Pat Riley speaks to Eglin Airmen

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gaddie
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Pat Riley, president of the Miami Heat professional basketball team, spoke to military and civilian personnel at the enlisted hall Oct. 1.

The Miami Heat arrived here Sept. 27 to an enthusiastic reception from both the area's military and civilian communities and held a week-long training camp at Hurlburt Field, prior to the start of the 2010 NBA season.

Riley won six NBA championship titles as a player, assistant coach and coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and one as the coach for the Miami Heat. He is also a highly regarded motivational speaker. He shared some of the experiences from his 50 years in basketball, and his views on teamwork and winning.

He said his understanding and appreciation of teamwork and in reaching a common goal came from lessons he learned under the 12 coaches he worked with while moving up the ranks of college and professional basketball.

Those lessons led to Riley becoming the head coach of the Lakers for nine years and Heat for 11 years.

Riley also stated that through the mentorship of his coaches, including his father, he developed his philosophy of what he terms as 'it'.

"What is 'it'"? Riley asked the audience. "'It' is an attitude. We cultivate that attitude through our education, our experiences, the environment we come from, the people we've been around and who have taught us. Through all of that, we develop 'it', and we take 'it' to every aspect of our lives.

"We just don't just have 'it' when it's convenient," he continued. "We just don't have 'it' at home. We take 'it' to the supermarket, the gas station, wherever you go, you take that attitude with you. That's who you are."

Growing up as a self-described 'wise guy' with little direction, Riley said he found his 'it' by being thrust into basketball competition while living in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, a New York City borough.

Despite his initial fear of competition, Riley's older brother and his father, a minor league baseball player, encouraged him to stick with basketball. His father's hope for Pat was that "he (would) plant his feet, stand firm, and (would) make a point about who he is, what he does and where he comes from."

He said his breakthrough in learning how to be competitive came when he sent a kid home with the same challenges and fears about basketball to overcome that he had.

Riley said the same principle of 'it' applies to the military's objective in war - to send the enemy home.

Riley said he was honored to be able to hold his training camp at a military base. He expressed his gratitude to Eglin and Hurlburt's military members for their willingness to serve their country and protect the freedoms that allow him and his team to make their living through basketball.

Riley said he is also thankful that, since Sept. 11, no outside forces have breached American soil, and he feels protected because the armed forces has taken the battle overseas.

"Basketball pales in comparison, to what it is you do," Riley said to the audience. "I know you don't take what you do for granted, because you understand that people's lives are on the line, every day, and I appreciate your service."