By Tom Nugent - Nebraska Alumni Association

Living th
By Tom Nugent
Tyronn Jamar Lue struggled early.
Raised by a single mom in smalltown Missouri, he landed on the
campus of UNL in the fall of 1995. He was barely 18,
and he was totally uncertain about his future.
But he also had a huge asset going for him.
He’d already taught himself (with the help of a few
outstanding coaches) how to shoot a basketball with
unerring accuracy.
After settling into his dorm room on the UNL campus,
the wide-eyed youth from Mexico, Missouri, unpacked
his bags and headed for the gym. What followed during
the next 20 years was a classic American success
story ... the story of an intensely single-minded young
man who took advantage of a university scholarship
and eventually became one of this country’s most
accomplished professional athletes.
32 WINTER 2016
he Dream
Lue with Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Dave Blatt, during last year’s championship series. ESPN photo
NEBRASKA MAGAZINE 33
I
t was an evening he would never
forget.
The Huskers were going nose to
nose with a powerful University of
Virginia basketball team, and they were
in deep trouble.
During a lackluster first half at the
Special Events Arena in Honolulu (this
was a key game in the 1997 Rainbow
Classic), Tyronn Lue (pronounced as in
“Loo”) and his University of Nebraska
teammates had looked totally out of
sync. Again and again, they had been
forcing their shots and rushing through
their offensive sets and fumbling away
one scoring opportunity after the next.
It was just plain nasty. At the half-time
break, the frustrated cagers from Lincoln
trailed UVA 35-28, and the mood in
the locker room was deeply somber.
Unless somebody stepped up and took
command, the UNL club was headed for
a stinging defeat.
And then it happened.
Less than a minute into the second
frame, the Cornhusker point guard – a
hard-charging six-footer with a heatseeking jump shot – suddenly caught
fire. Like a beam of light racing along
the surface of a shattered mirror, the
darting round-ball wizard appeared to be
everywhere at once.
“
36 points (24 of them in the second
half ), and the Huskers had won the
ballgame by 15 points, 80-65.
Amazing? Count on it. As the
final stat sheet made clear, Lue had
connected on 12 of 19 shots from the
floor and converted 11 of 12 free throw
opportunities (while also dishing out
7 assists). In the process, he’d singlehandedly dragged his team to a rousing
victory. It was destined to be the highestscoring single game in Lue’s college
career ... and it left very little doubt that
he belonged in the NU Basketball Hall
of Fame.
He was inducted in 2013 – and you’ll
find his red-and-white No. 10 jersey
there today ... along with the jerseys
of such other UNL All-America and
All-Conference luminaries as Herschell
Turner (1959), Carl McPipe (1978),
Dave Hoppen (1986) and Erick
Strickland (1996).
A winner! Ask the soft-spoken and
usually low-key Tyronn Lue – who
then went on to an outstanding 11-year
professional career in which he helped
the Los Angeles Lakers win two NBA
championships (2000, 2001) – if he
remembers Honolulu, and he’ll light up
brighter than Madison Square Garden
for a night game.
UNL gave me everything I could have ever asked
for. They gave me the fan support, the academic support,
the coaching support – they had my back, 100 percent.”
Photos courtesy Nebraska Communications Office
34 WINTER 2016
Now Lue dribbles into the corner, goes
left, a spin move, as he shakes-and-bakes
toward the foul line ... and now he puts
up a running one-hander – he scores!
Lue dishes off, give and go, now he
gets the ball back – pulls up, lets fly –
bingo, he hit it again!
He went on like that for nearly
20 minutes ... during a dazzling
performance that left the Honolulu
crowd of more than 10,000 roaring in
their seats and leaping to their feet at
times to salute what turned out to be
one of the greatest performances in the
history of the Rainbow Classic.
When the horn finally sounded, the
cat-quick point guard had knocked down
“Sure, I remember it very well,”
said the 38-year-old All-America
Honorable Mention (1998) the other
day in Cleveland, where he now serves
as associate head coach for the Cleveland
Cavaliers. “That game was pretty
special, for several reasons. That was the
most points I ever scored in a game at
Nebraska – and when it happened, the
great [basketball legend] Jerry West was
sitting at courtside.
“He was sitting with some other NBA
scouts, right under the basket, and when
I made a shot at one point, I looked over
there and he gave me the thumbs up.
And that was one of the biggest moments
of my entire life.”
It was also the start of an 11-year run
(1998-2009) as a quicker-than-light
ball-handler for half a dozen teams in the
National Basketball Association ... followed
by a six-year assistant-coaching career in
which the hardwood-savvy floor leader
has gained a glittering national reputation
as both a canny strategist and an astute
manager of the volatile personalities and
jumbo-sized egos that dominate the world
of pro basketball today.
Example: As a high-ranking member
of the Cleveland Cavaliers brain trust
(under the famously cerebral CC head
coach David Blatt), Associate Coach Lue
is charged with the daily task of helping
to manage the legendary LeBron James
– arguably the most skilled basketball
player in this history of the sport ...
and also a mercurial and sometimes
controversial figure who’s capable of
blowing his very large top at the slightest
provocation.
