The Miami Heat Summer League coaching staff has many familiar faces.
Heat Assistant Coach Mariquaren is the team’s Summer League Head Coach for the second year in a row. Later, fellow heat assistant coaches Caron Butler and Anthony Carter, video coordinator Dan Bisacho, and the organization’s G-League Affiliate Head Coach Cassive Powell will become Summer League Assistant Coaches.
However, the staff has one new face. It’s Tim Korn.
The best coach in the history of the Philippine Basketball Association, Korn, who has won the record 24 PBA Championships, is the guest assistant coach of this year’s heat summer league team. He has been a coach in the Philippines since 1989.
“He’s great. He was kind to me. Allen welcomed Korn, 64, to the summer staff and said Heat had a five-game stint in the Las Vegas Summer League against the Boston Celtics on Saturday. Said (5:30 pm, NBA TV) .. “So many experiences. He knows the players. At the end of the day, he can play another style of basketball. But in the end By the way, you know the players when you were the coach for that long time. He really appreciates our guys, puts them in a position to succeed, and attacks them with their character. Helped me try the method.
“I’ve been relying on it with him. It’s a little nice to choose their brains with different voices to get the overall external influence and our external perspective. is.”
The Korn-Heat relationship is through the head coach of the NBA’s first Asian-American head coach, Erik Spoelstra, a Filipino descendant on the side of the family’s mother.Spoelstra and corn I met Spoelstra when he visited the Philippines in 2009 and they have been friends ever since.
Spoelstra extended the Summer League invitation to Corn in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the actual outbreak until this year.
“We actually got together because one of the other players in our league joined and worked with Sacramento Kings in their summer league,” Korn recalls. “So I was calling Spo, and he goes,’Why don’t you do it with us here?’ I go,” Dan, I want it. Give me a chance.’It was like two years ago and then a pandemic happened. We went beyond that. Last year I was in the playoffs in my league when I returned home. Then this year, after his playoffs, we talked again and the subject was taken up. Behold, I’m here. “
Soon, Korn will welcome Spoelstra to the Philippines.
As an assistant coach for USA Basketball, Spoelstra has the opportunity to coach in the Philippines, one of the three countries that will host the 2023 FIBA World Cup with Japan and Indonesia.
“It’s really hard to imagine,” Korn said of Spoelstra’s popularity in the Philippines. “I don’t want to use the word god-like, but it’s almost like that. It was a big deal when I came here. People started to work for the NBA Summer League team. It was like, “Wow, that’s great.” Then they noticed it was the Miami Heat and Spo, and it just exploded. “
However, Spoelstra emphasized how much corn is loved in the Philippines.
“That is, he has won 24 championships,” Spoelstra said. “He’s an absolute legend over there and he’s still young as a coach, so he could go for another 20 years. At that point I don’t know where he’s going. The first with the NBA. I met him on a trip, met him and his staff, and started going to his practice and games. After that, we continued our friendship for years. “
Cone is committed to not only maximizing this NBA opportunity, but also enjoying it.
“I think it’s important to do whatever you do as a coach. I went out and watched the NBA game,” Wow, this is really great, “Korn said. “But you always see the finished product. Then they go half-time and you know what they’re talking about there, what they’re actually doing, what we’re doing. I’m wondering what they’re doing differently. That’s all about this experience. I’m inside. I’m watching it. Just talking about it gives you a goose bump. Will be. “
Saturday’s Yurtseven
After attending the Las Vegas Heat on Wednesday night, the status of the Las Vegas Summer League Center Omer Yurt Seven will emerge in the air.
After practicing on Friday, Allen said that due to a quadriceps injury, Yultseven would not play in the summer league match against the Celtics on Saturday. It’s unclear if Yurtseven will play in any of the five heat games in Las Vegas.
“Our documentation comes out here on Sunday night or Monday morning,” Allen said. “So look at what they say. I’ll pick it up from there.”
Yurtseven has been injured in a World Cup qualifying match in recent weeks as a member of the Turkish national team. Yurtseven was shooting after Friday’s practice, so it is not considered a serious injury.
“He tried to get training, and it just felt tight,” Allen said. “So see what it’s going to be, see what the docs say over the weekend, and take it every day from there.”
Yurtseven has a fully guaranteed standard contract and will be on the list of 15 heats for next season.
Anthony Chan covers the Miami Heat in the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.
