How One Well-Traveled Coach Rose Above Adversity
Nate Loenser, the one-time Windy City coach and former Bulls assistant, discusses his unique journey and experience working with some of the more determined players in the NBA today.
If you ask most people in the G League bubble, they’ll tell you all is going well enough. Still, being isolated from friends and family for an extended period of time is difficult. The food options are somewhat limited and so are the opportunities for leisure. Some (players, especially) could say that it’s difficult to get motivated or play at one’s physical best during an early morning tip-off when there are no fans to be found in the stands.
But these players are fighting for their livelihoods in hopes of earning the promotion of a lifetime. Throwing some adversity their way and seeing how they overcome certain hurdles could be a healthy exercise, according to former Windy City Bulls (2016-17) coach Nate Loenser.
“It may be tough to be isolated or be away from your family. But I’m always a big believer in the fact that someone has it better, someone else has it worse than you. The flip side is, you’re playing in the bubble! You could be not playing at all. This is your chance,” he said. “At any time, you can take your ball and go home. Basketball shares many life lessons. How do you take something that may be perceived as negative, and make the most of it? That’s probably the mentality I’d encourage guys to have in the bubble.”
“It probably helps when there’s a certain level of adversity that someone has dealt with. If you’re a Five-Star guy, or the best AAU guy and go to one of the best programs, you’re one of the top guys. You’re on a great plane and staying at a great hotel. If your first taste of pro basketball is in an environment with very hungry adult men where you’re not necessarily the best player, I think it can be challenging if everything isn’t handed to you,” Coach Loenser said. “It can be humbling. Having the right mindset in the G League is so important.”
During his time with Windy City, Loenser coached Spencer Dinwiddie (who was called up by the Brooklyn Nets after 9 games) and Alfonzo McKinnie. The latter became a G League All-Star and went on to compete with the Golden State Warriors during the 2019 NBA Finals. Now with the Lakers, McKinnie continues to make contributions to winning environments. It’s a far cry from merely hoping to get noticed during a minor league tryout with no guarantees.
“Alfonzo epitomizes what the G League is about. He was an open tryout guy after playing in Luxembourg the year before. He had a tough college career because he transferred and battled injuries. He went from being completely off the map to being a part of some big time NBA franchises,” Loenser said. “He made our team out of training camp, came up off the bench and worked his way into being a starter – a G League All-Star. He was getting a lot of inquiries for free agent camps. He made it to Toronto that next year and has stuck on ever since.”
McKinnie averaged 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds for Windy City in 2016-17, realizing that garnering attention in the minor league wasn’t all about scoring the most points. He put in the effort and maintained a positive attitude while working to identify what his niche role would be in the NBA.
“The thing I loved about Alfonzo was he never had a bad day. He was coachable. His attitude stayed the same. He was consistent in his work habits. Of course, I coached him and there were things he could improve,” Loenser said. “There was never an ounce of negativity or defiance. He always tried to make the most of his opportunity. Alfonzo was a great teammate and he was looking to grow.”
Loenser is someone who knows a thing or two about adversity, having been born with a partial left arm. He’s never been one to make excuses or allow such a circumstance to slow him down when he easily could. Perhaps that makes him more unique than the actual physical difference does. Think about the old saying, ‘I could accomplish this with one hand tied behind my back.” Consider how you go about accomplishing daily tasks, things that are normally so simple and taken for granted. Now, ponder how difficult these tasks would be if you had to adapt in such fashion. Loenser may accomplish the same things differently, but for him that’s just the way it is. He accomplishes them, nonetheless.
“My arm has not been a challenge for me. People may naturally wonder if I could perform the duties or do whatever was necessary. To me, it’s always been a non-factor,” he said.
Loenser’s passion for sports and his ability to participate was always on display. After hitting .081 during his sophomore year of high school, he continued to plug away and persevered to hit .596 as a senior with 60 stolen bases. He went on to play for the Iowa State Cyclones as a walk-on during his fourth year.
“Growing up, I played baseball, basketball, football, and golf. I’ll be the first to tell you that my “favorite” sport coincided with whatever season it was,” he said. “As far as accolades go, I probably received the least in basketball. I was an All-Conference baseball and football player. I didn’t play much until my senior year, but there’s always been affinity for basketball.”
