The Journey to Knick’s Offensive Coordinator: More About Chris Jent

 The Journey to Knick’s Offensive Coordinator: More About Chris Jent

By Kate Ryan

The projectors played, and coach Chris Jent was setting up his team for success. The Knicks watch game film in the practice facility in Greenburgh. “As a coach, it may take you three and a half to four hours to re-watch the game if you’re preparing to show film the next day, said Jent.”  Chris Jent, a former NBA basketball player, is offered the offensive coordinator coaching opportunity for the New York Knicks. Chris Jent started his NBA basketball career in 1994 with the Rapid City Thrillers.

After Chris Jent’s playing career, he decided to become a coach. “It’s so much more demanding. The amount of work you have to put in as a coach — that’s why a lot of former players don’t get into coaching, said Jent.” In 2003, Jent started as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Jent prepares for the day by going over film, and he also attends daily staff meetings, film prep, and constant teaching. On the court, Jent is a coach with a lot of emotion; he has a high competitive drive and wants his team to succeed. However, when the spotlight and cameras are on you, it's easy to fold under the pressure. Jent maintains a calm demeanor to help keep his players' confidence. 

Before Jent coached for the NBA, he was a high school head basketball coach, right after his career playing in the NBA ended. “Calming a bunch of 15- and 16-year-olds down sounds minor, but it really wasn’t, said Jent.” Early experiences playing in the NBA and previous experience coaching allowed Jent to handle the pressure of coaching and adapt as needed. 

This opportunity with the New York Knicks is his first Offensive Coordinator position, where he previously played. He also played for the Houston Rockets and with 11 other teams abroad. His NBA career lasted a total of 2 years and ended when he suffered an injury. The New York Knicks had to let him go because of this, and Jent was sad but found his new journey as a coach. Jent found his love for basketball at a very young age. In high school, basketball was his escape from the daily stresses of life. “Basketball became a release for me when I was 13. It got my mind off things when they were going bad — gave me something positive, said Jent.”

Since his love for the game started so young, he was able to commit himself to this sport. Growing up with brothers, Jent used basketball as a way to get out of the house as needed. His brothers are his role models and inspiration for the game. Dr. J was a big inspiration as well for his style of play. Jent had other people he looked up to. 

“There was this guy called the Shot Doctor, Mr. Hobby. He’d come to Sparta’s basketball camp — his form shooting was something I really held onto. Coach Tobin was great for me — he knew where to take me to play against better competition. That made all the difference in the world, said Jent.”

His community and mentorship allowed him to develop as a player, coach, and man. He knew the type of coaching style he wanted to have from some bad experiences, too. In college, Jent was the guy who got yelled at a lot because the coach thought he could handle it, but it impacted the way he played and saw the game. 

Jent had a 10-year basketball career playing in the NBA. When he retired, a friend of Jents reached out to him and said there was an opening for a coaching position at West Hill High School. “My college coach got the Sixers head coaching job soon after, and that steered me further down that path, said Jent.”

When Jent started coaching in the NBA he felt the immediate connection from playing to coaching. He had to adjust his schedule from being a player to coach but he was able to do this. 

Basketball has changed since Jent's time in the NBA. The way the game is played is different now; it's less about the plays you run and more about the way you play. Spread offenses are a big part of the game, and it was different back when Jent played. “The one thing that always remains the same is you’re playing to your best players — the basketball has to find them, said Jent.”

Jent says he has some players on his team this year that remind him of how he was in the league. “Landry Shamet reminds me of myself — always early, stays late, communicates on defense, and just does the work, said Jent.”

Jent had a lot of lessons that he learned as a player and a coach. Jent wished he played for a bad team to see the floor more and have more opportunities early on in his career. “Now I see it differently — I should’ve been more proactive. My agent worked for me, not the other way around, said Jent.” Since Jent was a player before he was a coach, he can understand where his players are coming from and use it to help his players succeed. 

He will continue to use his previous experience to push his players to become the best version of themselves on and off the court. Jent’s siblings enjoy seeing him grow and flourish. Meghan Jent is his sister and says his work ethic is like no other. 

“Chris has this ability to be the life of the party when it comes to things he loves; he ties this into basketball,” said Meghan Jent. He will bring this energy to the New York Knicks and help drive the team to success. 

Jent is hoping that one day he can become a head coach of an organization. His goals with the team this year are to bring energy to New York. Jent has the competitive drive to compete and wants a championship. “The city is dying for a championship. It’s been 52 years. I just hope we can put it all together, said Jent.”