Commentator gives speech on mentoring, wisdom
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 02/22/2010
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Hours before he was seen dumping popcorn on himself in the Paint Crew, one of ESPN’s more popular analysts spoke at a local restaurant.
The brothers of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and several others gathered at Bruno’s Pizzeria in the Levee Plaza to listen to current television analyst and former Purdue assistant coach Steve Lavin. Lavin spoke about the importance of leading, mentoring and, most of all, learning from the wisdom of others.
“I always want to find that perspective, to find those Mr. Miyagis and those Yodas that are out there,” Lavin said with a smile. “It’s not just the current hot name; it’s those that are retired and are 70, 80 or 90 years old. Asia as a culture gets that more, and other parts of the world get that more than our country. In terms of wisdom. Our grandparents and great-grandparents, and our elders. They take more advantage, in general, than our culture does.”
Lavin did move on to discuss topics closer to Purdue sports during his question and answer session. Though nobody in the crowd, to Lavin’s surprise, actually asked him about Purdue basketball, Lavin did make reference to a young Matt Painter. Lavin coached and taught Painter during his freshman and sophomore years in West Lafayette.
“He came in with a really good understanding and knew he could barely jump over a Ritz cracker or a Wheat Thin,” Lavin said. “And he knew he wasn’t going to have a chance to play at the next level. So early on he figured out this is a heck of an opportunity, I’m at Purdue in the Big Ten... He maximized that window while he was at Purdue.”
As one of his final questions, Lavin was asked if he had ever been a mentor to anybody else. Lavin explained that the opportunity to be a mentor is the one thing that could possibly lure the former UCLA head coach back into coaching.
“That element is the most rewarding part,” Lavin said. “If I go back to coaching, in the next year or two, it will be because I do miss those elements of coaching... Watching kids come in as freshmen with all their goals and dreams. I miss being a part of that, and I miss competing at the highest level.”