Joe Prunty has pledged to remain as Great Britainâ€
s coach despite his NBA promotion, unveiling plans for a modest programme this summer for the countryâ€
s leading men.
The Milwaukee Bucks lead assistant, who will be on the bench on Thursday at Londonâ€
s 02 Arena when his side take on the New York Knicks, was at the helm last summer when GB came up short of their target of qualifying for EuroBasket 2015.
It means no competitive games for the national team until European qualifiers next year but Prunty, in regular email contact with those in his squad, claims itâ€
s vital there isnâ€
t a two-year gap.
“Thatâ€
s something weâ€
re working on right now,†he told MVP. “Thereâ€
s all the questions about what happened in the past with funding. Now some of those have been resolved. But thereâ€
s also the womenâ€
s team, the under-20s, and weâ€
re trying to hammer all of that out.â€
“Thereâ€
s never a summer off. Thatâ€
s the whole thing, what weâ€
ve even trying to convince everybody off: thereâ€
s no destination in this thing. Itâ€
s a journey. Youâ€
re trying to constantly get better. We can talk about this player or last player who might be there. The reality is we work with whoever is available. We have a large pool of players that we keep up with, what theyâ€
re doing. There might not be a formal situation for us. But thereâ€
s always something to build upon.â€
Even increased responsibilities on Jason Kiddâ€
s staff in Milwaukee will not prevent the American from continuing in the role, with British Basketball signalling their intent to keep Prunty in charge until 2016 at least.
The Bucks – and Kidd, above all – have given the green light for that double duty to continue, just as was the case in their previous stop with the Brooklyn Nets.
“Where Iâ€
m fortunate is that there have been a lot of teams who have allowed me to do it,†he affirmed. “Thatâ€
s never been in question. Itâ€
s an opportunity to get out and improve myself and see different things. Prove that I can bring to the staff. Every summer is important. Itâ€
s time consuming but itâ€
s a great opportunity. And I really enjoy it.â€
The Bucks practiced on Tuesday upon their arrival in London, arriving in town as the popular pick to maintain the Knicks sorry slide into irrelevance. Despite the season-ending injury to Rookie of the Year candidate Jabari Parker, they remain above .500 and on course for a return to the play-offs.
The winters in Wisconsin are cold. The perks, at times, may be mixed. But Prunty is relishing the latest stop on a journey that has taken him across the ocean and from shore to shore.
“Itâ€
s all fun,†he said. “We’re all fortunate to have the opportunity to coach basketball. We have a great group of guys. A hard-working staff. Itâ€
s a very good opportunity for us. Weâ€
ve put ourselves in good situation but itâ€
s going to take a lot of effort going forward.â€
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