Sean Sweeney says Orlando’s pursuit stood out from the start.
The new Magic coach told Ryen Russillo that his interview process for head-coaching jobs is a deep dive, one that starts with studying the roster, the way the team has played and the changes he thinks would make sense. He said that in some cases, the process also includes digging into what the previous coach did that interviewers may not have liked, so he can avoid those same pitfalls.
For Orlando, though, the process went even further. Sweeney called it the most thorough interview he had, describing a nine and a half hour session that pushed well beyond surface-level questions.
“A nine and a half hour long [interview], and they did the best job. Jeff and those guys did the best job of when they asked a question, they had follow-up questions that were like layered.
So, there was more depth that you had to give in terms of what you were talking about. 'Hey, this is what I think about, you know, what schemes would be good offensively.'
And then they'd ask why, 'And could you describe different things within it?' It was by far the most thorough of any of the ones that I did.”
What ultimately sold him on Orlando, he said, was how closely his view of the team matched theirs. Sweeney pointed to the way he and the Magic were already seeing the roster in similar terms, and said he focused on how to build on what had already worked.
He also mentioned Franz getting hurt last year, noting that many people would point to that as a reason the Magic didn’t get through the first round. From there, he said, the goal was to identify specific areas that could be measured and improved.
Sweeney said he wanted to be fully prepared and communicate his ideas clearly and concisely, adding that being concise only matters if the ideas make sense. He said he stayed locked in on what needed to be done, with attention on both the team’s strengths and weaknesses rather than simply saying everything had to change.
“It's pretty exhaustive. Orlando was actually the most thorough interview that I had.”
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