Second of a two-part series
Q. Do you think there will ever come a time when, as a
coach, you're not just seen as Dick Bennett's son?
A. To me, it's a great compliment. One thing I know we're going to have to do is recruit better players, because I'm not gonna be
half the coach he is. I mean, that's a Hall of Fame
coach we're talking about. I'm not coaching to make a
name for Tony Bennett, I just want to enjoy working
with the kids and turning the program into a
contender; that's what I'd love to do.
Q. Now that you've been a coach, what do you admire
most about your father as a coach?
A. He is one of the most genuine, humble guys I've
been around. All he cares about is taking a team and
getting them to come together as a unit and do things
they couldn't normally do. He's not about fluff. He
shares so many things with these kids that will stay
with them -- they don't even know it right now --
things that will stay with them when they're married,
when they have careers, in the business world,
wherever they are. Another thing I admire -- and not a
lot of coaches will do this, especially coaches with
egos -- is if he feels he's stepped over the line and
been too harsh, he's the first one to say "Forgive me,
I apologize." I really respect that, when a coach says
"I was wrong, I shouldn't have said that." I think
that brings instant credibility. He's real with
the guys. He'll tell you what he’s thinking and he
doesn't try to sugar-coat stuff. He'll tell you when
you're doing good and when you're not. I think more
people need that. There is so much phoniness that goes
on in this world and in this business that real
genuine people are pretty valuable.
Q. You're a smaller guy (6-0, 170) who played at a small school.
How did you get to the NBA and how did you stay in the
NBA for as long as you did?
A: One of the reasons is that I played for a great
coach. (Points toward Dick Bennett's office) When you
play for him he teaches you how to be so tough-minded
and complete as a player. But to play at the highest
level you'd better be athletic enough or you don't
have a prayer. I had a weapon in my shot, I was real
solid in every other area and I was athletic enough to
compete with those guys. In college I played all four
years and developed my game. I had to fight to make
it, but I made it for three years. No one ever said I
was gonna be a lottery pick, but as I got better and
better in my junior and senior years, some of the teams
said I was one of the better point guards in the
country. And I played well in the pre-draft camps,
which is huge for so many guys. They can make or break
your future, especially guys that don't come from
major conferences, because they want to see you
against those guys that do.
Q. Which was a more rewarding experience; college or
pro basketball?
A: There's nothing like the school spirit, the
camaraderie, the unity and the purity of the college
game. You get to the NBA, and I got to play in the
playoffs and I played against Michael Jordan and all
of that...it's amazing, but it's a business. It's a
cut-throat business. I remember Terry Porter (who
played for Dick Bennett as Wisconsin-Stevens Point and
then for 18 years in the NBA) would always come back
and workout with us in the preseason. We're sitting
there one time and he told all of us, he said, "Guys,
the best years of your playing careers will be in
college. You just can't beat 'em." And this is a guy
who played in two All-Star games, played in two world
championship series with the Trail Blazers, and he
said nothing will touch the experience that you'll
have in college. And at the time I was like, "Come on,
this guy's making beaucoup bank, and he's saying
that?" But my taste of the NBA did not compare to what
you experience in college.
Q. What was your favorite thing about the NBA?
A. Well, the salary wasn't too bad (laughing). One of
my favorite things was the opportunity, night in and
night out, to play against what I think are the
greatest athletes in the world. I got to play against
Michael Jordan about 15 times in my career, and to
play against Isiah Thomas and Shaquille O'Neal, just
to be on the floor going against them or watching
them. It would blow you away just to see the ability
and athleticism. We played in the playoffs two of my
three years, and seeing those world-class players when
all of a sudden it meant more and went up a
level...that was great.
Q. Without naming names, do you have any off-the-wall
NBA stories?
A. How long do you have? I'll put it this way -- when you
play in the NBA, whatever you're looking for -- if
you're looking for fame, the party scene -- anything
you want, it's right at your fingertips. Some of the
guys' lifestyles that they choose to live, I'm amazed
that they can play as well as they do and last as long
as they do. You're also dealing with some huge egos at
that level, and some of the interactions between
players and coaches that you don't see at the college
level were mind-boggling. Just a lack of respect for
coaches. Some of that stuff was hard to see, coming
from the background I came from.
Q. Who was the best player you've ever been around, be
it in your playing days or as a coach?
A. Michael Jordan, hands down. I had Alonzo Mourning
and Larry Johnson as teammates, and those were two
prominent name guys, but you talk about Jordan, and
man...Isiah was at the end of his career when I
played, but he was tremendous. I didn't get to play
against Bird or Magic; I missed them by a year or two.
Before they got hurt, Kevin Johnson and Tim Hardaway.
Before Tim got hurt, I'm telling you what, he had some
stuff. There were so many good players.
Q. Who is the best athlete you've been around?
A: A guy who played in the Pac-10, Robert Pack. He
went to USC. You talk about a smaller guy who can take
off and dunk on you. Kevin Johnson's quickness before
he got hurt...Muggsy Bogues was 5-foot-2 and his
nickname was "Pocket Hercules." He was one of the
fastest, strongest, quickest guys you'll ever see.
Obviously Jordan's up there. People don't understand
how athletic everyone is in the NBA. And some of them
are 6-10, 260 pounds, like the size of defensive
linemen, but you see how quick they are. Karl Malone,
man, his upper body, and Anthony Mason. Those guys are
just so strong.
Q. Did you ever go 1-on-1 with Jordan?
A: One game -- and I have no idea why -- but he
guarded me for like two or three minutes. I was in
late in the game. I remember catching the ball,
squaring up and he was on me, and I was like, "Oh my."
I remember I took one dribble and I felt his hand, so
I passed it. I chickened out every time; I'd get rid
of it as soon as I got it. It was cool, though,
because all my boys called me after the game like,
"Yeah, Jordan was on you!" One thing I regret to this
Day -- in my rookie year, I played against MJ in Chicago
and a photographer came up to me and said, "You're
gonna want this," and it was a great action shot of me
going against MJ. I said "Oh, that was nice" and I put
it in my locker but I left and I forgot it. But I was
thinking, "I'm gonna play against him so many times, I
don't need it." But I never got another picture like
that. That'd be something to show your kids one day.
Part I of the Tony Bennett Q&A was posted Jan. 23.
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