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“That’s why coaching is so good for me. When
I quit playing and got into broadcasting —which
was good because I stayed around the game and
it was fun— there was something missing. Then
when I got into coaching that competitiveness
comes back because you’re trying to win with a
bunch of guys and you’re teaching and are right
into the fire of the thing.”
The chance for more achievement is a
perfect fit. Majerle’s associate head coach,
Todd Lee, pointed out a number of ways that
his boss has taken life to the hoop — and keeps
making the shot.
“He was drafted and booed by everybody
here in Phoenix because they didn’t think he was
going to be a good player, and he ends up being a
three-time All-Star,” Lee said. “They didn’t think
he’d make the Olympic team, and he ends up
being the leading scorer and the (USA Basketball)
Male Athlete of the Year. He played 14 years in
the NBA, and I think the most impressive thing is
that he was on 13 playoff teams. That shows that
all he cares about is winning.
“He has six restaurants, and they’re all
successful. Then he gets done playing basketball
and he picks up golf —well, he’s a scratch golfer.
I don’t know what he’s not good at because he’s
very intelligent and loves to compete. Whatever
he does, he’s going to succeed at the highest level.
That’s what his mindset is.”
Just as he was when he played, Majerle
is proving to be a trendsetter in college
basketball as well. In the space of two weeks
last spring, three other former NBA stars
were hired as college coaches — Chris Mullin
at St. John’s University, Avery Johnson at the
University of Alabama and Mark Price at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
NBA fans will notice that all three, likeMajerle,
were considered tireless workers and leaders in their
playing days. And that’s a big part of howMajerle
coaches his players, but with an important twist.
“I’ve always told them, ‘I’m never going to
make you or tell you to do something that I didn’t
have to do, whether it was a conditioning test or
whether it’s a drill or it’s how to guard somebody,’”
he said. “You can’t tell me you can’t do it —
because I’ve done it. You’ve just got to have the
will to do it.”
Soon after arriving at GCU, Majerle realized
that even if college players have the will, they
don’t have a pro-level basketball education. In
every major sport there have been former star
players who weren’t effective coaches because
they had difficulty teaching things that came
so easily to them, and Majerle admits he at first
was surprised by the amount of teaching that
was necessary.
“Coming from a pro background, you
get used to guys knowing a lot and being
very talented,” he said. “You tell them to do
something, they usually figure out how to do
it. The problem I had at the beginning with
coaching is that I thought they knew more than
they did — and they didn’t know anything.
“You get frustrated and think, ‘Why aren’t they
doing this?’ or ‘Why can’t they see this?’ or ‘Why
can’t they execute this?’ It’s because they don’t
know. You’ve got to start right fromDay 1 teaching
and building it up and breaking it down and being
very patient. But one thing I love about college is
that they want to be good, they want to play hard
and they’ll do anything for you.”
His memories of going head-to-head with
Michael Jordan are a teaching tool as well. He
has told his team that his work ethic earned
him the right to cover the player considered
the greatest ever.
“You can see why he was the player he was by
the way he coaches and howmuch he cares and
the attitude and mentality he brings every day,”
said senior RyanMajerle, who transferred to GCU
in 2013 to play for his uncle.
And Uncle Dan can turn to Colangelo, a
frequent visitor to practice and more of an
influence than ever. He picks the brain of his
former boss sometimes three times a week. “He’s
not the kind of guy who’s going to say, ‘Here’s what
you need to do.’ He’s going to say, ‘Here’s what I
would do. Think about this, think about that, then
make your own decision,’” Majerle said.
Majerle received a four-year contract extension
last spring and said he loves coaching at GCU
“even more than I thought I would.” The Lopes
have finished third and then second in the
Western Athletic Conference in his first two
seasons, but he expects more — from himself as
well as his team. It’s just how he’s built.
“It’s almost consumed what I do, but
that’s been everything in my life,” he said.
“Moderation is not for me. I’m either all in or all
out. If I decide to do something, I’m going to do
it all in. That’s how I played, that’s how I coach.
That’s how I do anything.”
The Valley has watched its favorite son and
favorite Sun grow up over the course of the last 27
years. Now DanMajerle is a favorite Lope — and
he wears that as a badge of honor, too.
You can’t tell me you can’t do it
—because I’vedone it.
Majerle takes great joy in demonstrating the intricacies of basketball for his GCU players (left) and also loves having his son, Max, tag along at practice.
