In his 13 years as head coach at Michigan, John Beilein became known as a basketball professor. A teacher of the game, a master of offense. An expert in passing, spacing and scoring.
And that's why Dwane Casey decided to add him to the Pistons' staff as a senior advisor in player development. Casey wants to give his young players every chance to propel the next era of winning basketball in Detroit.
“John has been one of the best fundamental teachers in the college game for years,” Casey said Wednesday in an official release. “With the age of our core group I wanted to add to our excellent developmental staff. John is a basketball lifer with a passion to help young players get better, especially in the area of shooting.
"We have an excellent group of young development coaches who have done a good job with our young core. John will add to and enrich the development staff’s quest to get our youth brigade to the next level.”
In describing Beilein's role after making the hire official, the Pistons said the longtime coach will "analyze, implement and execute player skill development programs."
"Dwane’s decision and desire to bring him on board underscores our commitment to helping this young Pistons team maximize its potential," said owner Tom Gores.
Beilein has several promising young players to get his hands on, and the Pistons will add another this summer with a top-six pick in the draft. The team is coming off a last-place finish in the East, but the organization is clearly headed in the right direction. Beilein can only add to that momentum.
“There is nothing more important to our franchise right now than the growth and development of our players,” said Gores. “Having spent time with John, we all know he is one of the best teachers in the game of basketball at any level."