Hammon makes history as Spurs win summer league
What a wonderful 11 days this had been for Becky Hammon.
For Jonathan Simmons and Treveon Graham, it may have been even better.
Hammon, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs and the first woman to be a head coach in the NBA Summer League, guided the Spurs to the summer league championship Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center as San Antonio wore down the Phoenix Suns, 93-90, in front of 8,096 to be the last of the 24 teams standing from when play began on July 10.
"It was a great group of guys who worked really hard and were very coachable," Hammon said of her team, which finished 6-1. "It was a pleasure to coach them. They never quit and they bought in to our philosophies, especially defensively.
"It’s a credit to them. They came together and went out and competed every game."
While Hammon has a job working for Gregg Popovich, Simmons and Graham still have to prove they are worthy of getting minutes during the regular season from Popovich. After Simmons had 23 points off the bench and Graham had 22 points in a reserve role, perhaps Hammon can put in a good word for them with Pop.
"It‘s a shock," said Simmons, who was selected as the championship game’s Most Valuable Player. "It‘s a humbling experience.
"I think for me, the confidence I have is based on work ethic. I worked very hard to get to this point and I believe I can contribute to this team."
Simmons will get the chance to be part of the Spurs come fall as he has a two-year deal with San Antonio. Graham isn‘t as fortunate. For him, nothing is guaranteed, so doing what he did Monday can only help his cause going forward.
"This was a great experience for me," he said. "I tried to do whatever they asked of me and just tried to fit in with these guys. By helping my team win, I was able to get more (NBA) people to look at me."
There are no bonuses or championship rings for winning the summer league title. Just a "Victory In Vegas" T-shirt. However, both teams were given $24,000 apiece to defray their travel expenses after having to change plans to stay over following Sunday‘s semifinal wins which saw san Antonio defeat Atlanta and Phoenix beat New Orleans to get to Monday night.
But the memories of this week will stay with Hammon and her players forever. They were as fatigued as the Suns, but as was the case Sunday in their come-from-behind win over the Hawks, the Spurs used defense to get them back in the game and ultimately take it over.
San Antonio trailed 23-17 heading into the second quarter. By halftime, it was tied at 39 and going into the fourth quarter, the Spurs led 65-59.
"We were able to get some defensive stops and that‘s what we did the last couple of games coming from behind," Hammon said. "It‘s hard to play defense when you‘re tired but our guys dug down deep and found a way and I‘m really proud of them for the way they responded. I appreciate their effort and their attitude."
With Simmons putting on a dunk display and Graham hitting from the perimeter, the Spurs increased their lead to 14 in the fourth quarter. Phoenix, which was led by Mike James with 32 points, tried to make one last push. But the Suns ran out of time and energy as they finished 5-2 in Las Vegas.
But this was San Antonio’s moment. This is an organization accustomed to winning, and while general manager R.C. Buford was happy to see Hammon and her players have success, there‘s probably not going to be a parade along the Riverwalk.
"I don‘t think we‘re hanging any banners," Buford said. "But I‘m happy for the players. They worked really hard and we saw a lot of guys improve in Vegas. Kyle (Anderson) had a strong summer here and Jonathan showed some good things as did Treveon Graham.
"This was a great opportunity for Becky to learn and she did a tremendous job coaching these guys. She and her staff were great and I‘m glad it was a positive experience for all of them and for our organization."
Hammon, who received a Gatorade bath courtesy of her players afterward in the locker room, was wearing her red championship T-shirt proudly as she talked about what this 11-day stretch has been like for her.
"It was an eye-opening experience for me," Hammon, the former Colorado State star guard, said. "My mind was reeling trying to keep track of the calls, knowing the foul situation, keeping track of who to play. The guys had to deal with some of my mistakes and I made plenty. But we grinded it out.
"If you told me back in 1999 when I played in the (Western Athletic Conference) conference tournament my senior year at the Thomas & Mack then fast forward 16, 17 years that I’d be coaching the San Antonio Spurs, in the summer league, I would’ve told you you’re full of it. But you never know what your journey has in store. You just work hard, keep your nose to the grindstone, so things the right way and treat people the right way and good things happen."
NOTES
Before Monday‘s final, the NBA announced its all-summer league tournament team. Anderson was the Most Valuable Player and was joined on the first team by Phoenix‘s T.J. Warren, Chicago‘s Doug McDermott, New Orleans‘ Seth Curry and Toronto‘s Norman Powell. The second team was Denver‘s Emmanuel Mudiay, New Orleans‘ Larry Drew II, Dallas‘ Dwight Powell, Portland‘s Noah Vonleh and Houston‘s Alan Williams. … The summer league attracted 99,437 for 11 sessions, averaging 9,039 per day with the opening-day crowd of 12,422 on July 10 the largest single-day turnout.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him @stevecarprj.