Per non parlare sempre dell Head coach un bell’articolo su Craig Luschenat - Capo player Development
https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/5/19/2 ... iser-gates Craig Luschenat: a local product who climbed Boston’s ranks with hard work and meticulous coachingTheThe Boston Celtics completely altered their roster in the 2023 offseason. Flipping Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams into
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meant more than just putting faith into those two stars—it was a vote of confidence for
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So far this year, those two have answered the bell. But they haven’t done it alone.
Their routines are meticulous in the hours leading up to every game: shooting workouts, footwork training, and hand-eye coordination drills.
As soon as Hauser steps onto the court pre-game, player development coach Craig Luschenat is ready with three rubber balls. He and Hauser immediately go to half-court and start working. The Celtics forward dribbles while Luschenat repeatedly throws the balls at him in different spots, forcing him to read, react, and catch them in a split second.
The work doesn’t stop there. Celtics practices come and go, and by the time media is allowed downstairs to talk to players, Hauser and Pritchard are often still working with Luschenat right next to them.
“He just works so hard,” Pritchard said. “He watches so many hours of film and then also studies a lot of different people in different fields—other great basketball players, coaches, whatever. And [he] takes all the knowledge and then puts it into us and so just helping expand our games and making us most ready when we get on the court to perform.”
Luschenat even gets in on the action every once in a while.
When Pritchard and Hauser failed a few attempts at their shooting drill at a recent practice—a workout where they must alternate shots around the three-point line until they make 10 in a row—he and assistant coach Charles Lee gave it a go.
They didn’t quite meet the standard of two of the best three-point shooters in the NBA, but Luschenat played a huge part in getting Hauser and Pritchard to that level. Boston’s bench finished second in three-point shooting this year at 39.0%.
Luschenat’s journey to being one of the most hard-working, dedicated player development coaches began far before he moved to Boston. But it happened in the Celtics pipeline.
Acton, MA – Andover’s (30) Joe Bramanti and (21) Craig Luschenat try to get the ball away from Acton-Boxboro’s (32) Joey Flannery as A-B holds on to defeat Andover on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Staff Photo by Matthew West.
Photo by Matthew West/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
“He was one of my favorites. Because, like I said, he just always wanted to be in the gym.”
AA native of Boston, Massachusetts, Lucschenat’s playing career capped out at the DIII level. He played at Andover High School before attending Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Four years of college ball culminated in being named team captain for the Monks.
Luschenat was a full-time starter in his junior and senior seasons, averaging 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in his final year. He shot 37.9% from distance on 140 attempts.
He played a bit more while getting his Master’s degree in business management at Oxford Brookes University in England before transitioning into an internship with Wasserman Sports Agency Clients in Los Angeles, California. There, he worked with the likes of Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
Then, Luschenat came home. Well, about 110 miles north of home.
Luschenat joined the Maine Celtics, then known as the Maine Red Claws, as an assistant in 2016. During his stint in Portland, he developed a reputation of consistent availability.
“That was my third G League team that I had played for, so I had a chance to work with several different player development coaches,” said Vitto Brown, who played in Maine from 2017 to 2019. “And this is not just because we’re talking about him—he was one of my favorites. Because, like I said, he just always wanted to be in the gym.
“Like, sometimes you have to beg people like, ‘Can you help me work out today if there’s time? Craig would be like, ‘When do you want to go? I’m already here. I’m already downstairs.’”
His popularity amongst the players stemmed from his constant drive to help them improve. Luschenat was always in the gym, to the point where he was too popular.
“Craig was always there,” said Brown. “I mean, he was really in too high demand sometimes because you’d be like, ‘Craig, can you help me out?’ [And he would say], ‘Ah, I’m already working with so and so at 10, but you can come at 11. We’ll be finished.’ So, I think he was a lot of guys’ first choice for that reason.”
Miami Heat (94) Vs. Boston Celtics (114) At TD Garden
Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
“He goes out of his way to ask you, ‘Hey, do you want to get up shots?’ And that means a lot to players because you’re not going to get that from everybody.”
TheThe G League isn’t like the NBA. There isn’t a giant team of trainers and nutritionists ready to help players at the drop of a hat. It’s come a long way since its early years, but finding the highest-level coaches is still rare.
Luschenat broke that mold. Rather than laying low and simply helping within the system, he made it a point to go the extra mile.
“It was much more than just the availability,” said Kaiser Gates, who was in Maine for the 2019-20 season. “He goes out of his way to ask you, ‘Hey, do you want to get up shots?’ And that means a lot to players because you’re not going to get that from everybody. And he’s eager about it.”
Now the Director of Player Development in Boston, Luschenat built an elite program of workouts and systems while in Maine.
