— By Taylor Kennedy
Former Beckley-Woodrow Wilson and Marshall basketball standout Tamar Slay will be joining this year’s Cleveland Cavaliers summer league coaching staff.
Prior connections to current Cavaliers’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff helped Slay land the position.
“We go way back,” Slay said on his relationship with Bickerstaff. “He and his father trained me for the draft before being selected. I played for those guys with the Bobcats. I reached out to him two months ago and asked if he had any opportunities for summer league. He texted me a week ago and said they got something.
Cleveland will play four games between August 8-14 on the campus of UNLV.
“It has been an amazing first two days,” Slay noted. “Working with these guys who recently got drafted and free agents has been fun.”
.@slay9 speaks with @TonyCaridi, @BradHowe07, and @HunterWvu88bgn about joining @cavs summer league coaching staff. WATCH: pic.twitter.com/Bodwm3W55H
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) August 4, 2021
The Cavs have 12 players currently listed on their summer league roster, including the third overall pick in last week’s NBA Draft — USC’s Evan Mobley. Mobley was named the Pac-12’s Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year.
“He is so long,” Tamar said. “He is legit seven-foot. He can play inside out. He always gets the rebound. He can shoot the ball. The only thing he is lacking is strength, and he is a quiet kid. He needs to insert himself, including vocally. He is going to have a long career and be an all-star.”
Slay was drafted in the second round with the 54th pick during the 2002 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. He spent three years in the league playing for the Nets and Charlotte Bobcats. He is currently the head basketball coach at United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte.
Slay will look to combine his playing and coaching knowledge with the Cavs.
“We try to keep it simple,” Slay said. “You don’t want to throw too much at them. You do want to put some stuff in that way they have team chemistry and flow offensively. The coaches are putting out their principles defensively, but it is really simple.”
Prior to the NBA, Slay was a four-year starter for Marshall from 1998-2002. He left the Thundering Herd with 1,792 career points.
“The biggest thing is their IQ”, Slay noted on the biggest transition college kids make heading into the pros. “It is knowing how to read situations. How to play without the ball instead of relying on their talent. The overall size and athleticism is a big jump from college to the pros.”
Slay has been fortunate to learn from top minds at all levels. He played for Dave Barksdale at Woodrow Wilson. He spent his four years in Huntington with Mullens native Greg White. He spent two seasons playing for former Lakers guard Bryon Scott with the Nets. Slay finished his NBA career playing for Bernie Bickerstaff, J.B.’s father.
“I am a mixture of all my coaches,” Slay noted. “I technically played for a new coach every season. I got a whole lot in my pot that I can take from each coach. That helps me out a lot because I learned a lot from all my coaches.”
The Cavaliers’ first summer league game is Sunday at 8 p.m. against the Houston Rockets and will air on ESPN2.