PHARR - Even while enjoying the lifestyle making an NBA salary can afford, having a plan for life after basketball sometimes catches players off guard when their playing days are over.
Robert Pack had a plan.
From his first season as undrafted rookie guard on a Portland Trail Blazers teams that advanced to the 1991 NBA Finals, Pack began storing away the knowledge offered by coach Rick Adelman to one day use when he himself was instructing players. That day, of course, has come.
Pack is waist-deep into his first coaching job, an assistant's position on Clay Moser's staff for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League. A 13-year NBA veteran who retired in 2004 after averaging 8.9 points and 4.6 assists per game is now passing on his experiences as an undrafted player who made a niche in the league and carved out a solid career on basketball's grandest stage.
"My story is similar to these guys; I wasn't drafted coming out of college, but I was able to get a 13-year career," Pack said. "I always believed in myself like I hope these guys still believe in themselves. My goal was to prove guys wrong, and I had to go to summer league and be MVP of the summer league before I got a shot. I made it.".......................................
