Hornets assistant Ronald Nored discusses what he learned with Long Island Nets

Ronald Nored first gained basketball notoriety as a poised floor general at Butler from 2008-12. His maturity on the court has translated to what he can do from the sidelines, as he gears up for the 2018-19 campaign as assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets.

The well regarded mentor has reached the NBA stage following stints with the Maine Red Claws and Long Island Nets. The latter proved to be Nored’s first as a head coach, an opportunity that ultimately prepared him for what’s to come.

“You learn so much as a head coach: keeping up on scouting reports and managing your players and staff. It means throwing your feet to the fire and I’m so grateful to have been given that opportunity,” he told RidiculousUpside.com at NBA Summer League. “I see the game much differently than I did two years ago.”

Long Island went 44-56 in Nored’s two seasons at the helm. Those numbers, however, do not tell the whole story. The Hornets are getting a Brad Stevens disciple who is well versed in managing personalities (and not to mention, expectations) while building a team from the ground up and implementing a healthy culture along the way.

Coaching an expansion team goes well beyond the X’s and O’s. Nored, along with Brooklyn’s front office, had to research (and arguably take a gamble on) players who they thought would buy in. After rolling the dice a bit, they began reaping the benefits. The team went 27-23 in year two.

“You’re tasked with building a roster and finding guys that fit together. You have tools like the Expansion Draft, G League Draft, and local tryouts. They come from different backgrounds and have different goals,” he pointed out. “It’s very challenging. We focused on creating a really well run G League organization and tried not to focus on the different variables.”

Speaking of different backgrounds, new Hornets head coach James Borrego comes from San Antonio, but his staff already features Nored, former Suns head coach Jay Triano, and former Magic assistant Jay Hernandez. Nored knows it’s key for them to set the tone from a cultural standpoint early on.

“We’re already following Coach Borrego’s lead. He knows what he wants the Charlotte Hornets to be, so it’s up to us to be on the same page and set good examples for the players.”

As the Hornets get things running smoothly on the court, they can rest assured that Nored’s values extend off the court as well. Last Thanksgiving, his grandmother hosted all of the Long Island Nets for dinner while on the road in Indiana.

“The important thing for me is making it bigger than basketball. Some organizations find great players, but we wanted our guys to be together and love one another off the court as well,” he added.

The Hornets are looking to right the ship, and it’s safe to say that Nored’s hiring will be a move that helps spearhead the process given his values and past experience to date.