THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996 TAG: 9610260477
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 57 lines
He had a promise, and so, he had a job.
As long as George Shinn owned the Charlotte Hornets, Kenny Gattison would have a job in their front office. He'd have an office, a title, a secretary.
And, he feared, nothing to do.
So a couple of months ago, Gattison left what was going to be a cushy job in Charlotte for one that could turn his hair gray: a job as an assistant coach with the perennially-lousy New Jersey Nets.
He couldn't be happier with his choice.
``I didn't want a token job,'' he said. ``Give me a job and give me some responsibility. `We'll find something for you to do' wasn't good enough for me.''
Shinn had always told Gattison, a former star at Old Dominion, that he would have a job waiting when his playing days were over. Gattison retired after last season, and Shinn promised him something in ``basketball operations.''
``That was as specific as it got,'' Gattison said.
Instead, Gattison chose to toil for workaholic John Calipari, the Nets' intense, 37-year-old rookie coach and executive vice president of basketball operations.
It was not the career path he expected to take.
``Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to go into coaching,'' he said. ``While you're playing, you see the headaches coaches have.''
Other people thought Gattison had ``coach'' written all over him.
``Throughout my career, people told me I was going to be a coach,'' he said. ``Coach (Paul) Webb told me that when I played at Old Dominion.''
Gattison, who did not have as much natural ability as many NBA players, played 10 years on grit and smarts. He was a 6-foot-8, 256-pound banger, with the touch of a blacksmith.
``Every year, somebody was going to beat him out,'' Nets general manager John Nash said.
The things about Gattison that so impressed Shinn - his professionalism, his work ethic - also drew Calipari to him.
``I wanted a former player who was a professional,'' Calipari said. ``Not just a professional player. But someone with a professional demeanor.''
Calipari and Gattison go way back. Gattison played high school football for Calipari's cousin, in Wilmington, N.C.
``Kenny is a player who John felt epitomized what he wants our players to be: overachieving and professional,'' Nash said.
At 32, Gattison is younger than many NBA players. He had his best years - six full seasons - in Charlotte. But he was acquired by Vancouver in the expansion draft last year and was not enthusiastic about moving north of the border to play for a bad team.
Making matters worse, he missed 57 games with injuries last year.
``It was a hard year physically,'' he said.
Time to hang it up, and make what could turn out to be a natural transition.
``The last few years of my career I spent bringing young guys along,'' he said. ``You follow your gut instincts in this business.'' by CNB