The Educational Significance of the 2023 Jones Cup: Russell Turner's Coaching Philosophy

"This isn't my first time here," said Russell Turner slowly The Educational Significance of the 2023 Jones Cup: Russell Turner's Coaching Philosophy

"This isn't my first time here," said Russell Turner slowly. After a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jones Cup has returned this year. The University of California Irvine (UCI), representing the United States, was invited to participate. Turner, who has been in charge of UCI since 2010, has once again set foot on the island. When Turner mentioned his previous visit to "this place," he was referring to 27 years ago in 1996. In that year, the Jones Cup also featured a team from the United States, composed of stars from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of the NCAA. At the time, Turner was an assistant coach at Wake Forest University and accompanied the American team to Taiwan.

Please continue reading. Due to his previous participation in the Jones Cup, Turner has a deep understanding of the tournament's dynamics and schedule. Although it may not be a formal championship with points and official records, having teams from various Asian countries participate is still a special and meaningful challenge for NCAA teams. "Playing 8 games in 9 days is just as intense as playing 11 games in 12 days, which was the case back then. It's a demanding schedule that puts us to the test. In mid-August, many universities in the United States have already started a new semester, but UCI is still on vacation due to scheduling arrangements, making it the perfect opportunity for us to challenge ourselves before the start of the school year."

About two months before the start of the Jones Cup, UCI had already announced on the university's website that their basketball team would be participating. The NCAA allows each school to have an international program once every four years, and UCI chose the Jones Cup as their journey. "Many people in the United States only watch American basketball," Turner said. "Although the United States is undoubtedly the best basketball country in the world, basketball is not limited to one style. NCAA players need to learn about basketball with different styles, talents, and strategies from different countries in order to understand how basketball operates."

Although UCI started the Jones Cup with three consecutive victories, scoring over 100 points and winning by more than 60 points each game, Turner believes that this does not mean they are a powerhouse far superior to other teams, nor does it mean that UCI considers the Jones Cup to be unchallenging. "Many of our players are seeing how Asian teams play for the first time. In fact, teams like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates improved as the tournament went on. The content of our loss on the first day may not reflect their true strength. We just had enough manpower this time to change our strategies according to the situation on the court. We performed well in the Jones Cup, even better than I expected, and that's why we won."

UCI brought 17 players to the Jones Cup this time. Turner mentioned that they usually maintain a roster of 16 players for the school team. Bringing an extra player this time was necessary to meet the depth requirements for intensive games and to adapt tactics against different countries. Among the six players above 205 centimeters, four are over 210 centimeters. Turner initially planned to have at least two of them on the court at all times, maintaining a "twin tower" formation. However, he changed the lineup to a formation with one big and four small players when he believed that spatial awareness and defensive presence in the paint were more important. "My forwards also performed well and lived up to my expectations when I changed the formation. That's the best part of our performance."

Over twenty years ago, Turner was an assistant coach at Wake Forest University. He then moved to Stanford from 2000 to 2004 and joined the NBA's Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach in 2004. In 2010, he left the NBA and became the head coach of UCI. For him, although the title of head coach is higher than that of an assistant coach, the educational significance that college basketball brings is more important than professional basketball.

"Compared to professional basketball, college coaches have a greater influence on players. College players may not be mature, but college coaches don't necessarily have to immediately help players secure better contracts. Instead, they can help them grow from boys to better men through their presence on the court. Of course, in college, I still need to help the team win. However, if I can help players become better individuals and bring more positive influences to themselves and their surroundings, that would be my achievement as a college coach."

In Turner's philosophy, winning is undoubtedly important in basketball. Whether it's his original twin tower formation or the tallest starting lineup in NCAA history, which had a 7'6" player and a 6'8" player in the same game in 2015, Turner wants to convey to his players that basketball is not just about winning. "When I first came to UCI, none of the players on the team were taller than me (6'7"). We played fast, just like Asian teams. Now, I usually use two big players, and we can still win. What I want to say is that basketball will always be related to physique and skills. Having a better physique or better skills than others can give you an advantage. But the most beautiful thing on the basketball court is that there are always different ways to improve. As long as you focus on your path to success, you can make great things happen."