Kori Ellis
11-16-2004, 03:26 PM
Visits home are tough to score for Spurs exec
By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2004/11_16-29/CBN
Since his transformation from NBA player to front-office staffer, Danny Ferry has had to learn how to squeeze his 6-foot, 10-inch frame into a commercial airline seat.
He's discovered that working behind the scenes means no more chartered planes, no more four-star hotels and a lot less time to visit his parents on the Broadneck Peninsula, his sister in Annapolis and his second home in West Annapolis.
"I used to get three months of vacation. Now I get only two weeks off like the rest of the working world," the former forward said in a phone interview from his primary residence in Austin on Friday.
After No. 35 retired last year from the San Antonio Spurs after 13 years as a professional player, he was hired as the team's director of basketball operations.
With the responsibilities of an assistant general manager, the 38-year-old is traveling a lot more now than he did as a player. His participates in free agent negotiations, prepares for the NBA draft, and is part of the decision-making process for the next season.
"My wish was to go to a great environment where I believed in how things were done, that it was the right way to run a team," he said. "I wanted to be in a situation where I could learn about basketball management. Most importantly, I wanted stability for my family. San Antonio is the ideal situation for that."
A 1985 graduate of DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Mr. Ferry was named the NCAA player of the year in 1989 at Duke.
Taken by the Los Angeles Clippers with the second overall pick in the NBA draft, he refused to sign with them and played a season in Italy before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was a starter for only two of his 13 NBA seasons, but developed into a useful reserve, valued primarily for his three-point shooting. He played on the Spurs' championship team in his final season.
The Spurs' management asked him to join the organization during his three seasons as a player with San Antonio.
"For the past couple of years, they let me know that when my career was done, they'd like me in the organization," he said. "It's a nice thing. That doesn't happen all the time."
He and his wife Tiffany have four daughters: Hannah, 8; Grace, 6; Sophia, 4; and Lucy, 2.
Like their father and their paternal grandfather, a former NBA player and 17-year general manager of the Washington Bullets, the girls are in the 90th to 95th percentile in height.
Unlike their elders, Hannah and Grace play soccer.
Despite that, basketball is a family affair. Brother Bob was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1985 and his father enjoyed a long career in the NBA.
Bob Sr. and Danny Ferry are the only father-son combination in pro basketball to both wear championship rings.
His father's post-playing career was an inspiration to him.
"Because my father was general manager for the Bullets, I had a lot of exposure all my life to basketball management," he said.
"The spotlight isn't something that made me tick. My father taught me to work hard and be a good person."
What has changed from his father's time is the number of people who work for the teams.
"It's a big business," Mr. Ferry said. "The staff of a typical NBA team has gone from 25 people to over 200. There's more marketing, business and money involved. At its core, it's still basketball and still people. Any advice my father gave me is still helpful."
He's also noticed athletes who played with or against him and are curious about how he's faring in his transition from the court to office life. At the same time, he's also counseling younger players on their transition from college or high school athletics into the NBA.
His reduced vacation time, however, has cut the amount of time he has to visit parents Bob and Rita and sister Lauren Ferry Rice "back East." Last year, Mr. Ferry recalled, he spent three weeks at his house in West Annapolis.
On those occasions he's here, "I settle down. I swim in our pool all day, go to cookouts, play golf and spend time with my family." He also tries to visit with classmates from high school.
Commitments in New York City have caused the family to rethink how it does Thanksgiving this year, but a visit for Christmas and New Year's Eve seem likely.
"Everyone's gathering in New York City for Thanksgiving this year," said his father. "He's scouting the players in the preseason National Invitational Tournament in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. He'll be in this area on Sunday afternoon, but he's watching George Washington play - there's a prospect on the team he wants to see. We'll watch the game together.
"Everything he does now is for a reason other than social, but this is how we get to see him and his family - on the fly."
By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2004/11_16-29/CBN
Since his transformation from NBA player to front-office staffer, Danny Ferry has had to learn how to squeeze his 6-foot, 10-inch frame into a commercial airline seat.
He's discovered that working behind the scenes means no more chartered planes, no more four-star hotels and a lot less time to visit his parents on the Broadneck Peninsula, his sister in Annapolis and his second home in West Annapolis.
"I used to get three months of vacation. Now I get only two weeks off like the rest of the working world," the former forward said in a phone interview from his primary residence in Austin on Friday.
After No. 35 retired last year from the San Antonio Spurs after 13 years as a professional player, he was hired as the team's director of basketball operations.
With the responsibilities of an assistant general manager, the 38-year-old is traveling a lot more now than he did as a player. His participates in free agent negotiations, prepares for the NBA draft, and is part of the decision-making process for the next season.
"My wish was to go to a great environment where I believed in how things were done, that it was the right way to run a team," he said. "I wanted to be in a situation where I could learn about basketball management. Most importantly, I wanted stability for my family. San Antonio is the ideal situation for that."
A 1985 graduate of DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Mr. Ferry was named the NCAA player of the year in 1989 at Duke.
Taken by the Los Angeles Clippers with the second overall pick in the NBA draft, he refused to sign with them and played a season in Italy before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was a starter for only two of his 13 NBA seasons, but developed into a useful reserve, valued primarily for his three-point shooting. He played on the Spurs' championship team in his final season.
The Spurs' management asked him to join the organization during his three seasons as a player with San Antonio.
"For the past couple of years, they let me know that when my career was done, they'd like me in the organization," he said. "It's a nice thing. That doesn't happen all the time."
He and his wife Tiffany have four daughters: Hannah, 8; Grace, 6; Sophia, 4; and Lucy, 2.
Like their father and their paternal grandfather, a former NBA player and 17-year general manager of the Washington Bullets, the girls are in the 90th to 95th percentile in height.
Unlike their elders, Hannah and Grace play soccer.
Despite that, basketball is a family affair. Brother Bob was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1985 and his father enjoyed a long career in the NBA.
Bob Sr. and Danny Ferry are the only father-son combination in pro basketball to both wear championship rings.
His father's post-playing career was an inspiration to him.
"Because my father was general manager for the Bullets, I had a lot of exposure all my life to basketball management," he said.
"The spotlight isn't something that made me tick. My father taught me to work hard and be a good person."
What has changed from his father's time is the number of people who work for the teams.
"It's a big business," Mr. Ferry said. "The staff of a typical NBA team has gone from 25 people to over 200. There's more marketing, business and money involved. At its core, it's still basketball and still people. Any advice my father gave me is still helpful."
He's also noticed athletes who played with or against him and are curious about how he's faring in his transition from the court to office life. At the same time, he's also counseling younger players on their transition from college or high school athletics into the NBA.
His reduced vacation time, however, has cut the amount of time he has to visit parents Bob and Rita and sister Lauren Ferry Rice "back East." Last year, Mr. Ferry recalled, he spent three weeks at his house in West Annapolis.
On those occasions he's here, "I settle down. I swim in our pool all day, go to cookouts, play golf and spend time with my family." He also tries to visit with classmates from high school.
Commitments in New York City have caused the family to rethink how it does Thanksgiving this year, but a visit for Christmas and New Year's Eve seem likely.
"Everyone's gathering in New York City for Thanksgiving this year," said his father. "He's scouting the players in the preseason National Invitational Tournament in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. He'll be in this area on Sunday afternoon, but he's watching George Washington play - there's a prospect on the team he wants to see. We'll watch the game together.
"Everything he does now is for a reason other than social, but this is how we get to see him and his family - on the fly."