That’s where a career in coaching came clearer into focus. After serving as a student manager at Iowa State under Tim Floyd, Loenser’s coaching career has continued to lead to opportunities at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, respectively.
Part of Loenser’s coaching tenure included a stint under Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State, where he coached a number of soon-to-be NBA talents (and not to mention, G League alums), including Monte Morris.
“Monte was a high recruit. He came in as a wide-eyed freshman and came off the bench to start. In hindsight, it was the right thing to do, but it definitely allowed his ego to see the bigger picture,” he said. “It probably helped him when he went to Rio Grande Valley his first year and worked his way through a different channel. Just because a guy is in a situation they he may not want to be in, doesn’t mean it can’t help them on their path.”
Morris has since benefitted from a lucrative contract extension and is averaging 10.9 points and 39% from deep for Denver this season. Loenser says he and teammates like Naz Mitrou-Long, Abdel Nader, George Niang, and Matt Thomas were all dedicated to getting in the gym. “There was a certain level of competitiveness, because they didn’t want fall behind one another. It was a healthy amount of peer pressure,” the coach said. “They all benefitted from that and Fred’s teachings.”
After working under Hoiberg at Iowa State, Loenser joined him as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls — his tenure obviously included the 2016-17 season as head coach of Windy City. He was at the helm during the club’s inaugural NBA G League season.
“The word I always used with my experience there was just ‘fascinating.’ I’ll be the first to admit, before I was named head coach, I hadn’t watched a full G League game. I stay immersed in the situation I’m in,” he revealed. “We were an expansion team. It was new for the Bulls organization, so in a lot of ways I was able to put my stamp on it. I took things from the coaches and programs I worked with in the past and poured everything into it. It was very rewarding.”
The G League is a development tool for many individuals. This was a chance for Loenser to be a head coach at the professional level. It’s always worth noting that for a younger team like Chicago, the talent identification and development process is crucial for creating a pipeline to the next level. The organization trusted Loenser in that role, to serve as an extension of team vision to ensure the minor league club provided value.
“You make the most out of the opportunities and let doors open from there. It was easy for me to coach to that and just try and develop a player to the best of their ability,” he said “I wanted to help my organization in any way I could. Here, I was able to provide useful information.”
Windy City went 23-27 that season, with Dinwiddie earning an NBA Call-Up and McKinnie garnering accolades that have led to a respectable NBA career. The Bulls assigned a plethora of players to the minor league that season, with Bobby Portis, Denzel Valentine, Cameron Payne and Cristiano Felicio among them.
Loener returned to Chicago, where he would remain as an assistant through last season. As he explores what his next opportunity may be, the pandemic has surely presented challenges. Normally, a coach in Loenser’s position would be able to travel, collaborate, and network with past coaching friends and foes.
“I haven’t been afforded that opportunity. But what it has done, first and foremost, has given me this amount of time with my family. It’s something I’ll never forget,” he added. “Blessings and positives can come in different forms. Time with my three girls is something I’ll always cherish.”
Slowly but surely, the chance to see live action is returning and Loenser is observing with a little partner in crime by his side.
“I’m a basketball junkie and I wasn’t able to go into gyms for a while. I just took my five-year old to a high school game,” he said. “It was up the road and there are fewer restrictions here in Iowa. I like seeing how people compete and just being around the game.”
When the opportunity to be present in person hasn’t been there, Loenser has taken time to dive deep and do film studies on coaches he admires and reconnect with those at the high school, collegiate, and women’s levels, respectively. He’s also served as a guest on virtual coaching clinics.
There’s no doubt that Loenser’s experience to date is vast and varied. He of course brings a wealth of knowledge and proven development skills thanks to the success of those he’s worked with in the past.
More than that, the coach relates well to the grind and with that, comes a great deal of respect from the young athletes who put in the work and perfect their craft. The coach is no different in that regard.
“If I can ultimately help a player become successful, I don’t think it matters whether I have one, two, or ten hands,” Loenser asserts.
It’s a mindset that has helped him carve out his own path.