Q&A with Rio Grande Valley Vipers Head Coach Matt Brase

Three years ago, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers won the NBA D-League Championship with Nick Nurse at the helm. Another member of that staff was assistant coach Matt Brase, and following a two year hiatus from the D-League the Vipers decided it was time to reach back into the well — last month, the Rockets announced the hiring of Brase as the Vipers’ new head coach.

Brase is not new to the Rockets’ organization. He’s been with the team in some capacity since the 2011-12 season when he was hired to work in player personnel and scouting for the franchise. The following season Brase served as an assistant with the Vipers, helping them to a 35-15 record and a NBADL title.

For the past two seasons, Brase has been the director of player development for the Rockets. Now, he returns to minors to try his hand as a head coach.

Brase has coaching in his blood as he’s the grandson of the timeless Lute Olson, who coached the University of Arizona for 25 years and subsequently turns 81 in five days — happy birthday, coach!

It’s clear that Coach Brase is very excited to get started this season and while he’s no newcomer to the D-League he understands that everything changes when you make that move to the head coach spot. I was lucky enough to snag some of his time earlier this week to discuss the move and what we can expect from the Vipers this season.

U&M: Some people might view this move as a demotion of sorts for you to come down to the D-League. Why make the move when you had a great position with the Rockets?

Brase: You know what, I had a great time in the D-League the first time around with Coach Nurse and when I saw the position open up I couldn’t resist interviewing for it. This is really my first full-time head coaching job in professional basketball and I can’t wait. I’ve worked with rookies and veterans alike but this is a rare job and a rare opportunity and I had to take my chance at it. My goal is to be a head coach in the NBA and this is a great stepping stone for some experience on that journey. I look at this and see an opportunity, not a demotion. For some reason there’s a negative stigma surround the D-League but I think it’s taking a turn for the better.

U&M: I’m sure you get this mentioned a lot, but your grandfather is Lute Olson so I have to ask. How much of an advantage was it for you growing up around such a knowledgeable basketball mind, and what have you gleaned from him over the years?

Brase: First and foremost he’s my grandpa and he’s a great man. I grew up in Arizona and I’ve been around basketball my whole life. Me and my sister would wait for him to pick us up and we would go watch practice all the time, and that experience really put me on track to the love I have for coaching. I was lucky enough to play for him at University of Arizona as a walk-on and then after my playing days I was on his staff, so honestly I can’t say enough about him and what he’s meant to me.

U&M: The D-League coaching community is really like a fraternity in the sense that everyone seems to want to help everyone else. What’s the best piece of advice you have gotten since your hire and who gave it to you?

Brase: Chris Finch has been awesome for my development. He was the head coach of RGV before and now he’s an assistant with Houston so it’s been great to have someone to talk D-League stuff with all the time. The whole group has really been beneficial for me. We can talk about offensive adjustments, defensive adjustments, and really anything and Chris knows the D-League really well. There hasn’t been one thing specifically but he’s just been there whenever I need him.

U&M: You and Jesse Mermuys [first time D-League coach for the Raptors 905] go way back. How cool is it to break into head coaching at the same time, in the same league?

Brase: He’s awesome. Jesse’s a great guy. We grew up together in Arizona and he’s a little older than me but we’ve been friends forever. We actually got hired at the University of Arizona on the same day believe it or not. He had some experience already so he taught me a lot. When he took his job with the Toronto Raptors a couple years back it actually opened up the position that I took with the Rockets so it’s funny how those things workout.

U&M: RGV has become synonymous with playing an uptempo style and shooting a ton of threes. Can we expect much of the same from the team this year?

Brase: You’re going to see the same concepts. We have the same philosophies as an organization so there will be some quirks that I throw in but we want to play fast and with tempo. I think we’ve seen NBA teams like the Warriors run and have success and that’s the brand of basketball we want to play as well.

U&M: The open tryouts for the Vipers are coming up October 11th and 18th. What types of guys are you looking for at these tryouts?

Brase: You know, we’re really looking for a guy who can fit our system. We want athleticism, length, someone who can run the floor, be disruptive on defense, and ultimately we want to choose people we think can make our roster. Last year we found Jaron Johnson and he was head and shoulders above the rest of the guys. The Rockets’ scouting team knew him from his college days and we were targeting him but I had no idea he would play as well as he did.

U&M: So, this will be you second year in the D-League and so far you’re one for one on championships — you’re taking all of the credit, right?

Brase: Haha! Nick Nurse gets all the credit for the first one. My job is to follow up on the team’s previous success and put my stamp on it as well.

The Vipers open their 2015-16 campaign at home against the Idaho Stampede on November 13th.