Scott Skiles’ Success Story

By: Charlie Danoff

You may not think it by looking at him, but Bulls coach Scott Skiles has been through a lot in his life. He grew up in a lower-class, blue-collar family, and later set the NBA’s all-time record for assists in a single game - 30. Recently he has been busy turning the Bulls around from perennial laughing stock to contender, or at least supposed contender. To gain more insight into the future of the Bulls, I thought it appropriate to first look back into the past to try and understand their coach.

Following a legendary high school basketball career in Indiana - winning the 1982 state championship - Skiles was inexplicably ignored by the in-state college programs, and went to Michigan State. He played for coach Jud Heathcote and made those Indiana coaches seem like fools. But after leading the Spartans to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since their 1979 championship as a junior, Skiles senior season almost never began.

What Skiles is probably most well-known for from his college days is his arrest for possession of ole’ Mary-Jane and Charlie. As it turns out, cops don’t like people carrying around marijuana and cocaine - go figure. To make it even easier on the police, Skiles was busted for drunk driving while still on probation.

Thankfully, the legal system in Indiana has its priorities in order. Charles Scruggs, Skiles’ lawyer had this to say following the sentence:

“This won’t interfere with his basketball at all.”

Obviously, basketball comes ahead of the due process.

It was a good thing the judge let him slide, though - his senior year he tore up the Big Ten, averaging 27.4 PPG, shooting 55% from the field, and adding 6.5 assists and 1.74 steals per contest. Those numbers were good enough to win him Conference MVP and First-Team All American honors. He scored more points that year than Magic ever did as a Spartan. Unfortunately, MSU lost in the Sweet Sixteen to a Danny Manning-led Kansas team that year.

Following his prison sentence, Skiles was selected #22 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1986 draft. His first few years in the league were fairly nondescript. It was not until his second season in Orlando, at age 26, that he really shined.

Playing with the young pair of Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson, Skiles went on a tear that year. He averaged 17 points, 8.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game on his way to winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award and his best year as a pro - on a terrible team.

Skiles played well for the next two seasons, and in ‘92-’93 led the franchise to their first .500 record at 41-41. It helped having rookie center Shaquille O’Neal, but Skiles had been the Magic’s first franchise player. It was during his Magic tenure that Skiles had the famous “fight” with the young Shaq.

Inexplicably, Skiles survived the fight; and despite their record, the Magic somehow landed one of the top picks and snagged Penny Hardaway out of Memphis the next year. Skiles stepped aside for the uber-talented Hardaway, but was on that year’s team and saw the franchise make the playoffs for the first time.

Skiles played two more years - one each for the Bullets and Philadelphia - before retiring at the age of 31. Perhaps Skiles’ NBA career is best summed up in this comment from TNT analyst Reggie Miller: “A very nice miller moment, Scott.”

Skiles would not stay away from the game for long, returning as head coach for the Phoenix Suns in the middle of the 1999-00 season, replacing future Celtics GM Danny Ainge.

Ironically, given that Penny Hardaway’s first year was the beginning of the end of Scott Skiles as a player, Skiles’ first year as coach was the beginning of the end of Hardway’s career.

Playing in 58 games that year, Hardaway averaged 16.8 points, a number he would never come close to again. Despite his youth, Skiles led the Suns all the way to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to the first Kobe-Shaq Lakers Championship team.

The next year, while Hardaway slipped away, Shawn Marion was drafted and stepped in immediately at a high level. This may have been the first sign of Skiles’ ability to develop young talent. Despite being a rookie on a playoff team featuring All-Stars Jason Kidd and Clifford Robinson, Marion led the team in scoring and rebounding.

But the Suns played in a Western Conference that was pretty tough at the time. Despite their talent, they lost in the first round to the Jason Williams-Chris Webber Kings. The following off-season, the Suns made one of the worst trades ever - moving Jason Kidd for Stephan Marbury. There was not much Skiles could have done with the team, and he did not end up doing well. He was fired 51 games into the season, with a record of 25-26.

Despite barely being recruited out of high school, despite only playing in 2 NBA playoff games, despite getting fired by Phoenix, and despite being a hick from Indiana, Scott Skiles wins. It is just what he does. At MSU, as the best player at the school, he returned the team to the NCAA tournament after a prolonged absence. Playing in Orlando, he was the best player early on for an expansion franchise, and was part of them climbing the hill to .500 and reaching the playoffs. With Phoenix and the Bulls, he has won more than he’s lost. Every year he has been coach for a full season, he has made the playoffs.

What you see is what you get with Skiles. He will hold his players accountable, but that is only because he also holds himself to a higher standard, and will work harder than anyone. If you are willing to work, and actually want to improve, Scott Skiles is the coach for you. If you want to be lazy and fall back on talent and potential, it might not work - sorry Eddy.

All of this is well established. But Skiles’ only Championship came in high school, and that was a long time ago. Through hard work as a player and coach he has earned the respect of his peers - for his dedication, and knowledge of the game. The question now is - can he take the next step?

Taking a step back, being less hands-on and giving his players more responsibility is a move in the right direction. Just ask Ben Gordon:

“I think one thing I’ve seen from coach since I’ve been here, the first couple of years he was definitely on guys, because we were young and we kind of needed that. Now, he gives us a lot of freedom and with freedom comes a lot of responsibility. So we have to go out there and do our part. So I don’t think he’s what most people perceive him to be.”

At the end of the day, if he gets the Bulls’ ship righted and again leads them further into the playoffs, that perception will be positive - regardless of his mistakes or flaws.

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Charlie is an aspiring writer and a caddy at Skokie Country Club. Odds are you will hear a lot about him in the years to come, so if you want to be the first kid on the block familiar with his work, click here.

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  1. [...] that will drop their record to 9-17. In what will turn out to be excellent timing, Charlie Danoff recaps Scott Skiles basketball career. Consider it an eulogy of sorts: What you see is what you get with Skiles. He will hold his players [...]

    Pingback by Bulls Season In Review - Part 2 | NationalSportsReview.com on April 19, 2008

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