From scarlet and grey to navy and red–the new challenge awaits.
by Sandy Dover / @SandmanSeven
One of the biggest transitions in life occurs when a person leaves college and looks to build on what he or she has spent years accumulating in academia. In many cases, it’s a substantial shock to the system because of how different it is to negotiate with the world on our (and the world’s) own terms. For former Ohio State guard Danny Peters, his world seems to be in a different place altogether. Since leaving the Buckeye basketball team as the winningest player in the program’s history while trekking into a career of teaching as a college coach, Danny has been gracious enough to let me and the rest of the SLAMonline family in on what it means to embark on the daily challenge of becoming a successful coach in the NCAA, by way of a special “as told to Sandy”, open-letter San Dova Speak-Easy series, dubbed “From Danny, To Sandy”.
Check out Danny’s previous diary entry here.
Sandy,
July is finally here…Live Period Events! I just finished the Buckeye Hoop Fest in Columbus. First-year event for my man Chas Wolfe, and it will only continue to grow and improve. Forty teams and 70 college coaches at all different levels and representation from the Big East, Big Ten and MAC! Congrats to All Ohio Red 17s, 4 Deep 16s & Team Toledo 15s on bringing home the trophy. Check out Jackson Lamb from Temperance High School in Bedford, Michigan, a two sport athlete with a lot of upside…Andrew Brackman???
I was in Akron last week to see the family and thought about stopping by The Jar for the LeBron Skills Academy, but had to report for duty in Columbus. I made it up there last year for “The Dunk” and with all the media coverage behind “The Decision” this year, I was unsure of how I would be able to hear or see the coaching and teaching points on the court. I can catch some of the drills on Alan Stein’s Twitter page; if you haven’t checked out his other videos, you are missing out.
Over the course of the past few months, I have been writing this diary as a testimonial of my journey into the collegiate coaching world. I have found a home for next year and where I am headed as I start my coaching career. But, before I give way to where I will start next season, I should thank a lot of the people that helped me along the way. Ohio State and the state of Ohio is forever home. I am proud to say that I represented the state and University over the past five years. It was an amazing time and I am very thankful for the opportunity. Thank you to Coach Matta and his staff along with all of my teammates to the “big brothers” in Terence Dials, JJ Sullinger, Jekel Foster and Matt Sylvester that welcomed me with open arms into the program, to the freshman that I introduced to the “Buckeye Way” and to the future of the program. Thank you to the high school players and coaches that have been apart of my journey and have been so supportive of my goals. To my friends and family. And, to my father who has taught me so much about the secrets to running a successful program and developing into a great teacher and leader. “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”…
Next year, I have an amazing opportunity to work with the University of Arizona and their coaching staff. Coach Miller has welcomed me to the Wildcat family as we work to return to the Mike Bibby-Miles Simon-Foamposite-Bo Jackson Nike days! My responsibilities with the Wildcats will span across the board, but for the summer I will focus on Player Development. ‘Zona is a great opportunity for me to learn more about my craft and develop as a teacher and leader. I spoke with Damon Stoudamire last summer about Arizona and how they were so successful while he was there. He spoke about the support from the community and the tradition that former players held the current crew to uphold. With four Final Fours, a National Championship, 31 NBA Draft picks since 1989, and the title “Point Guard U”, it is easy to see the tradition. I am excited to fill the same roll as Adam Cohen, Ryan Hennick, Luke Murray and Josh Pastner.
Thanks for following along the way, I am sure that I will be back in touch soon…
Danny
You can pick up more bits of Danny’s ride through the recruiting circuit and his thoughts on basketball via Twitter (@PetersDanny).
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Sandy Dover is a novelist/writer, artist and fitness enthusiast, as well as an unyielding Prince fan (for real). You can find Sandy frequently here at SLAMonline, as well as at Facebook, Associated Content and Twitter.
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