People are becoming stronger, bigger, faster and smarter, but success is still within reach as long as students take ownership of themselves and take advantage of the opportunities offered to them, said Kevin Eastman, Boston Celtics' assistant coach and University of Richmond Hall of Fame member.
At a press conference on Monday, Eastman, who graduated in 1977 and played basketball for Richmond, said: "When I entered into this place, I was a shy, introverted person. I had seeds of doubt about whether or not I was good enough. Could I match up with that guy across from me?"
Eastman had been a top high school basketball player in New Jersey, but he had doubts going into college, he said. He was able to move past these reservations to attain the success he has today, he said. Through his story, he wants to help students become who they have always dreamed of becoming, he said.
As a part of coaching, he often reminds players to master the "bilities." Eastman cited working with Celtics player Jared Sullinger to help him master sustainability. After college, if players take a day off, they will be crushed at this level and will not be able perform up to the league's demands, he said.
Other "bilities" include: responsibility for the roles players are given to execute, accountability for actions on and off the floor and availability, he said.
Players such as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett separate themselves through availability because they never miss a practice, he said.
These values apply to the corporate and athletic world, he said.
Basketball today is different from what it was when Eastman was in college, he said. When he and Doc Rivers, the Celtics' head coach, played, they had a better feel for the game because they just went out and played, even in the off season, Eastman said. This generation, though, is athletically superior, he said, citing how many players worked with personal trainers for hours a day.
"Even the bad players in our league are good," Eastman said, "and that's what the guys don't understand. It's hard to make a roster."
Richmond basketball is still a part of Eastman's life as he follows the Spiders in the newspaper and online, he said. Richmond's men's basketball coach, Chris Mooney, is a terrific coach who has the challenge of working at a school where academics are valued just as much as sports, he said. He must lead the team the way it was initially intended, he said. Academics must be valued with athletics, and having had the consistent success he's had, Mooney's good, Eastman said.
Eastman emphasized the importance of using the resources on campus, such as the Career Center, to help students attain success.
Eastman also touched on how he felt the Celtics would do this season. With the loss of Ray Allen, it will be a different team, but with Courtney Lee and Jason Terry, the team has a chance to do well, he said.
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Eastman joined the Celtics' coaching staff before the start of the 2004-05 season and was a member of the team when it won the 2008 NBA Championship. Before working with the Celtics, he served as Nike basketball's national director of skill development. He was head coach at Washington State University and University of North Carolina Wilmington and served as the athletic director at Randolph-Macon College. Eastman began his career as an assistant coach at Richmond.
If he were not working in basketball, Eastman said he would have liked to have worked as a motivational or directional speaker. If what you are saying is important for someone else, it should be as important for you, he said.
"What we should all do is write a letter to our sons, daughters or loved ones, and in there, we should tell them everything they need to do to be successful in life, and then we should make two copies," he said. "One for them and one for our desk."
Eastman also spoke to student-athletes in the Ukrop Auditorium. The talk was sponsored by the Office of Alumni and Career Services and the Athletic Department.
It is one of the first events with collaboration between these two organizations since she began working here, said Bonnie Graham, project manager for the Office of Alumni and Career Services.
Contact staff writer Maria Rajtik at maria.rajtik@richmond.edu
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