If you’ve never heard of the Austin Toro’s new head coach, Taylor Jenkins, it’s because he hasn’t been around for very long.
He actually got his start about six years ago as an intern with the San Antonio Spurs because his grandmother knows Spurs owner Peter Holt. She introduced the two and Jenkins was thrown right into the mix, helping the Spurs prepare for the upcoming draft.
But just because Jenkins got his foot in the door because of a connection, doesn’t mean he’s not qualified for the job. He has an Ivy League education with a degree in business management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Jenkins has also worked around some of the best basketball minds in the world. During his internship years he got a firsthand look at how a team should be run from guys like RC Buford, Sam Presti, Dell Demps, Rob Hennigan and Dennis Lindsey.
“I got to see how the best do it,” Jenkins said. “How they developed relationships with players and fans. How they lived out core values. Being with them every single day was an unbelievable experience. It was like being in a classroom and taking notes. It was great.”
Jenkins was the assistant coach of the Toros for the last four years. He started under head coach Quin Snyder, who quickly got him involved.
“[Snyder] threw me into the fire,” Jenkins says. “He said, ‘You will run advance scouting. You will do this. You will do that.’ It was really fast. I had to learn on the fly.”
Now Jenkins is leading the Toros, following up a championship season. It must be a real challenge knowing that at any time, one of your best players can get called up to the big leagues, but Jenkins looks like he’s up for the task. He’s young but he’s already well traveled, having learned from some of the great NBA executives. Jenkins has a bright future ahead of him.
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