ShareThisBy JIM MASILAK
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Former NBA point guard Rod Strickland didn't need to think long when the chance to join John Calipari's staff at the University of Memphis came along.
"I got a phone call from (former Tiger forward Arthur Barclay) saying that Coach was interested in hiring me," Strickland said. "I called (Calipari) about two seconds after that, and he told me about the opportunity. I was listening but I was ready to say, 'Yeah.' All he had to say was, 'Do you want the job?'"
Eventually he did, and the former DePaul standout is now the Tigers' new assistant coordinator of basketball operations.
The 40-year-old Strickland, a native of New York City, played for nine teams during his 17-year NBA career, most notably the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers.
A first-round draft pick by the New York Knicks in 1988, Strickland went on to average 13.2 points and 7.3 assists over 1,094 career games before retiring following the 2004-05 season.
"He may have been the best point guard in the league who didn't have the big name," Calipari said. "He'll be a great resource for these guys even if he's not in a coaching position."
Strickland, who lives in Maryland, was at the Finch Center on Thursday as the Tigers began two weeks of individual workouts.
He will assume the duties, if not the title, of former coordinator of basketball operations Milt Wagner, who left last month to join former Memphis assistant Tony Barbee's staff at UTEP. While Strickland will not be allowed to coach on the floor, he can attend practices and sit on the bench during games.
Calipari has yet to determine the exact hierarchy in his revamped operations staff, where Andy Allison is in line for a possible promotion and former Memphis point guard Shyrone Chatman was hired earlier in the week.
Calipari said Strickland "will be the assistant for basketball operations, but he's doing what Milt did." Chatman, the coach added, "is gonna be more of a video coordinator."
Strickland, who said he is still about a year and a half away from earning his undergraduate degree _ he left DePaul following his junior season but "academically I wasn't a junior" _ began taking courses at the U of M on Thursday.
He needs his degree before he can think about becoming a full-time college assistant.
