Alumni Spotlight: Phil Hubbard
9/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
All-American Wolverine Phil Hubbard has been celebrated at nearly every level of basketball. He played in the NBA for 12 seasons and coached as an assistant for another 15. He owns an Olympic gold medal, and also has international coaching experience in addition to being one of the most celebrated players in the history of Michigan basketball. His No. 35 jersey hangs high in the rafters at Crisler Center. After coaching stints with several clubs across the professional ranks, Hubbard was recently named the head coach of the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, his first head coaching gig in the states. The all-time great Wolverine sat down with MGoBlue.com recently to catch up and discuss his excitement for his new position.
Q. What is it about coaching as a profession that gets you so excited?
A. I really get excited about being a part of young people's lives, being able to give them advice and help mold them into the players and young men I think they can become. It's really important that I help them, especially in this league. It's called the developmental league for a reason, that we develop them on the basketball court but we also develop them off the court and give them some life lessons on things that may happen down the line. It's very important that I touch these guys' lives because this is a vital part of what they're dreaming of: the chance to play at the next level. We want to make sure they have every opportunity and that they get better while they are in the D-League.
Q. How did your other stops in coaching prepare you to be the coach you are today?
A. At every level you want to win. I've had some good experiences as an assistant where we won, and I've had some bad ones where we didn't win. The whole gamut is important; it helps with consistency and learning that it's never going to be easy and that you can't do it by yourself. You need a good staff and good players and good people around you, so as you get older you realize that those experiences that you gained back there are going to help me during my first coaching stint in the D-League. I've been in this business for a long time, too; I don't know if I've seen everything but I've seen a lot and this is something new for me.
Q. From an X's and O's standpoint, how would you sum up your coaching approach, and how do you like your teams to play?
A. We're going to have to defend. That's the number one thing; my guys are going to have to defend, guard, rebound, take care of the basketball and limit turnovers. But the big thing is defense. If we defend, we can get out and run and try to get easy baskets. I would like a fast tempo style but I also want to be a coach that lets the guys execute our offense in the half-court, so we can do both. We can run when we have opportunities but if we get into a half-court game we can execute our offense and make something happen. The big key is that if all that isn't working, the defense is. The defense can't take a night off; we'll be working every night. If our defense is good we'll be in every game and we'll give ourselves a chance every night.
Q. You said at your jersey-retiring ceremony in 2004 that it was the greatest accomplishment of your career. What made that ceremony -- and this place -- so special to you?
A. The one thing about being at Michigan and playing at Michigan was that I was molded. I met some people and found some friendships that will last for life. The people I played with, my teammates, we're still in contact. People I met when I pledged my fraternity, we're still in contact, so it was big in helping to make me the man I am. That's why I know that Michigan will always be special to me. I had success on the basketball court and I also had success in the classroom. I was able to graduate too; a lot of good things happened to me in my life at Michigan. When I look back, I wouldn't trade it in for anything. If I had to pick again I'd pick the same place and come right back there because I didn't know how good it was going to be to me when I decided to come to Michigan from Ohio, but actually it was the best decision I made in my life. At the jersey retirement ceremony ... There are only four of them up there in those rafters, and being in that four is very special. Hopefully they'll add some more people but for right now it's a very special thing to have your jersey up in the rafters.
Q. What are your impressions of the team under John Beilein?
A. I think Coach Beilein has done an outstanding job of getting the program back to the elite level again. He has been getting them to the tournament, and doing it with great guys that come in there and help mold the program. As a coach I think he does a great job on the floor. He has really succeeded at making me a proud Michigan man. It's nice to get the chance to brag a little bit, too. We lost a little bit of that for a minute, but now the guys around the league have a lot of respect for Michigan basketball and coach Beilein is definitely the person out front on that. He's the main reason why. He really runs an excellent system for his players to have success and he does a good job of teaching defense. I really like the way they play. Every opportunity I get, if they're out my way I try to see them. When I'm on the west coast it's harder because they like to show that Pac-10 basketball. I'm very proud to be associated with coach Beilein and the Michigan program.
Q. Do you have any memories that stick out for you during your time in Ann Arbor?
A. All the good memories from my time as a student-athlete come from the people I met. People you meet in your dorm when you first get there. Just a lot of good people I met after not knowing anybody when I first arrived. Coming to school, I didn't know anybody except the basketball team and I didn't even really know those guys that well. All the people that helped me along the way are what I remember most. That's what made my stay at Michigan so special, and believe me, there were a lot of them that helped.
The recently created Office of Alumni Engagement strives to foster a community, recognize the holistic student-athlete and honor the great Michigan Athletics history. This alumni spotlight illustrates the impact that our alumni are having around the world and how they stay engaged with Michigan.
