Here’s a nice New York Times story about Joey Meyer, a guy with basketball in his blood. Meyer is the son of basketball coaching legend Ray Meyer.
Joey Meyer coached the Asheville Altitude back in the 1990s when the N.B.A. choose Asheville as one of its sites for a team in its developmental league, known as the NBDL. Having a professional basketball team in Asheville sure was a lot of fun. Ahhh, the memories.
From the NYT:
Ray Meyer stepped aside after 42 years in 1984, and his son succeeded him. There were six seasons with at least 20 wins, seven berths in the N.C.A.A.’s and a 231-158 record over the next 13 years, but a falling out with an influential group of Chicago-area high school coaches gradually deprived DePaul of the Mark Aguirre-caliber local talent responsible for its best teams.
The Meyer name gradually lost its magic among DePaul administrators, and Joey was fired after a nightmarish 3-23 campaign in 1996-97. Embittered, he briefly turned away from basketball but was rejuvenated about three years later by an opportunity to coach in the fledgling D-League.
Out of the spotlight, he won three titles in seven seasons with teams in Asheville, N.C., and Tulsa, Okla., and became the D-League’s winningest coach. He chose not to re-up with Tulsa after an ownership change, and he tried his hand at N.B.A. scouting last season. But he missed the gym and the player interaction and welcomed an offer to return to coaching in Fort Wayne.
“I have the gene,” Meyer said ruefully. “I still love the game, love being around it, love teaching it. The money’s not great, but I feel fortunate to be able to make a living doing something I love.”
And he is clearly in his element, instructing, encouraging, trying to improve on a 4-5 start amid constant reminders of a D-Leaguer’s lot in life: eight-hour bus trips, puddle-jumper plane flights, 10-game trips, one-star motel accommodations.
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Hey Jason. I apologize for being more than a bit slow on the uptake regarding your mention of Joey Meyer, but I’d like to share a “way back when” story involving him and me.
It was 1971 in Chicago. I was “cut” after try-outs for my high school, freshman basketball team. Devastated, frustrated and ready to give it all up, an assistant coach suggested I attend Ray Meyer’s summer camp up in the wilds of Wisconsin. It was out in the middle of nowhere – complete with musty dorm cabins, several scorching asphalt courts and squadrons of mosquitoes dive-bombing sweaty kids.
The legendary DePaul “Blue Demons” coach – Ray Meyer – was in charge of the intensive program and there every day, but his three sons helped him run what amounted to the basketball equivalent of the Bataan Death March. Tommy, Bob (AKA “Binky”) and Joey were their names. The Old Man watched the drills and scrimmages – blew the whistle and yelled – but his boys were the “hands on” drill sergeants who got in your face, worked you all day long, in hopes of making you a tougher, better basketball player.
So in the Fall of `72 – following The Meyer Experience – I made the junior varsity roster and then the varsity squad. Even though I mostly rode the bench, it beat the hell out of sitting up in the stands. Plus I was proud. I really had accomplished what I’d set-out to do – become a tougher, better basketball player.
So here we are, almost four-decades since that grueling two-weeks of Summer camp and my basketball days are long over. But Joey is still coaching, still making tougher, better basketball players. What he says about his love for the game is true. I know that from my own experience. Joey Meyer really does have “the gene”. I wish his stay here in Asheville could have been much longer. We WNC basketball fans would have been much better for it.