While many may automatically think of Larry Brown as Pop’s mentor, there was another. Sports Illustrated’s Tim Layden wrote an inspirational article on the late Curt Tong, a former college basketball coach who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease last month. Coach Tong became the athletic director at Pomona-Pitzer while Pop was still a young coach there, and Layden (with an interview from Pop) explains how Tong’s stern but caring style was an inspiration to him and many others throughout his career.
Unlike one of the most high-profile organizations in sports, Pop has always made sure the Spurs have a stable environment.