Idaho Stampede Head Coach Michael Peck Set To Join Portland Trail Blazers' Coaching Staff At NBA Summer League

After his first season in the NBA Development League, Idaho Stampede head coach Michael Peck will be joining his NBA parent club's (Portland Trail Blazers) Summer League squad in Las Vegas. Peck will be a member of the Portland Trail Blazers coaching staff in Sin City, and hopes to further his understanding of Stott's system before entering his second season in the NBADL.

Peck spoke with RidiculousUpside.com and explained his upcoming summer plans. "I will be assisting on the bench with the Blazers in Summer League. I'm anxious to spend some more time with the staff in Portland to expand my feel for coach Stotts' system." Peck said.

Peck enters a second year with the Stampede, after leading the successful Findlay Prep program for five seasons prior to his arrival. Peck has developed tremendous talent during his time as a head coach at both levels, and looks to continue doing so in the NBA D-League. After withstanding the initial learning curve, Peck is ready to use every resource available to him. By doing so, the former UNLV video coordinator will expand upon his coaching knowledge, and further develop his craft.

Last season, Peck had the opportunity to coach Will Barton, Nolan Smith, Victor Claver and Joel Freeland. Each player spent time with Peck's club on assignment, and also contributed in some fashion for the Blazers. It is an ever-growing trend in the NBA for teams to send players back and forth between their NBADL affiliate, and their own squad multiple times throughout the season. As the Stampede enter their second season as the Blazers' single affiliate, Peck should expect more players from Portland to shuffle through his roster in the upcoming season.

On top of preparing for his upcoming Summer League duties, Peck had the chance to spend some important family time following the end of last season. "Initially, after wrapping things up in Boise, I spent some quality time getting re-acquainted with my family. It was nice getting caught up with them and hearing about what I had missed during our season." Peck commented.

In his first season guiding the Stampede, Peck finished 19-31 overall, but went 9-7 in his last 16 games, including a 3-game winning streak to finish the year. As the season progressed, Peck became more acclimated with the nuances of coaching in the unique NBADL setting, and the Stampede's results showcased that.

Despite Peck's season ending at the beginning of last April, the young head coach kept himself plenty busy by working on different projects. "I've become immersed in watching and following the playoffs. One of my top priorities this offseason was to closely watch and study how different teams are defending the pick-and-roll (middle, side, angle, flat, etc...)" Peck continued, "I keep in very close contact with the Blazers front office. I've mainly written some reports on players in the draft that I'm familiar with, having coached them in various settings, i.e. high school, elite high school camps. I've also kept in contact with our players from this past year just to check in and see how they're doing." Peck added.

By implementing Peck into their offseason activities, the Trail Blazers are demonstrating a commitment to their NBA D-League affiliate. The benefits by doing so, will surely pay dividends for both franchises this upcoming season.