Blazers give veteran Kersey summer job as assistant coach

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Just like when he was a rookie nearly two decades ago, Jerome Kersey is proving himself to the Portland Trail Blazers. Only this time, it's as a coach.

Kersey, a 17-year NBA veteran who spent his first 11 seasons with the Blazers, is getting a coaching tryout of sorts as an assistant with Portland's summer league team.

"It's not something that I'm doing like an internship just to do it. I'm very serious about wanting to be a coach," Kersey said. "I have vast knowledge and experience from being around the game and I think I can lend myself to the game and help this team out."

Adding the affable Kersey, a longtime fan favorite who lives in the Portland area, seems a logical way to help improve the public image of a team tarnished by trouble on and off the court.

"He's a big part of this community and a big part of this team for a long time, so it may be a plus for us," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said, without revealing whether Kersey's summer job was an audition.

The Blazers do have an opening: They did not renew the contract of assistant Herb Brown.

"I think on the court, there are situations that I know and fundamentals that I know that go a lot deeper than just speaking to it," Kersey said. "I've done it on the court."

Taken late in the draft

Kersey was drafted by the Blazers with the 46th overall pick in 1984. He came out of Longwood University in Virginia, where he averaged 19.6 points and a Division II-leading 14.2 rebounds a game his senior year.

During his time with the Blazers, Kersey had seven straight seasons of scoring averages in the double figures, and twice he accompanied Portland to the NBA Finals. His best season was 1987-88, when he averaged 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds.

But he was left unprotected by the Blazers in 1995, and was picked up by the Toronto Raptors in the expansion draft. Instead he signed with the Golden State Warriors as a veteran free agent and in the years that followed played with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Seattle SuperSonics and the San Antonio Spurs.

He finally got an NBA championship ring with the Spurs in 1999.

Over the course of his career, Kersey averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 1,059 career games.

Kersey talked to Cheeks about the possibility of being a coach about a year ago, but there were no positions open. Then this summer, Cheeks gave him a call.

Current Blazers assistant Dan Panaggio is the head coach of the Blazers' summer league team, playing in the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City.

The team features some of the younger Blazers, including Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods, as well as the team's top draft pick, Travis Outlaw.

Outlaw, the 23rd overall pick in the draft, is coming to the NBA straight out of high school in Starkville, Miss.

"Travis is young, very young," Kersey said with a laugh. "We're trying to see how quickly he can pick up on things. ... Coming out, he's got a lot of raw talent. He does some things well -- he loves shooting the ball. But we just have to kind of bring him along, and not fill his head up with too much stuff at one time."

Kersey is trying to crack the Blazers' coaching staff at a time when the team is going through some big changes.

Following a turbulent season marked by a series of embarrassing incidents, including player arrests and team infighting, Bob Whitsitt stepped down as president and general manager. Steve Patterson was named president of the team last month and John Nash took over last week as general manager.

Nash, a veteran NBA executive, said changes were in store. Owner Paul Allen has said he wants a team the city of Portland can be proud of.

Kersey hopes he's a part of that team.

"I think I'm representing myself well," Kersey said. "I'm not saying too much out there, but saying enough and just utilizing what I've learned throughout all these years -- helping players on the court."