BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Dean Oliver didn't waste any time getting to work.
"I've watched a ton of film already on D'Mitrik Trice," he said Thursday.
After studying the Wisconsin freshman point guard and breaking down his game, taking note of his quickness and ball-handling skills, Oliver had a flashback to a former Big Ten point guard.
"He reminds me," Oliver said, "a lot of myself."
Trice should be flattered since Oliver was one of the conference's most efficient scorers (1,561 points) and distributors (561 assists) during his playing days at the University of Iowa. A starter in 124 of 126 games, he was dangerous off the bounce and a tenacious defender who had 205 career steals.
Physically, there are some noticeable similarities between the 6-foot, 178-pound Trice and the 5-11, 180-pound Oliver who has been named to Greg Gard's coaching staff replacing Lamont Paris, now the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga.
"I'm really looking forward to developing his game," Oliver said of Trice, "and working with him because he has so many tools. He seems like a great kid who thinks the game as he's playing and really wants to get better. He's about the same size and build as me and as quick as all get-out."
That's where the comparisons, then and now, skid to a halt.
"I'm not very quick anymore," laughed the 38-year-old Oliver.
It was the only box that he didn't check off during the interviewing process.
"Oh, man, let me list the things," Gard gushed of Oliver's job qualifications.
Player development was near the top; specifically relating to the Wisconsin backcourt.
"I approached this," Gard said, "from the standpoint of, 'What do we need and what can best help our players and staff? Where are our strengths and where are the areas that we could really use a shot in the arm?' I looked at it from the outside-in. What do we need to help our program the most?"
Gard, per usual, asked and answered questions with chemistry in mind. Staff chemistry. Besides clearly defined teaching areas — Oliver with the guards, assistant Howard Moore with the post players, assistant Joe Krabbenhoft with the wings — he wanted to make sure all the personalities meshed.
"That's always been vital for me," Gard stressed. "Our chemistry this past year was phenomenal. We had a great rapport, a great togetherness. That was one of the keys for our ability to get things back on track during the year when the team was wobbling a little bit (in February).
"When the players were wondering 'How were we going to do this?' and they looked at the staff, they saw one light, they didn't see four different ones. I've been around a lot of good staffs but this one locked arm in arm and step for step.
"I monitor that and I worry about that in our locker room and on our staff more than what type of out-of- bounds play we run because I've seen how synergy and chemistry and togetherness, and all those qualities, can really fortify what you're doing.
"I initially took my time and then I slowed down to really make sure," Gard said of not rushing the process while researching all the candidates. "And I kept coming back to Dean. I kept getting the same words from everybody I talked to. Tremendous leader, unbelievable person.
"And he'll bring new ideas to the table. That was the other thing that I kind of looked at. New ideas, different perspectives. I know our guys are going to absolutely love him. Being around him you would never know that he was All-Big Ten and played in the NBA. He comes with no bravado, no ego."
But he does come with this endorsement from his former Iowa coach, Steve Alford.
"Steve called him one of the best leaders that he has ever been around," Gard said.
Alford, the UCLA coach, shared a story on how Oliver befriended Alford's young son, Bryce.
"Bryce was a little kid when Steve got the Iowa job," Gard relayed. "And Bryce used to go in the back of the team bus and Dean would slide over and make room for him on his seat. He took him under his wing and, to this day, that's why Bryce Alford wears No. 20 — in honor of Dean Oliver."
Alford, now 22, just finished up his UCLA career as the school's all-time 3-point scorer.
"He was a little gym rat," Oliver remembered. "He was super confident and could shoot the lights out — even at about 6 years old. He was always there (practices) and so he was always shooting with me. I have all types of pictures of us just hanging out."
Bryce Alford and Oliver stayed in touch over the years. "He'd send me texts whenever he had big games and let me know that he was repping 2-0," Oliver recalled. "I always said, 'You'd better keep doing that all the way to the NBA.' Hopefully, he will get this shot this year."
Oliver got a two-year shot with the Golden State Warriors. It was a totally different world back then for the Warriors who were 21-61 in 2001-02 under two head coaches, Dave Cowens and Brian Winters. The leading scorers were Antawn Jamison and Jason Richardson during Oliver's rookie season.
"You always dream about playing in the NBA and not about sitting at the end of the bench," said Oliver, an undrafted free agent. "So it was a little disappointing that I didn't get to play as many minutes. But it was a dream come true to make it to that level, especially at my size. I'm proud of that."
