SAN DIEGO – It was a busy, productive and downright enjoyable 24 hours for Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr.
First, he watched his Suns crush the defending NBA-champion Lakers from his suite in US Airway Center on Monday night. The following morning he worked a minor trade to get backup Minnesota point guard Jason Hart and save some salary cap space before saving the best for last, a quick Southwest Airlines flight home to watch his son Nick Kerr have a near career performance in the 20th MaxPreps Holiday Classic.
Nick, a 6-foot-3 southpaw shooting guard for host Torrey Pines (San Diego), drilled four 3-pointers and scored 27 points in a 78-58 Mayor’s Cup Division semifinal win against La Jolla Country Day.
It was just off a best of 29 points for Nick, who sat out the last five minutes and averages a team-high 21.4 per game.
“It’s been a very good day or two to say the least,” Steve said moments after his son’s game. “But this was definitely the topper.
“It’s always good to be here, be home with friends and family and get out of the Phoenix heat, so to speak.”
Steve Kerr enjoying one of many bright moments at Tuesday's game.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Life as a GM can get a little stressful indeed and Steve has felt the fire from his highly-scrutinized deals involving Shaquille O’Neal and Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw and Jason Richardson, or his highly-publicized debates with former coach Mike D’Antoni.
For now, the Suns (20-12) seem to be moving in a bright direction and today he got to sit in the second-level wooden bleachers with his wife Margot and local pals and cheer for kids named Max and Ray and C.J. and Scott.
And of course Nick, who hasn’t had just a good 24 hours, but a pretty charmed 16 years of living.
How many other kids have got to hang a little with Michael Jordan during the championship runs or help in shooting drills with Tim Duncan and the Spurs or be hoisted onto the shoulders of his father moments after winning another NBA title?
How many other high school players have one of the most fundamentally perfect players in NBA history to draw and learn from?
Nick, as humble and gracious and good-natured as his pops, takes none of it for granted.
“It’s all been good,” he said. “It’s been better way better than good. It’s all been great.”
Feet square, elbow in
Then again, the flip side is a hidden and un-hidden pressure of living up to a professional athlete’s name and accomplishments and his dad has many.
Not only is Steve the NBA career-leader in 3-point shooting, but he won five NBA titles including four in a row, the first to do so in 30 years.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Steve wasn’t a household NBA name either with Jordan shoe endorsements or Lebron TV spots. He was a fantastic role player, a clutch performer who delivered for some of the NBA’s greatest teams.
In that regard, he was very visible.
But like his squared-up stance and steady shooting hand, Steve made sure his son’s life wasn’t off balance or out of alignment.
The elbow is in and follow-through strong is Nick’s every day off-the-court approach.
“Never have felt any pressure,” Nick said. “Never felt like I had to play basketball because my dad did. I just loved to do it and learned by watching him. I’ll ask him things time to time or once in a while he’ll give me a pointer or two, but I think we’re just like any other father and son.”
Said Steve: “I think he knows I’m there for him if he needs anything. And he asks every once in a while. But I want him to figure out the game himself.”
Besides, Nick has a former NBA player as an everyday coach anyway.
Torrey Pines coach John Olive played three years in the NBA for the Clippers and coached with Rollie Massamino at Villanova before serving for five seasons as head coach at Loyola Marymount.
He’s had great success at Torrey Pines this decade and was recently named the head coach of the 2009 USA Nike Hoop Summit team.
“Nick couldn’t be in better hands,” Steve said of Olive. “Really.”
Funny, because Olive said the exact same thing about Steve and the Kerrs. Younger sister Maddy is a freshman volleyball player at Torrey Pines and 11-year-old brother Matthew is into acting.
Nick Kerr scores two of his 27 on the break Tuesday.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
“Honestly, you want every father of a player you coach to be Steve Kerr,” Olive said. “He’s completely there for his son, he’s totally supportive of the program and has never come close to interfering.”
Still, it’s tough to work in one city and live in another.
Steve, who coached Nick’s youth teams up until seventh grade, has made five of the Falcons’ first 12 games.
Nick said he’s sometimes not even sure when his dad makes the game. For instance, he didn’t know Steve was in the gym on Tuesday.
“It’s great when he is, but I know he’s really busy,” Nick said. “Even when he’s not here I can still feel him.”
Even when his dad is there, he rarely hears him. That’s because Steve, much like his persona, is low key and blends in well.
Extremely approachable, parents and fans of the Falcons shake hands, joke and tell Steve stories throughout the game.
On Tuesday, Steve missed Nick’s first basket – a driving layup – because he was texting. A couple minutes later on Nick’s first 3-pointer – a bomb from NBA range- Steve was on the cell phone.
“Trade stuff,” Steve said. “We were still working stuff out.”
For the rest of the game, Steve looked utterly relaxed, his chin sometime resting on his perched right hand. Mostly he just clapped and smiled whether it was Nick scoring or Max or Ray or C.J. or Scott.
Just like any other dad.
“Sure I’m nervous for him and happy and all the other emotions I think he’s going through,” Steve said. “But he’s a pretty squared away kid.”
Shooter's mentality
As far as their games, Steve said Nick is much further along than he was in high school. Steve was barely recruited out of Palisades (Pacific Palisades) High in Los Angeles County.
Nick Kerr has never hid from an open shot.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
“I was very hesitant to shoot but Nick doesn’t have that problem,” Steve said. “He has a lot more confidence than I did.”
Olive and assistant Kelly Peters agree.
Nick is a pure shooter with a quick trigger and release. He’s made 41 percent of his 3-point attempts and made 53, which ties him for second in the country according to the MaxPreps national leader board. His 4.4 per game ranks 18th.
But he’s far more than a spot-up set shooter, according to Olive.
Nick, a starter for the 26-6 Falcons last year, has developed other facets that he showed Tuesday including a couple driving hoops and best of all, drives and dishes for baskets.
But with arguably the team’s top all-around player Joe Rahon out for the year with a knee injury, Nick’s primary role is still going to be shooter and scorer.
Last year he was fourth on the team at 9.3 per game. Now the only other double-digit scorer on the team is Max Heller at 10.4. Nick averages more than double that.
Torrey Pines (11-1) takes on St. Mary’s-Stockton in today’s Major’s Division championship. (Torrey Pines won 63-58, Nick had a game-high 21 points and was named division MVP).
“Last year I could sit in the corner and no one would notice me,” Nick said. “Not any more. I have to work for everything. Nothing is easy.”
It helps that he has a daily tutor like Peters pushing him.
“He’s getting better and better and better in all areas,” Olive said.
And it helps he’s a very bright kid – he owns a 3.9 grade point average.
“He absorbs everything,” Olive said.
But most helpful probably is the set of genes his parents gave – plus a calm disposition as squared away as his dad’s jumper.
“Honestly, we just want him to have fun playing the game,” Steve said. “No matter what, we’re proud of him.”
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
Palisades (Pacific Palisades, Calif.)