More went into Pritchard and Hauser’s growth from behind the arc than Luschenat’s drills, but his process dates all the way back to helping Gates improve from distance. And everything was methodically detailed to each player he worked with.
“I would do a lot of [deep reps] because, in games, I would catch the ball near the top of key a lot,” said Gates. “Probably a few feet behind the three-point line. So, I’d be running in, boom, and take a deep shot. It would feel just like a game rep.
“We did a lot of things [that] were like, I might be standing turned around facing the baseline. He might pass it to me in the air and tell me to turn around. I’m turning around, catching [the ball] with my feet planted, taking a shot, [and] boom. And it just kind of helped me get my balance. It makes it easier in the game.”
Vitto Brown’s game from beyond the arc was elevated by Luschenat, too.
“I feel like I had some of my best shooting seasons in Maine, and a big part of that was that player development,” said Brown. “And not only just the workouts but also the mindset. He would watch film with you, but also give you ideas. Give you concepts to think about when you’re out there on the court, and they really helped out.”
Brown shot 38.3% from distance during his stint in Maine on just over two threes per contest. In the twenty-six G League games prior to his arrival, he shot 29.2% from deep.
Unfortunately, Kaiser Gates wasn’t able to carry out Luschenat’s vision in the same way.
“And honestly, that year, I should have shot the ball above 40, but I think I had like a broken finger or something, and it took my percentage down. So, shoutout to Craig. I was supposed to have a great shooting year that year.”
Miami Heat (84) Vs. Boston Celtics (118) At TD Garden
Craig Luschenat sitting in the second row of the Celtics bench, to the left of Sam Cassell. Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
PlayerPlayer development requires coaches to act with a magnifying glass. They refine otherwise broad concepts into very particular workouts tailored to every player they work with.
But that’s only half the battle.
That’s just the “development” side of things. The “player” half involves cultivating relationships that create a connection extending well beyond the basketball court.
“I looked at Craig, like, he’s one of my guys at this point,” said Gates. “Like, if he needs anything, I’m always there, and it’s the same thing vice versa. Boils down to, man, we still follow each other on IG and everything. So, he sees something I’ve done, he might hit me up. It might be completely unrelated to basketball, [but he’s] just checking in on me. And [I do the] same thing for him.”
There’s a place in basketball for stubborn coaching. For the type of instruction that feels more like a drill sergeant than a peer. But that’s not what player development is about. Especially not for Luschenat.
“He’s just a cool dude,” said Brown. “You would look at him as one of your teammates at a certain point. It wasn’t like you didn’t respect his authority, but we’re all such similar age, especially in the G League, so it was like, you probably didn’t even call him coach. You’d probably just say Craig.
“But we had that mutual respect for each other, and he would laugh and joke just like the rest of us. So, I mean, I guess that helps because now it’s like, okay, it’s somebody you trust.”
It’s that level of respect that helps Luschenat and his players separate life on the court from off it.
“We know when we step on the court, we’re going hard, and it’s no hard feelings, and nobody’s going to, you know, that he’s going to be there for your benefit,” said Brown. “So, it’s hard to say anything really specific. He was just a good dude.
“We would laugh and joke just like he was one of the teammates. And I think that probably helped his popularity amongst the guys as well.”
Justin Turpin | WEEI
“Best believe that every time Craig stepped out there, he was trying to get buckets.”
Luschenat’sLuschenat’s blend of relatability and competitiveness made him a favorite among his players and a perfect fit for his role.
As did his prior playing experience.
“So, what’s funny is that our whole coaching staff was of an age that could still play,” Brown said. “And we actually, I kid you not, we actually scrimmaged more against them than we did ourselves.”
And when Luschenat did get the chance to step onto the court, he had one goal in mind: buckets.
“Best believe that every time Craig stepped out there, he was trying to get buckets, and he was known for, if I remember correctly, he was known for his three,” Brown said. “It wasn’t ultra-consistent, but when he got hot, he did get hot.
“But yeah, man, I ain’t gonna lie, our coaches could hoop. They could hoop. Yeah, they gave us some good runs.”
Buckets aside, Luschenat’s coaching style has helped him rapidly rise through the organization. After three years in Maine and one in Boston, he’s now heading up the Celtics’ player development squad.
Combined with his constant eagerness to be in the gym, Luschenat’s enthusiastic and thorough coaching style makes him a player-favorite.
“He really wants to help do the work,” said Gates. “He wants to help get you better. Help you reach your full potential. It just instills a lot of confidence in you as a player.”
parla delle differenze nei tre Head Coach per i quali ha giocato.
abbia già un ottimo sostituto in mente. In fondo non fa (quasi) mai errori. Per lo meno con i bipedi.
