Jamal Murray's former coach hopes NBA victory will inspire the next generation
Denver Nuggets guard and NBA champion trained at a Mono, Ont., school renowned for its basketball program
Larry Blunt's voice was a little bit hoarse on Tuesday.
The basketball coach spent Monday night cheering on his former student, Canadian Jamal Murray, as he and his team won the NBA Championships.
The 27-year-old Kitchener, Ont., athlete is a guard for the Denver Nuggets, which won its first championship title on Monday, beating the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The victory was in no small part due to Murray and teammate Nikola Jokić, who combined for 42 points in the title-clinching victory.
Blunt is now an assistant basketball coach at Oklahoma State University. But before that, he was the head coach at Orangeville Prep, a school with an elite basketball program in Mono, Ont., where he coached the up-and-coming Murray.
Here is part of his conversation with As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
Larry, take me to that moment last night. Where were you watching, what were you doing when you saw that final score?
With my family. It was really cool to watch [with] my wife and my little daughter. It was really cool to be a part of history.
I don't know your voice that well, but it sounds a little hoarse. Does that indicate how much you were screaming to see your former student win last night?
It does… [There] was definitely a lot of encouraging to the television set.
WATCH | Jamal Murray gets hometown love in Kitchener, Ont.:
Of course, all of your players, all of your students, have huge hopes and dreams. But I wonder, did you envision this kind of success and that kind of moment that we saw last night when you first saw Jamal Murray?
Certainly. He was very intentional with his goals and wasn't afraid to share those. He had visions of not only being a Division 1 [college] player, but also having aspirations of making it to the NBA, being one of the game's greatest, and also win the NBA championship.
What was he like as a young player?
Competitive. I think that that word sticks out or stands out. And I think his work ethic and drive matched his competitive spirit.
Certainly athletes at that level all have that competitive streak … but what kinds of things did you see in Jamal that stood out?
He's been in a lot of settings where there are … a lot of alphas, whether it was a Nike Hoop Summit, whether it was the Jordan Brand Classic. Even on our team, the team that he played on over the three-year stretch, we had 30 Division 1 players and six NBA players.
He always emerged as one of the guys that was the best in the gym.
His dad had his birthday yesterday…. I've heard you talk about, as well, the kinds of specific training, or the dad advice, that he would give in terms of everything from music to to push-ups — and not just regular pushups. Can you tell us about that?
I think his dad may need to write a book or start a new service, because clearly the training has paid off and worked.
I think most people would [think of] a lot of that training as non-traditional. His father has a martial arts background and he spent a lot of time with Jamal helping him with things like meditation.
The discipline that comes with that, and I think his ability to slow down as moments normally get really big and get going fast, I think a lot of those trainings have really benefited him as he's continued to evolve as, not only a player, but also as a person as well.
And push-ups in the snow?
Oh, absolutely. Push-ups in the snow.
I can remember he had a broken finger at a tournament and I can remember his father referencing some of those moments of slowing it down. And those things really allowed him to push through some pain that most people wouldn't be able to perform or play through.
You mentioned that finger injury, but he's come back from much bigger injuries recently. What was it like for you to see him go through that at this critical time of success? Were you worried?
Not for him. I think, because of his love for the process, if there's anyone that could come back from it and come back from it stronger, he was, and I had no doubt that he would.
I heard you just then give a lot of credit to his dad. But you and Orangeville Prep, which is such a powerful incubator for young basketball stars, have had a role in all of this as well. So how are you feeling about all of that?
I think it's really cool for people to see him, and I think for people to realize that their dreams can come true.
A young man from Kitchener that went against what conventional wisdom said, that you had to go to the U.S. to get to the heights that he's been able to ascend to — I think it's inspiring for us all. And I think it really goes to show that if you're willing to put the time and work and energy and effort in that, you really can get to whatever your dreams and goals are.
What message do you hope it sends to Canadian players — young players who certainly were watching just as you were last night?
I hope it inspires them.
I know Jamal references [former NBA star] Vince Carter and a lot of his time watching the [Toronto] Raptors. And I think that really was what propelled him, or one of the things that propelled him.
I think it's cool now that, you know, 13- and 14-year-olds and even younger, when they're out playing on their hoops or outside on playgrounds, that they can aspire to be like him.
The narrative that the work is what has allowed him to get there, I hope will really take that in.
With files from The Canadian Press. Interview produced by Antonia Reed. Q&A edited for length and clarity.