Mention LeBron’s name, however, and
the calmly laid-back Lue will send you
a smile of perfect equanimity ... while
readily admitting that “coaching in the
NBA is all about managing
personalities and egos,
definitely.”
Then, with a thoughtful
frown: “It’s about managing
personalities more than about
Xs and Os.”
But then the supremely
diplomatic Lue goes on to
point out that LeBron James
isn’t really the kind of fullcourt enfant terrible that he’s
often made out to be. “A lot
of people don’t realize it,” he
said carefully, “but LeBron is
actually very down to earth
and very open-minded. He
respects everyone, from the
players to the janitor.
“It’s true that he’s a largerthan-life figure. But I’m used
to playing with and coaching
these kinds of superstars. I’ve
spent a lot of time around guys
like [mega-star scorer] Michael
Jordan and Shaq [legendary allstar center Shaquille O’Neal]
... and they all have that same
kind of presence.
“When they walk into a
room, the room brightens up.
But in the end they’re just people like
everybody else, and coaching them is all
about maintaining respect and honesty
on both sides of the relationship. And the
same is true of LeBron. He does a great
job of respecting my knowledge of the
game and my position as the associate
head coach.”
Of course, LeBron James isn’t the only
NBA mover-and-shaker who greatly
admires and respects Tyronn Lue for his
coaching prowess.
These days, in fact, the high-flying
Lue is reportedly so much in demand
as a coach that he’s currently enjoying
the benefits of a $6 million, multi-year
contract – and seems certain to become a
head coach within the next few years.
Listening to Lue discuss the social
aspects of pro coaching the other day in
Cleveland (the discussion took place during
a morning “shoot-around” practice before
that night’s game against the New York
Knicks), it was easy to remember that he’d
majored in sociology during his three years
(1995-98) as an undergraduate at UNL.
“
A lot of people
don’t realize it, but
LeBron is actually very
down to earth and very
open-minded. He respects
everyone, from the players
to the janitor.”
Lue on coaching Lebron James
ESPN photo
NEBRASKA MAGAZINE 35
‘No Dream Could Be Better’ Than
Tyronn Lue’s Life Today
Whenever Ty Lue looks back on
his three years at UNL, one name in
particular comes floating back to him.
Dennis Leblanc.
“Dennis was my academic adviser
[supplied by the UNL Athletic
Department],” said the two-time NBA
champ, “and I owe him a great deal.
Playing intercollegiate basketball while
studying for a degree isn’t easy, and I
went through some tough stretches
where I was missing class a little bit.
“But Dennis stayed on me. He would
call my room, call the dorm ... and he’d
even meet me at my classes sometimes
to make sure I got there. He was truly
dedicated and he cared a lot about all the
athletes he was advising.”
Remembering Leblanc, who’s now
the senior associate athletics director for
academics at UNL, Lue recalled how the
hawk-like adviser would even “schedule
extra study hall sessions for me, things
like that.”
“He was terrific. He kept telling me:
‘Just remember, Ty – everybody doesn’t
make it to the NBA. You have a great
shot, but any kind of injury might
be enough to keep you from playing
professionally. You need to get that
degree – and you need to get to class.’”
Known campus-wide as a polite and
courteous young man who didn’t smoke
ESPN photo
36 WINTER 2016
or drink, Lue was dedicated to perfecting
his jump shot while also doing his best
to keep up his GPA. And he was smart
enough to listen to the endlessly insistent
Dennis Leblanc.
“He helped me to see how important
getting an education really is,” said the
Cavs associate head coach today, “and
his lessons sank in. Although I left UNL
after my junior year [he was NBAdrafted by the Denver Nuggets in the
first round in 1998], I later went back
and finished up my sociology degree
online. Getting my BA was just about
the hardest thing I ever did – and I’m
very glad today that I got it done.”
But the story isn’t over yet.
Only two years ago, during ceremonies
in which he was inducted into the
Nebraska Hall of Fame, Lue was able to
meet up once again with Dennis Leblanc
and to thank him in person for his
efforts back in the late 1990s. “Dennis
taught me a lot about growing up,” he
explained, “and about responsibility and
about being a professional – and I am
very grateful for that.
“Really, UNL gave me everything I
could have ever asked for. They gave me
the fan support, the academic support,
the coaching support – they had my
back, 100 percent.
“I really want to get back to Lincoln
more often, so that I can keep thanking
all the Husker fans and all the Husker
alumni for all the love and support
they’ve given me over the years.”
He paused for a moment then and
took a long, hard look out at the practice
floor ... where LeBron James and the
rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers were
“shooting around” in preparation for that
night’s game against the Knicks.
“I was talking to LeBron just the other
day,” he said. (The two are close personal
friends.) “And I told him, ‘LeBron,
coming from where I came from –
Mexico, Missouri – well, the life I’ve had
since I headed off to Nebraska is more
than a dream.’
“Truly, I couldn’t dream the life I’ve
had, even if I tried. Playing 11 years in
the NBA, and the great players I’ve been
able to play with, and the great coaches
I’ve played for, and winning two different
NBA championships... .
