With a 6-2 record, the Santa Cruz Warriors are off to a strong start, and the team’s new coach Nicholas Kerr—yes, son of the Steve Kerr—wants to keep it that way.
Winning is how he plans on proving himself to the community and the basketball world at large, an industry that will be watching to see how the younger Kerr measures up to his father’s success.
Kerr doesn’t mind going up against that measurement. In the past year, the term nepotism-babies has been widely circulated and assigned to fledging and established celebrities. But whereas some have rejected and resented the implication that their success is a result of their famous relatives, Kerr credits his father for his opportunities in coaching.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” Kerr says, point-blank. “I got into the NBA entirely because of him. Not on my own merit.”
A new father himself, Kerr bounces his 11-month-old daughter on his knee while he talks about his own father’s success at managing players.
“He’s really good with building relationships but also building trust with his players. It’s my chance to explore how capable I am of that side of it,” Kerr says. “Not just the basketball side but keeping people committed to the team.”
As for this season, Kerr plans to focus on playing fast, scoring early and wearing out opponents.
“I’m teaching a successful way of playing the games specifically on offense with emphasizing good spacing,” Kerr says. “The way we try to play offense is maximize spacing and then cut into that open space or drive. So that’s kind of I think, I like to think that that’s a strength of mine.”
There’s more talent to work this year than ever before, he says, thanks to a bigger investment in the G-league—the NBA’s development that the Santa Cruz Warriors compete in. The salary for G-league level players has increased by more than 15% in the last two seasons and is over $40K for the first time. The NBA level teams are scouting talent here locally and because of that, funding has increased, Kerr says.
Santa Cruz is also counting on that investment, as the city eyes a plan that would build a bigger arena for the downtown Warriors, under the assumption that the investment will return business to surrounding establishments and funding for housing projects.
But thanks to a counter-initiative that just qualified for next year’s ballot that would stop that plan, the Santa Cruz Warrior’s future remains in limbo. Kerr says he hopes to stay.
“I would love for the team to stay here as long as possible,” Kerr says. “I live in Santa Cruz. So I feel like I’m part of the community.”
And he doesn’t have any plans to leave.
“I’m enjoying the coaching part, but I don’t know that I want to be an NBA head coach,” Kerr says. “I just like teaching basketball to people.”
