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Luke Walton officially joins Tigers staff
By Adam Douglas-->Sports Reporter
Published: Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Updated: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 02:08
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University of Memphis head basketball head coach Josh Pastner officially welcomed current Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton to the Tigers coaching staff on Saturday at the Larry O. Finch Center.
Walton worked mainly with post players during an afternoon workout, while giving other Tigers some pointers on how to take their games to the next level.
"He was one of the most vocal coaches out there," said sophomore forward Tarik Black. "I want to listen to everything he has to say. He's where we want to be, as far as being in the NBA. So if it's a pool of knowledge that he's trying to teach, then I want to swim in it."
A picture taken of the 1973 NCAA championship game hung nearby as Walton spoke during a media session on Saturday. Hi father, Bill Walton, was 21-of-22 from the field in the game, leading his UCLA Bruins to the title over a U of M team coached by Larry Finch.
"Yeah that's ‘Big Red' right there," Walton said, gesturing to his father in the photo. "I know my name has a historical reference in this city. It's kind of funny how all things come full circle. My father took a championship away from Memphis back then – now I'm here to help bring one here."
Pastner said he was pleased with Walton's transition to coaching since his arrival on Friday.
"I've got to give coach Walton credit," Pastner said. "He dove right in and began coaching. He did an exceptional job, as did coach Stoudamire and coach Murphy."
Walton said that the longer he's here, the more involved with the team he'll become.
"Today was a take-in day today," Walton said on Saturday. "I really didn't want to get involved as much – I will get more vocal as things progress. But I was just trying to see how things ran around here, getting to know the personnel and getting to know the kids."
Walton getting closer to the team, Pastner said, means Tigers players benefiting from the experiences of a seasoned professional who has competed against, and alongside, some of basketball's greatest current players.
"Luke will be a great coach because he brings a wealth of knowledge and a winning attitude to the Tigers program," Pastner said. "His experiences, which include playing in four NBA Finals and winning two NBA world championships, are lessons that he can share with our players to help them grow and develop their games – that's something that you cannot teach at this level."
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
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