NBA and College Coaching Legends Gather for Sold-Out Clinic at USD

SAN DIEGO — Their resumes and accolades, had they been all printed out, might’ve stretched across all 28,000 square feet of the University of San Diego’s new Basketball Performance Center. 

Eight NBA Championships. Thirty NCAA Tournament appearances. Eleven Coach of the Year awards across both the NBA and NCAA. More than 1,500 head coaching wins. 

It was nearly a century of combined experience on the sideline, and in mid August, it was all at local youth and high school coaches’ fingertips as they flocked to Alcala Park for a chance to learn from the best in the business — an unprecedented West Coast gathering of high-profile coaches for a clinic of this scale.

"It was special to be back at USD for the inaugural Coaches Clinic,” said New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown, a 1992 USD graduate who spent a pair of seasons playing for the Toreros. “The energy from the players, Coach Alverson, and Coach Lavin was great to see.” 

Brown was part of a star-studded panel that included fellow USD alums and NBA leaders James Borrego, David Fizdale, and Chris Grant, as well as women’s basketball staples Lindsay Gottlieb and Beth Burns from USC. San Diego ranks second nationwide with five alums who have gone on to be full-time NBA head coaches, and three were in attendance that afternoon.

The country's newest college basketball-specific venue served as a fitting backdrop for the first-of-its-kind clinic, featuring a full-length court with a viewing terrace, a dedicated shooting court, sport-specific strength and conditioning facilities, as well as advanced sports medicine and hydrotherapy spaces. 

“The Basketball Performance Center,” one college coach quipped upon seeing the space for the first time, “is spectacular.” 

Earlier this month, its doors were open to those from all stages of the game, with a capacity, standing-room-only crowd packing three sets of bleachers on the main practice court. Aspiring coaches young and old were assembled — notebooks and pencils at the ready — to bolster their basketball knowledge, hoping to bring home drills to implement on their own courts across America’s Finest City.

“We were fortunate to have outstanding presenters across varying levels of the game, and each brought valuable perspective and expertise,” said new USD women’s basketball head coach Blanche Alverson. “It was a special moment for our programs…Coach Lavin and I are fully aligned in creating opportunities like this that elevate basketball at USD.”

After a welcome message from both Alverson and Lavin — now in his fourth year as head coach of the Torero men — the clinic got underway, kicking off what Lavin described as “an ideal opportunity to honor our outstanding basketball tradition while bringing together an unprecedented line-up of speakers.”

Burns, who spent more than a decade leading the women’s program across town at San Diego State before heading north to Los Angeles, began the day by discussing transition defense and how to successfully create full-court pressure while disrupting potential mismatches created by opposing offenses. 

Up next was Gottlieb, who became the first NCAA women’s basketball head coach to work for an NBA team when she was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers. She spoke to attendees about the importance of playing fast and offered pointers on transition offense. 

Following Gottlieb’s lesson, Fizdale took the stage to address the crowd. The former Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks head coach dispensed knowledge about creating traps on defense and provided guidance on how to switch on pick-and-rolls.  

After a brief lunch break, Alverson and Lavin returned to the stage alongside Fizdale and Torero alum Chris Grant, who served as the general manager of the Cavaliers for three seasons. Together, they fielded questions from the audience on a wide array of topics, combining their expertise from all levels of men’s and women’s basketball. 

“Having our women’s and men’s programs unite — along with alum Chris Grant — to plan and launch this inaugural event fostered a shared communal spirit,” said Lavin. “It further enhanced a terrific setting for learning, exchanging ideas, and celebrating our love of USD Basketball.”

Borrego — the former head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats and a current assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans — got class back in session after the Q&A, highlighting the virtues of offensive pace and scheme creativity. 

The nearly six-hour afternoon concluded with a seminar on championship culture and leadership from Brown, who has helped hoist four NBA Larry O’Brien Championship Trophies during his time in the league thus far. 

And though the art of coaching is serious business for Brown and the eight panelists at the event, the former Torero couldn’t help but smile as he signed off and thanked the crowd to draw the event to a close. 

“USD played such a big role in my life, so it’s always an honor to return and be part of something like this,” Brown said, his Torero pride as evident as the long list of coaching achievements on his resume. 

“I’m excited about what’s ahead for USD Basketball.”