four seasons as the Owls' point guard in 1994-95. "With all due respect to coach Chaney, I never wanted to say anything while he was still there."

Earlier, in an e-mail response, Brunson wrote of Chaney's retirement: "It's a sad day for college basketball. I'm happy for him that he went out on his own. He's been a father to me my whole career. He had a smaller impact on my career [as a player] than he did in helping make me a man, and I think that speaks volumes about the man he is. I'll cherish my time I had with him forever."

In a telephone conversation from Houston, where he plays for the Rockets, Brunson, 33, said: "I don't believe in campaigning for a job. I want to coach there, that's all. The right people know. If they feel I'm the right person, they'll call. In my career, I've been told 'No' enough times that I think I can handle that, too."

Brunson began a long and winding pro career in Australia in 1995-96, after being the final guard cut by the 76ers. Before Houston, he played for Portland, New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle.

"My career has never been normal," he said. "I've had eight non-guaranteed contracts and one guaranteed, this year with Seattle.

"I know people say, 'He's never coached, he's never recruited.' They're all right. But I have always wanted to be a coach. People don't know this about me: I go to clinics, I study. In my 9 years in the league, I sat there, studied, learned. I always talked to the coaches about basketball, about philosophies. I can relate to kids. What I'm not good at, I can have a good staff around me.

"But this is a first experience for me. Before I do anything, I'll talk to [Chaney]. Some people want to be writers or be in TV, and they study for it, prepare for it. I want to be a coach. I've always studied."

A high school player in Salem, Mass., Brunson met Chaney for the first time in 1991.

"He came to my house to recruit me," Brunson recalled. "I remember how I felt. I look at him, knew I was staring; he was a celebrity to me. I remember the way he talked, the way he communicated. It was amazing. People don't believe this, but even when I talk to him now, I learn something every time. He makes me think.

"It will be strange, him not being there. I admire him, the same way I did the first day I stepped onto the campus. I'm glad he was able to leave on his own terms. He made me such a man, I can't explain it in words."