“No dream could be any better than
my life is today.” v
If you want to beat the Knicks,
You have to stop Carmelo Anthony
Wednesday morning, 11:15.
Tyronn Lue, the Nebraska Hall of
Famer, has just been asked a difficult
question.
What will you have to do in order to
beat the New York Knicks tonight?
Lue doesn’t hesitate.
“We’re gonna have to stop Carmelo
Anthony,” said the 11-year NBA point
guard, who’s now in his second year
as associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. “But Carmelo is a great
basketball player. He’s capable of scoring
50 points on any given night – so we are
going to be challenged.”
The problem with Anthony, said Lue,
is that he can erupt suddenly at any
point in a game ... and then take off like
a runaway Roman candle. Bang, bang,
bang – in the space of four or five minutes, he’s knocked down 15 points and
he’s buried you.
(Example: on a January evening in
2014, Anthony drilled home 62 points
against the Charlotte Bobcats – the most
points ever scored in a single NBA game
at Madison Square Garden.)
Okay, Ty, so how are you going to shut
him down?
The former cat-quick point guard
frowns for a moment, then snaps: “Five
men!”
Pardon?
“Five men. One man can’t do it
alone.”
Translation: the Cavaliers – led, of
course, by their superstar phenomenon,
the mighty LeBron James – are going to
employ a “sagging” defense ... a fluid,
endlessly shifting combination of zone
and man-for-man coverages that will be
designed to knock the great Carmelo off
his stride.
Upset his rhythm.
Force him to take hurried, difficult
shots.
“Our whole team will have to stop
him,” said Lue. “This is gonna be a test.”
The Beginning
Showtime!
It’s two minutes after eight, now, and
for the 20,562 Cavalier fans who have
shoehorned themselves into Cleveland’s
downtown Quicken Arena (aka “The
Q”) for tonight’s game against the
powerful New York Knickerbockers, the
moment of truth has finally arrived.
Silence for a moment ... two moments
... and then all at once the giant loudspeakers come alive.
CAVALIER FANS, ARE YOU
READY?
They roar.
ARE YOU READY?
They howl like a single, voracious
animal just released from its iron cage.
On the monster-sized Jumbotron screens
perched high atop The Q, LeBron James
has just vaulted skyward, bellowing with
rage and then slamming the ball through
the net.
IT’S GAME TIME!
At that same moment, three enormous
metal horns bolted to the Jumbotrons
suddenly jet raging tongues of fire – tenfoot tongues of boiling luminescence!
Unreal. A carnival of whirling lights
and thunderous fire! And now the Cavs
are lining up for the tip-off... .
The enormous assemblage leans forward on its padded seats. This is it – the
moment of truth.
Now the referee tosses the ball into the
blazing overhead lights ... and the huge
crowd exhales as one.
The ball reaches its apogee, then drops
toward the straining giants on the hardwood floor.
The Middle
The Knicks come out of the gate first.
Looking poised and confident, they seem
to be scoring at will. Six minutes into
the game, they’re up 15-9, and the Cavs
seem out of sync. By the end of the first
quarter, that lead has grown to 15 points
– and the visiting Knicks are shooting a
red-hot 62 percent.
Tyronn Lue doesn’t like it.
A lean, tense-looking figure clad in
an elegantly tailored, midnight-blue suit
and a neatly striped tie, he sits hunched
over on the bench, scowling and frown-
ing and occasionally muttering in the
direction of the two coaches who flank
him.
During timeouts he drifts from one
player to the next, reminding them
of the pregame strategy – the sagging
defense, the emphasis on providing extra
help whenever Carmelo touches the ball.
But things don’t look good. At the
halftime break, the Knicks are up 46-38.
Anthony is scoring from time to time,
but not excessively – at the break, he has
only seven points – a good sign.
The End
By the middle of the third quarter,
the relentless sagging defense is starting
to take a toll on the Knicks. Again and
again, they’re being forced to take more
difficult shots than they want. Again and
again, those shots are bounding off the
rim – near misses. Slowly, inexorably,
their shooting percentage is declining.
Meanwhile, the great LeBron is beginning to hit his stride. En route to scoring
23 points tonight, he begins to dominate
the Knick boards. After a key steal, he
rockets down the court and jams home
a slam that echoes all the way up to the
47th row.
With only 51 seconds left in the third
quarter, the Cavs take their first lead,
at 70-69. And then they take off in
earnest, completely dominating the final
frame. While Tyronn Lue pumps his fist
and claps on the bench, the Cleveland
basketballers swamp the Knicks in an
offensive tidal wave.
The final is 96-86 – and although Carmelo Anthony leads the Knick scorers,
he nails down only 17 (on 6 for 18 from
the floor), which isn’t nearly enough to
carry his club to victory. By the end of
the game, the Knicks are shooting only
39 percent.
Tyronn Lue is grinning big, as he
congratulates the victorious Cavs and
then hustles along with them toward the
home team’s locker room.
On this night, the strategy has
worked.
Five men! n
NEBRASKA MAGAZINE 37