Game plan
Austin Ainge, 28, the youngest head coach in NBA Development League history, is busy preparing the Maine Red Claws for their inaugural season.
How do you address skeptics who think your last name, not your basketball resume, landed you the job? I will just have to prove it on the court. It’s a waste of breath to try and prove them wrong beforehand.
Since the Red Claws are Celtics affiliated, what happens if you disagree with your father, Celtics GM Danny Ainge? Disagreements between us are not something new. I’ve worked with him this past year, and we argue all the time over players and the draft or free agency. This is going to be my team and I’m going to run it as I see fit. But with both of our affiliate teams, the Charlotte Bobcats and the Celtics, I’ll listen to them very closely.
Would you ever settle a dispute with your dad with a shooting contest? Oh, absolutely, because I’d win every time. Since I was about 17, I’ve been beating him pretty consistently. He still gets me on the golf course, though.
Will you play alongside some of your players during practice? Not really. I’d rather tell them I’m really good and not show them I’m not very good.
Will it be difficult coaching players close to your age? In many ways, I think it will be easier. I’ve recently gone through what they’re going through. There’s no generation gap. I’ve played with and against many of these players personally. Players will trust you as long as you’re honest and competent and treat them fairly.
Does your life experience -- going on a Mormon mission in the Dominican Republic, marrying young -- give you a more mature perspective? I think so. I spent two years out of high school doing humanitarian work, living in a Third World country. That is atypical of most 19-year-olds’ experience. I got married at 21 and have two kids. Most people who have children know it helps you grow up quickly.
Do you want to be an NBA head coach someday? I just love being around the game of basketball. I’d work in the front office. I’d work in college. I’d work in the NBA. As long as I can work in the industry, I’ll be happy.
