For Jerry Stackhouse, chance to join Warriors’ coaching staff came at ‘perfect’ time

SAN FRANCISCO — Jerry Stackhouse starred at the University of North Carolina between 1993 and 1995. Mike Dunleavy Jr. starred at Duke between 1999 and 2002. That age gap meant no on-court overlap in college basketball’s biggest rivalry, but the proximity and connection between the programs generates intermingling.

Dunleavy used to travel to North Carolina for summer pick-up runs. Stackhouse used to travel to Duke. In the NBA, the longtime small forwards squared up 14 times. Dunleavy’s teams won nine, though Stackhouse scored 50 more points in the matchups. Mutual respect was born.

“It all comes full circle,” Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse’s past five years were spent as the head coach at Vanderbilt. His coaching staff was loaded with Tulane ties. A few Stackhouse assistants either coached or played under Dunleavy’s father, Mike Sr., who spent three seasons at Tulane from 2016-19.

The younger Dunleavy joined the Warriors front office in 2019. In the five years since, he has leaped into the general manager seat but remained a regular on the scouting trail. He’s extremely connected in the ACC and SEC, attending practices and games and gathering intel through his relationship network, which includes Stackhouse, the 2023 SEC coach of the year.

This summer, Dunleavy and Steve Kerr decided the Warriors’ coaching staff needed an infusion. Both agreed to finding a former NBA player with a commanding personality. In the interview process, Dunleavy brought Stackhouse to the table.

“I don’t think the timing could’ve been more perfect for me,” Stackhouse told The Athletic. “If I would’ve fulfilled my (Vanderbilt) contract, I would’ve been nine, 10 years removed from the NBA.”

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Stackhouse took over a struggling Vanderbilt program and led them to 19 wins during the 2021-22 season and 22 wins the following season. He coached future pros Saben Lee, Aaron Nesmith and Scotty Pippen Jr. This past season, the Commodores, crunched by injuries, sputtered to a 9-23 record, and Stackhouse was let go.

He assumed he’d sit out the next season and planned to travel to visit various pro coaching staffs, eyeing a return to the NBA level after beginning his coaching career in the Toronto Raptors organization.

“Golden State would’ve been atop my list,” Stackhouse said. “I would’ve called and wanted to come to training camp, come to practices.”

But the Warriors called first. Dunleavy and Kerr set up an interview. Stackhouse impressed Kerr. Stackhouse is a two-time All-Star who can command a room but also a former G League and college head coach with sideline experience. He will take on a prominent role helping to organize and run the Warriors’ defense, and he brought some ideas to the interview.

“There’s something about a former player where those guys can tell our players, ‘I’ve been there, I’ve done this. I know exactly what you’re going through,’” Kerr said. “Jerry did it on a really high level, but he’s also coached at a high level. That meant a lot to me.”

Stackhouse’s and Kerr’s careers overlapped. Stackhouse, the third pick in the 1995 draft, was entering his early prime as Kerr’s career was approaching the twilight years. Stackhouse averaged 17 points per game in his 19 matchups with Kerr’s teams. But Kerr’s teams — the dynasty Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs — went 16-3 against Stackhouse.

“Just remember getting our asses kicked a lot,” Stackhouse laughed. “We’ve always been very cordial, even when he was doing broadcasting. I think he’s always had respect for what I brought to the table, and I’ve had respect for what he’s been able to accomplish as a player and coach. One of the best to ever do it, if you really look at it.”

This summer has generated a little bit of an “odd introduction” for a new coach like Stackhouse attempting to familiarize his new surroundings. Kerr and Stephen Curry are in France locked into Team USA business for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The denser philosophical and strategic coaching conversations must wait until late August or September.

But Stackhouse was in Las Vegas during the early portion of summer league. He met veterans such as Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney. He attended workouts for Andrew Wiggins and Moses Moody. He made it clear he believes part of the reason he was hired was to help develop all the wings on the roster.

“That’s the position I played,” Stackhouse said. “I’ve sat in that seat. I’ve been there. I understand what they’re going through, from a young guy looking for a contract to a guy whose game is transitioning as you get older. I’m an 18-year veteran. Hopefully, I can come in and help motivate and inspire and help these guys take the next step and take advantage of these years with Steph and Draymond (Green), maximizing the back end of their careers.”

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Stackhouse didn’t get into grand detail about his nuanced defensive philosophy, saying it’ll be a staff-wide project tied to personnel, and a full playing-style conversation won’t happen until the coaches convene closer to training camp. But he returns to an NBA that has exploded even further into the 3-point realm since he left in 2013. The Warriors finished 15th in defensive rating last season and gave up 13.3 makes from deep per game, ninth most in the NBA.

“For me, it’s about closing out to the touch without blow-bys to the basket. Those kill you, as well,” Stackhouse said. “It’s finding a happy medium. Close out with a hand in the air. Stick (out a) hand to deter shots. The numbers are there. Shots with a hand in the air miss more often than ones without a hand. It’s not an overhaul. It’s subtle things, and it’s holding those standards game to game and possession to possession.”

The Warriors’ defense particularly was vulnerable in transition last season, an area Kerr was regularly critical when asked to identify the biggest reason for many losses.

“We have one of the most prolific scorers ever, prolific 3-point shooters,” Stackhouse said. “So you know there’s going to be shots that may be unexpected or high degree of difficulty. You have to identify it quickly and get the floor balanced to protect against the transition the other way.”

During the Warriors’ title run in 2022, players and coaches often credited the high level of defensive accountability under Mike Brown (then the coordinator) and Green, the team’s defensive engine and leader. Brown left for the Sacramento Kings, and Green’s locker room voice has been diminished because of some self-inflicted mistakes the last two seasons.

Part of the Stackhouse hire, Kerr said, is about bringing a booming voice into the room. His relationship with Green should help keep both the defense and Green on track. Stackhouse’s two All-Star seasons came in 2000 and 2001 for the Detroit Pistons when Green was growing up a couple hours up the road in Saginaw, Mich. Stackhouse has followed Green from afar ever since his days at Michigan State, and Green reached out to get Stackhouse’s phone number two years ago. They linked up for a conversation in Las Vegas during the early days of summer league.

“I think we’re kind of cut from the same cloth as far as competing and kind of having an edge,” Stackhouse said. “How he approaches defense and the things he does plays well into how I want us to guard individually and the technique and the toughness. It kind of goes a long way when you have somebody who exudes all of those things.”

For the Warriors to re-enter the fringe contender conversation, they have to get significantly better defensively. To do that, they need Green to remain on the court where he can clean up a mess but also help Stackhouse and the rest of the coaching staff light into anyone who is causing a mess.

“When you’re at this level, it’s about pride,” Stackhouse said. “I was a guy that never wanted to be in a film session constantly having my name called for not doing what’s right. That’s the approach that I want to take. … From the defense standpoint, give these guys principles and techniques to adhere to and be able to judge them for those things once we once we establish what they are.”

(Photo: Justin Ford / Getty Images)