After that meeting, Grizzlies assistant …

After that meeting, Grizzlies assistant coach Blake Ahearn, an avid reader, gave Morant a book called Win in the Dark by Joshua Medcalf and Lucas Jadin. One of several passages caught Morant’s eye: “The dark is where you transform into a version of yourself you never dreamed possible. . . . We quietly and relentlessly train in the dark with complete trust that our moment under the bright lights will come. Welcome to the dark.” Morant ingested the message and made it an offseason ethos, informing his private trainers Trey Draper, Jonathan Thomas and Mo Wells that his regimen wasn’t meant for public consumption. Morant didn’t want anyone to witness his progress, be it on social media or in person. “Welcome to the Dark?” Wells says. “That’s album mode.”

Although the likes of Martin Schiller …

Although the likes of Martin Schiller and Blake Ahearn would definitely be great candidates, they aren’t able to be on this list due to recently being hired to new gigs, with Schiller being hired by Zalgiris Kaunus and Ahearn being added to the Grizzlies’ coaching staff. Stan Heath: Among the four men on this list, Heath by far has the most coaching experience as he started his career way back in 1988-89 with Division II squad Hillsdale Chargers. After thirteen years as an assistant coach for various college teams, he was hired to lead Kent State before the 2001-02 season.

As the Memphis Grizzlies start to …

As the Memphis Grizzlies start to prepare for the presumed resumption of the NBA season, they’re making an addition to their staff with a sixth assistant coach. The Grizzlies have hired Blake Ahearn, who leaves his spot as head coach of the Austin Spurs, the G-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. With the Grizzlies, among other duties, Ahearn will participate in player development efforts, including shooting development.