New coach Smith, GM Pascucci hope to carry on Vipers' tradition

http://www.themonitor.com/sports/houston_rockets/article_a0533c7c-4691-11e3-9f30-0019bb30f31a.html

New coach Smith, GM Pascucci hope to carry on Vipers' tradition

Dennis Silva II | The Monitor

McALLEN — Three weeks ago, Nevada Smith was directing practice for NCAA Division III Keystone College. On Tuesday afternoon, he was formally introduced as the NBA D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ newest head coach.

Last season, Gianluca Pascucci was working tirelessly behind the scenes as the Vipers’ assistant general manager. On Tuesday, he was giving his first news conference in English as the Vipers’ new general manager.

For an organization fresh off its second D-league title in four years, change has been rampant this offseason. But the Houston Rockets, the Vipers’ parent club, are confident the newest principals will sustain the standard.

“Our main goal is keeping up with the tradition,” said Pascucci, a native of Pesaro, Italy who also serves as the Rockets’ Director of Player Personnel. “The D-League is strong, and more NBA teams are investing in the league. But I don’t think there will be many staffs that will outwork this Vipers staff.”

Smith, 33, was an obscure choice for the Rockets. He becomes the fifth head coach for the Vipers after two seasons at Keystone College, where he led the Giants to the Colonial State Athletic Conference championship game in both seasons. Prior to that, he spent five years as an assistant coach at NCAA DIII Ithaca College.

The Rockets approached Smith last month to gauge his interest. From there, it was a whirlwind 10 days that landed him the job after the Rockets’ initial candidate, then-Villanova associate head coach Billy Lange, turned down the offer to take a position with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“You always hope someone notices the job you’re doing,” Smith said. “We are a small school in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania, and the fact that this happened is amazing. It wasn’t a reference, it wasn’t a résumé, they simply looked at what we did. And that doesn’t happen in college basketball.”

The Rockets liked what they saw in Smith, who follows the NBA so closely that he admits he never watches much college basketball. His uptempo playing style is similar to that of the Rockets’ and Vipers’, and, as is the Rockets’ M.O., his potential is encouraging.

“We look for great guys with great basketball minds and high upside,” Pascucci said. “Nevada is young, but he has experience. Right now, there are NBA coaches coming from small schools. It’s just a matter of the right opportunity.

“The Rockets are always looking for the best fit, and looking for someone who can be a better coach even five years from now.”

Smith, whose parents named him after the cowboy character from the book “The Carpetbaggers,” is not surprised to be here. While to outsiders it may be a peculiar hire, it falls along with what the Rockets prize: young talent blooming with the potential to be greater than they are when they arrive.

The previous two Vipers coaches, Chris Finch and Nick Nurse, led the organization to D-League championships before departing for assistant coaching jobs in the NBA. The Rockets feel there is no reason to think Smith won’t follow suit.

“Everything I’ve done has been to get to this point,” Smith said. “The way I play is the way NBA teams play. Personally, it’s a great challenge. I’ve had success wherever I’ve been, and now to get a chance to work with the best players in the world is a dream.

“It’ll be fun to see if the things I believe in can translate to the elite.”

NOTES: The Vipers released their 17-man training camp roster Tuesday. One of the invitees is 6-foot-5, 206-pound forward Jahaziel Howard, the younger brother of NBA star and current Rocket Dwight Howard. … While Smith’s coaching staff is not complete, his associate head coach will be a familiar name. Paul Mokeski, the former 12-year NBA veteran who was an assistant coach with the Vipers from 2009-2011 and helped lead the team to a D-League title in 2010 under Chris Finch, will fill that role. Mokeski was relieved of his duties as head coach of Reno in March, where he had been since leaving the Vipers.