OSHKOSH — 10 years after last suiting up for the Milwaukee Bucks, Beno Udrih has returned to the organization as the head coach of their G-League affiliate in Oshkosh, the Wisconsin Herd. He was introduced on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Udrih, during his 13-year NBA career his teammates always considered him to be a coach on the floor. 5 years removed from his playing days, he finally has his first head coaching gig.
“It was just a dream come true,” Udrih said of getting the Herd gig. “I want to go to work. I'm excited and I wish the season would be closer than it is right now, we still have to wait another month or so to start training camp.”
The two-time NBA champ has learned from and played for some great head coach coaches, like Stan Van Gundy and Greg Popovich, but coaching is different than playing. He feels like now is the right time for him to take over the team.
“I always wanted to get into the position that I'm in now because I'm ready for the job – not because of my history of being a player,” the new Herd coach said.
For the new face of the Wisconsin Herd, he kept reiterating that it's about helping players grow while they’re with the team.
“I'm a stickler for fundamentals and I think fundamentals can take you very far – a very long way,” Udrih said. “I’m definitely going to apply that to the players and make them understand that’s very important.”
His goal is to be an extension of new Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin.
“I believe he's got a great vision and I do want to bring his vision to the Herd,” Udrih said.
His team will play similar offensive and defensive schemes.
“I want that transition to be easier for them, not for them to come down here and learn a new system and then go back and learn what the system (in Milwaukee) is. I think that transition for players has to be very smooth so they can come in and be themselves on the court and that’s how we can make it easier on them.”
You can find all the Herd games for this upcoming season on TV32 WACY.
