So he’s transcended the ranks of mortality again. The basketball god who masqueraded as a business executive for three years has returned to his pedestal.
Michael Jordan’s back – and two Northwestern basketball coaches helped get him there. But their names aren’t appearing in any headlines.
Instead the press dotes on how Jordan is set to lead his new team, the Washington Wizards, to more wins before this NBA season is halfway over than they had all of last year. There’s even talk of a playoff berth.
And there’s constant reference to Chicago – the city that worshipped him through six NBA championships and hung his jersey from the rafters — which has been left to watch his exploits on late night “SportsCenter.” Jan. 19, the day Jordan returns to the United Center to take on his former team, has practically become a holiday. Bulls fans are encouraged to display their reverence or wrath.
But Craig Robinson won’t even be able to make it to the game. Robinson, the assistant coach for the Northwestern men’s basketball team, will be in Evanston that night as the Wildcats host Iowa. It’s just as well, because unlike most of the fans and media who will show up Saturday, Robinson has already seen the newest incarnation of the greatest basketball player ever. In fact, he played pick-up games with Jordan three or four times a week for nearly seven months last year.
Back in February, before there were even rumors of ‘the comeback,’ Jordan started shooting hoops at a gym called Hoops in Chicago against area players, including Robinson.
“His goal was just to get back in shape,” said Hoops president Gary Cowen. Jordan had been working with his trainer, Tim Grover, who has a weight room and high-tech training facility on Hoops’ second floor. When Jordan expressed interest in playing some pick-up games, Cowen contacted local players, including Robinson and fellow NU assistant Mitch Henderson to see if they were interested in participating.
“It took me about a nanosecond to say yes,” Robinson said.
Cowen knew the two Northwestern coaches through various local connections. “Craig and Mitch are just a part of the certain group of good, smart basketball players in the area,” he said. “Michael liked playing against them. In addition to being very good basketball players, they know how to play basketball.”
Robinson, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year while at Princeton, was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. He played three seasons of professional basketball in England. Henderson also went to Princeton and played for the Atlanta Hawks for part of the 1999 season. They’ve both coached at Northwestern for two seasons.
“I consider myself a decent player, a decent coach and I am knowledgeable about the game,” Robinson said. “But Michael Jordan is the most intelligent basketball player I’ve ever seen. He’s also the best athlete ever. It’s just incredible.”
In their games, the Northwestern coaches ran a style of basketball they learned in their days at Princeton. “It’s extremely complicated,” Cowen said. “It’s the reason Princeton was so successful for so long: People couldn’t figure it out.” Jordan learned it in less than half a game.
“Jordan can’t do the high-flying stuff all the time anymore,” Robinson said. “But what he adds (to a team) is a knowledge of the game and knowledge of the situation. He’s an absolute genius.”
Initially the pick-up games consisted of former NBA players or local talent like Robinson. But after the NBA season ended in June, other stars began filtering in – eager to prove their mettle against a legend. Antione Walker of the Boston Celtics and Penny Hardaway from the Phoenix Suns were two regular visitors.
“There were times when there were five or six guys making more than $10 million on the floor,” Cowen said.
“The most surprising thing was that it was just like playing Sunday morning basketball,” Robinson said. Even after the NBA players showed up “it was playing the game like you would with your friends … except there was never a bad game. Everyone wants to play well because we’re playing with Michael.”
As the NBA season approached and the story got bigger, Jordan began practicing exclusively with NBA players. Robinson stopped making the pilgrimage to Hoops back in September, but he still can’t escape the comeback.
“I could talk about practicing with Michael all the time,” he said. “I got to play basketball with the most popular guy in the world.” nyou
