Assistant Coach Prohofsky Weighs In

Lynx assistant coach Ed Prohofsky began his storied coaching career in 1957 as the head basketball coach at the Killeen Base of the U.S. Army in Texas, where his team won the 4th Army Championship.

Prohofsky has seen success at every level of coaching, including high school (a 53-game winning streak and a state championship), stints at Golden Valley Lutheran College with Flip Saunders, and Hamline University for nine years, and in the NBA. Prior to coaching at Macalester College in 2004-05, Prohofsky spent seven years as an assistant to Saunders with the Timberwolves.

Rest assured, no one's happier to have Prohofsky's great basketball mind back at Target Center than Lynx head coach Don Zierden. The two go way, way back. We spoke to Prohofsky about that relationship and about the 2007 Lynx.

Mike Trudell: You've seen a great deal of basketball in your career. What's stood out in your latest stint here with the Lynx?
Coach Prohofsky: One of the positive things about this entire situation is Don Zierden. Donny comes with an intensity that I haven't seen in many people. He's very organized, he's a perfectionist, but at the same time there is a lot of caring involved. He's moving this team in the right direction, and I think people will be happy with what they see.

MT: Your relationship with Coach Z is a storied one...
Prohofsky: It goes back a long time. When I was coaching in high school, we (Marshall University High School) had a pretty good ball club, and we'd always play DeLaSalle in the district championship game. Donny was playing for DeLaSalle, so we knew each other from his junior and senior year in high school. We got together again with the Timberwolves, and I knew he was with Flip Saunders. Flip and I were fairly close, so I knew what was going on there. Then when Donny and I worked together with the Wolves, we became even closer. He's almost like a son to me.

MT: How would you describe how it's been working together again?
Prohofsky: It's been tremendous. I don't know how to explain it...it's a nice relationship, it really is.

MT: Got it. As far as this team goes, how has implementation of your offensive and defensive philosophies been progressing?
Prohofsky: The main thing was to try and change the climate a little bit. We want to get up and down the floor, and play aggressive defense. We did that before we really put too many things in, and now we feel we have that aggression -- it can always get better, I'm not saying we're satisfied -- but now it's time to start putting in some more things. They can run an offense right now, and defensively they've been very good.

MT: Can you talk about the allocation of tasks between you and the other two assistant coaches?
Prohofsky: That's what is so good about Donny. He divides things up and makes sure everyone gets a part of it. I'm restricted with how much I can do because of who I am and how old I am...

MT: You haven't been able to dunk for what, two years now?
Prohofsky: Hey, I can't even touch the bottom of the net anymore. But the major issue is, when it comes with the individual work, (Carolyn Jenkins and Teresa Edwards) are invaluable. They each bring something to the table that's going to help this ball club. They're very bright young women, and I'm very anxious to be apart of it. I've enjoyed it so far.

MT: Excellent. Now we need an NBA Finals prediction...
Prohofsky: I'd have to say Detroit is going to do it.

MT: OK, I've got Spurs over Pistons, so we'll see. We'll get you out of here with this...what's the best basketball book you've ever read?
Prohofsky: There was a John Feinstein book ("Season on the Brink") written about Bobby Knight that I really enjoyed. Knight is a guy that is misunderstood a lot. I don't agree with how he does things on the floor -- he'll embarrass people on the floor -- but he's gone away from that a little bit, he's matured. He's very bright, and really cares about his players. One of the most memorable things is when they won the National Championship with Steve Alford, and you heard about how Knight was always all over Alford. But as soon as the buzzer went off in that championship, Alford went over to Bobby Knight and jumped in his arms. That tells you a lot.