Dave Martinez Quotes

When my playing career stopped and Old Dominion asked me to be an assistant, I was reluctant about it because I didn't aspire to be a coach, and I didn't know if I had the qualities to be a coach.

Then I was working in a store in Newark, New Jersey, and I saw an actor in person, and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality.

There were a lot of signs being thrown at me, a lot of angels I was meeting, inspiring me to get back into show business.

Well, I think it's pretty much established that I just didn't have any interest in coaching in the pros.

Hopefully, kids realize you can do anything you want. Skateboarding can be that gateway.

When I left the University of Notre Dame, I honestly felt I would never coach again.

I had aspirations to do different things with my life. I wanted to play soccer. I wanted to be a lawyer. Serendipity.

If I can sit on national television, and people are listening to what I think, anyone can do anything.

I don't know if I could have made it as an NBA player. But I knew I could make it as a coach.

I feel like I've been very blessed to have some great mentors through the years, starting with Don James, who was my college coach, who really inspired me to want to be a coach, which is not something that I really had in mind.

I had no desire to coach college until I went to college. Then I said, 'Maybe I can do this.' You get inspired by the people around you who move you and light a fire under you.

Phil Jackson is a role model, and basically a coaching idol of mine. He's someone I really tried to model some of my coaching philosophies after.

As soon as I signed for the French rugby union, it was just a huge relief, you know, because I was out of Sydney and out of sight doing what was best for myself.

Thanks to Conte, I got the urge of coaching, and I thank him for that.

I've been lucky to have worked for many great coaches. They've all been so good that maybe, at the end of my career, I'll give it a go myself.

The 18 years on TNT has prepared me for a lot of opportunities, and coaching is one of them.

Quite frankly, Minnesota was where my career kind of turned around, and it all had to do with Flip Saunders and his coaching prowess and his system.

I always said in my career as a footballer, I owe everything to Newell's. But as a coach, I owe everything to Paraguay.

We're not Seattle East. We're our own Atlanta, and there are definitely things I learned from Coach Carroll. He had probably the single biggest influence on my coaching career.

Providence had a graduate assistant job opening. They asked me if I wanted to apply, and I applied. That break right there put me in position to learn from great coaches. It really jump-started every other good break I ever had in coaching.

I decided not to pursue coaching. Even though the people in coaching are some of my best friends and people I admire the most.

I truly think if I had stayed in England, I'm not sure I would be coaching. So what America gave me was kind of a dream and the opportunity and ability to follow that path, which I really had never dreamed about. I just feel very fortunate to be here.

I had no clue on what I wanted to do when I was younger, so I was pretty lucky with this YouTube thing.

When I started Giants of Africa, I envisioned providing African youth access to the game and empowering them to achieve their greatest potential.

Virat has helped me with my preparation, mindset, and he has given me a lot of confidence.