After leaving Golden State following the 2002-03 season, Oliver's professional journey covered a lot of ground and took him all over the world — from the NBA Development League and the CBA and USBL to stints overseas in Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, the Netherlands and France.
"I've lived in a lot of different cultures," Oliver conceded. "It was very eye-opening."
Armed with so many diverse perspectives on the game, and life, in general, Oliver began to seriously think about getting into the coaching profession at the end of his run in the Netherlands. His contact in the United States was North Dakota head coach Brian Jones, who had been on Alford's staff.
"There are a lot of coaches out there and just because you played ball doesn't automatically make you a good coach," Oliver reasoned. "You have go get your foot in the door, you have to work at it — work at your craft — learn and soak things up and grow."
That's what he did for three seasons under Jones in Grand Forks, where he was in charge of the perimeter scorers, most notably the point guards. Oliver delivered, too — as he did as a player. North Dakota's starting backcourt of Jamal Webb and Aaron Anderson flourished under his guidance.
"Everybody I talked to," Gard said, "raved about his ability to relate to players through good times and bad times. Dean has done an unbelievable job transitioning from being a player to being a coach and using his experiences to help develop guards. He's off the chart with backcourt players."
Illinois State coach Dan Muller confirmed the same things about Oliver, who groomed Paris Lee, the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and the MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Lee, a senior, averaged 13 points and topped the league in steals, assists and 3-pointers.
"Paris called Coach Moore and raved about Dean, he gave him an unbelievable testimonial," said Gard, noting Lee had to cut short his initial conversation with Moore. But he made a point of calling him right back when he found the time. "He wanted to talk more in-depth about Dean," Gard said.
Such was the loyalty that Oliver inspired in Lee.
"I was just being a mentor," Oliver said. "I've had the pressure as a player to perform at a high level and be the leader and that's something players struggle with. With all the expectations that were put on him (Lee) to be the Player of the Year, there comes a lot of pressure.
"I tried to help him deal with that and stay focused. I helped teach him how to lead. It's more than just talking to each guy. It's knowing what to say and how to say it. We watched a ton of film together and worked on improving his strengths and taking away some of his weaknesses."
Oliver emphasized, "I can't take all the credit for what Paris did this year."
Instead, he talked about how "it was just a pleasure working with him."
And he raved about Lee and how "he worked his tail off."
In the same breath, Oliver added, "I worked my tail off with him."
That's what Trice and Wisconsin's young guards can look forward to.
"The attitude, the culture here just fits my personality and how I like to be," Oliver said. "The people I met during the interviewing are my type of people — everyone was just so positive. I really felt at home the whole time throughout this process."
Oliver has some Badgers connections. During his first two years at Iowa, he played for Dr. Tom Davis whose staff included Gary Close who later worked for both Bo Ryan and Gard at Wisconsin. "When Coach Close came here, I was always following the Badgers," Oliver said.
As a player, he had some competitive battles with UW's former point guard, Mike Kelley.
"I kid with people that I was always jealous because he (Kelley) would get the Defensive Player of the Year award in the Big Ten," said Oliver. "I was always complaining it was because of the low possessions. But he was always such a competitor and great defender, don't get it twisted."
That was just the competitor speaking in Oliver, who was on a Big Ten All-Star team that traveled to Austria and Slovakia in August of 1999. Travon Davis and Andy Kowske represented the Badgers on the squad that was coached by Dick Bennett.
"It was a great time, we had a blast," Oliver said. "He (Bennett) brought me along to kind of mentor Travon. At the time, I was older and an All-Big Ten player. I'll never forget I was so mad because in Coach Bennett's system, the point guard didn't get to drive the ball too much on offense."
Oliver got over it. In fact, he went to school on Bennett.
"I learned a lesson — you always play the game the right way and don't stray from that," said Oliver, who can't wait to put down roots in Madison. "The best years of your life are in college and that's the game I love. I really appreciate the opportunity to coach at this level and be back in the Big Ten."
He also appreciates Gard for being Gard.
"It's unbelievable how down to earth he is," Oliver said. "He was so easy to open up to and talk with. You can tell that he's a master at what he's doing. He thinks things out. I was very impressed with the interview process and how many people he talked to.
"It seemed like every time I turned around, someone was saying, 'Hey, Coach Gard called me about you.' There was so much thoroughness in what he was doing. I knew Joe as a player (and from recruiting) and once I met Howard and the whole staff, I thought, 'Man, this is where I want to be.'
"These people do things the right way, they're genuine people.
"I just love what they're doing and they do it with a passion.
"That's what I'm all about."
