IND - Natt relishes chance to teach

NEW DELHI (FIBA Asia Championship) - India rang in the changes earlier this year by bringing in an experienced American coaching trio to lead the national teams to new heights and assist the growth of basketball in the country.

Among the three new coaches is Kenny Natt, who has taking over the reins of the men's senior team.

His first test will be to lead India at the FIBA Asia Middle Asia sub zone qualifying tournament in New Delhi next month in a bid to book a place at the FIBA Asia Championship.

Natt has an impressive coaching resume. A former NBA player, he served as an assistant to famed Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan for nine years before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Sacramento Kings.

He was the Kings' interim head coach during the 2008-2009 season.

Natt talked to FIBA.com about his goals, his philosophy and what he has learned from coaching legends.

FIBA.com: Why did you decide to coach the indian basketball team?
Natt: In general, I've always considered myself as a very caring and willing person. All throughout my playing career, I've often expressed an unsolicited desire to help both my younger and seasoned team-mates in anyway possible, be it basketball or life related.

Additionally, I enjoy sharing and teaching the game of basketball to any and all players who are in need of help in accomplishing their personal objectives.

With that said, when the opportunity presented itself to me to coach India's senior men's national team, I knew it would be another great chance for me to share my wealth of NBA basketball knowledge and experiences with an inspired group of young men who are heart driven but are in need of refining their competitive skills through intense and specialised training regiments.

FIBA.com: What are your aspirations with this team?
Natt: My hope is to prove to ourselves (the Indian players and coaches) that the countless number of hours spent in training was not for naught, but it truly made a difference in our preparedness, whether win or lose.

I hope to uplift their spirits with a sense of accomplishment, by having them display a better organised and competitive brand of basketball as a team with renewed confidence for a brighter future for India basketball as a country.

FIBA.com: Did you accept this challenge because of the lock out in NBA?
Natt: Yes and no...Yes because I'm expecting a lockout, but as an inactive NBA coach who truly misses being in the gym preparing and teaching on a daily basis. But not really because the lockout had nothing to do with it. This is another great opportunity to do what I love to do, which is coach!

FIBA.com: You have a lot of NBA experience. You worked as an assistant to Jerry Sloan. Do you want to bring that experience to the Indian national team?
Natt: Sure! Coach Sloan is one of the winningest and most respected coach in all of NBA history. As my coaching mentor, who both coached me as a player and hired me as an NBA coach, I also consider him a father-like figure to me because he not only spoon-fed me the essential coaching tools and basketball ettiquette aspects of the game, but has always helped to direct and encourage me when needed in my personal life. He continues to advise me even today on accepting this coaching job.

FIBA.com: What kind of system do you want to install in this team?
Natt: If you would ask other NBA coaches this question, the greater majority would without hesitation say I will run the "UTAH 1-4" action.  And they would be right, partially.  However, after leaving the Jazz for the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2003, I considered myself to have been very fortunate as a coach to learn other very successful offensive and defensive philosophies, from a couple of other highly esteemed NBA coaches in Paul Silas and Mike Brown.

Paul taught me a more easy-flowing UCLA action which allows for more flexibility and open play style. While, from Mike Brown, who is a (San Antonio Spurs head coach) Gregg Popovich protege, I learned their undisputed championship principles of playing on both sides of the floor, both offensively and defensively.

So, contrary to what most coaches who know me would think, I consider myself a mixture of all three. I'm very uptempo oriented, but I'm a stickler for offensive "execution" and defensive effort and accountability.
 
FIBA.com: Which team do you see as the main force at the FIBA Asia Championship?
Natt: In all due respect to all other qualifying teams, due to their current rankings, I would have to label China and Lebanon as the two top contenders.

FIBA