Idaho Stampede assistant coach Scott Williams’ NBA career spanned 15 seasons, from 1990 to 2005.
He is one of two players in NBA history — along with Larry Hughes — to be teammates of both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
He won three NBA rings while playing in a Chicago Bulls uniform alongside Jordan.
Clearly, the 6-foot-10 Williams has some pretty special memories to look back upon.
But the one that sticks out above all the others is the night he felt like he belonged.
“There were great moments during my rookie year, but I guess the moment that I finally felt like I proved myself, that I belonged … was in ’92,” Williams said. “It was against Portland, down 15 to start the fourth quarter. We were basically staring Game 7 (of the NBA Finals) in the face. We were able to start a rally … and that was the moment, when Phil Jackson left me on the floor with the rest of the guys, Michael (Jordan) and Horace (Grant) and Scottie (Pippen) and B.J. Armstrong.
“That was when I could say I actually contributed to the team’s success and it wasn’t just, ‘Michael Jordan got me a championship.’ ”
Williams practically glowed as he recounted the story.
“I enjoyed the ride, no doubt about it,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like it was 20 years ago.”
After his playing career ended, Williams spent the next seven years as a broadcaster, calling games for the Cavaliers, Bucks and Suns, all teams for which he played.
“But the whole time I was doing television I knew I wanted to coach,” Williams said. “The reason I was doing television was to stay around the game and get a coaching opportunity.”
That opportunity came this offseason, when he was offered a job with the Stampede. He accepted, even though it meant leaving his wife, Lisa, son Ben, and daughter, Ava, behind at their home in Phoenix.
“I love it,” Williams said. “Even (Tuesday) I was telling coach (Barry) Rohrssen that I hated being away from my family on Christmas — it was the first time I ever had been — but the practice we had was so much more rewarding than any day I had doing television.”
He admitted, however, that the job would be even more rewarding if it included the perk of a few more wins. Idaho dropped to 1-11 after losing to Maine 108-94 on Wednesday night.
“Would we like a better record? Absolutely,” he said. “It’s a source of frustration.”
So Williams focuses on learning rather than losses.
“When I’m with a player and I’m on the floor teaching, I’m also learning,” he said.
And prior to becoming a coach, he was learning from legends.
“I look at Dean Smith, Larry Brown, George Karl, Phil Jackson. They were always learning new things, drills, techniques,” Williams said.
“Now I’m soaking things up and building my own binders.”
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Hollywood could make a movie about Idaho Stampede assistant coach Barry Rohrssen.
He was born in Brooklyn and grew up playing basketball on the famous courts on the streets of New York City. Along the way, he earned the nickname “Slice” for his ability to drive and slice to the rim.
Rohrssen played at St. Francis in New York before focusing on coaching. He was on staffs at UNLV and Pitt before landing a head-coaching job at Manhattan from 2006 to 2011.
Along the way, he met any number of famous coaches, athletes and celebrities — and he has stories about all of them that he’ll relay in his thick New York accent.
Oh, and when Hollywood does get around to making that movie, there’s only one person who should be in the feature role: Rohrssen himself. Because Rohrssen isn’t just a character. He’s also a character actor.
“It’s not a bad hobby,” Rohrssen said. “I don’t golf.”
Rohrssen appeared as a detective in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” the 1992 film that featured Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey and Jack Lemmon.
“I had breakfast a few times with Jack Lemmon,” Rohrssen said.
How did Rohrssen end up acting in the film? Like most of his life experiences, it pretty much boils down to this: He knew somebody who knew somebody.
“(Acting) kind of more or less pursued me,” said Rohrssen, who also appeared in the 2011 film “A Novel Romance” and is serving as executive producer for a film called “Affluenza,” which is in post-production. “But basketball is my love and my career.”
This is Rohrssen’s first season coaching at the pro level, but he was an obvious fit for the Portland Trail Blazers, Idaho’s NBA affiliate.
“Barry has an outstanding coaching résumé and a unique ability to build relationships and connect with players,” Portland General Manager Neil Olshey told CBS New York columnist John Rothstein shortly after Rohrssen was hired in early October.
“He’s been good for me, because he’s been a head coach,” first-year Stampede coach Mike Peck said. “I sometimes get locked in and don’t consider other factors, and he points them out to me.”
That passion for the game is what makes Idaho’s record (1-11 after Wednesday’s 108-94 loss to Maine) tough for Rohrssen to swallow.
“But it’s too soon to write the season off as unsuccessful,” Rohrssen said. “There’s still too many games to be played. … This team and affiliation is still in the growing process. There’s a process going on here with ownership, management, coaching. And it’s about taking the steps to build something here we can be proud of.”
It’s a long way from New York City to Boise, but Rohrssen would like to be a part of that building process.
“I have a tremendous appreciation for this place,” he said. “In the short time I’ve been here I’ve grown to love Boise.”
