Spurred by greatness: Chance's San Antonio education

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most successful sporting organisations in the world, and what puts them on that pedestal goes far beyond the championship banners hanging from the rafters.

Having spent the past 12 months as head coach of the Spurs' G League affiliate, Jacob Chance has seen first-hand what makes the organisation such a special place to be.

“Culture is such a throwaway term in a sense, that we all like to use and think we have, but the difference I found here is the way they just truly live it every day,” he said on NBL Now.

“It’s really hard to put it into words until you’re in it and you feel it.

“Pop (Greg Popovich) is still around, Timmy (Tim Duncan) is in all the time. And then Manu (Ginobili), I see him having coffee the other day and we talked a little bit and they have that connection to the past.”

Chance was named G League Coach of the Month in November last year and led the Austin Spurs to the conference quarter-finals.

While his decision to leave and take over Melbourne United's vacant head coaching position was a difficult one, Chance believes the lessons he learned over the past 12 months will stay with him forever.

“The way they (the Spurs) hold each other accountable to the most important things,” he added.

“Three years ago when I came and visited here once our season in Tasmania was finished, I spent two weeks here and they were last in the West and they were in line for the number one pick, but you couldn’t tell.

“You wouldn’t have even known that walking into practice and it felt no different walking into game give in New York. The way they kind of block out results and just focus on the day that’s in front of them is truly remarkable.”

Chance now turns his attention to completing a star-studded Melbourne United roster that includes Chris Goulding and five-time Olympian Joe Ingles.

As United prepare for their first season without Dean Vickerman in almost a decade, Chance shared the biggest lesson he hopes to bring from San Antonio.

“How they invest in their own people,” he said.

“The time they spent with me, even in the last two months. How much better I got being around Brett (Brown), Mike Noyes … and Mitch (Johnson), it’s the way they do that with all their staff.

“They’ve seen a lot of their staff go on and be promoted or external find a much better job and I think that’s where it starts.

“For me that’s always been the case, Perth invested in me as a 20-year-old coming into coaching, Tasmania we did great things investing in our staff and people and Melbourne’s done that forever.

“Bringing in the right people and investing in them every day and hopefully see great growth and great results as a byproduct of that.”