Talkin' with Trav: Q&A with BYU legend and Celtics GM Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge has been a role model to me ever since I was a young boy. I watched him make the winning layup for BYU against Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament in 1981, watched him play in the NBA for 14 years and coach the Phoenix Suns, and watched him win an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics as the president of basketball operations.

I caught up with Danny last week and here is part of our conversation:

Hansen: How is your family doing?

Ainge: Family is doing great. I only have two kids at home now, Cooper and Crew. They both play basketball for their high school team and it has been very enjoyable to watch them play together.

Cooper is having a great senior year and is excited to go to BYU next year. My son Tanner and his wife welcomed two twin girls into their family on Christmas day and that makes 10 grandchildren for my wife and I now. Grandchildren are a very fun part of life.

Hansen: Who had the biggest influence on your career?

Ainge: I would say that my high school coach Barney Holland, my college coach Frank Arnold and my BYU assistant coach Roger Reid.

I have always felt that I was very fortunate to be taught by such great coaches early in life. I felt like I was very prepared when I entered the NBA because I knew the fundamentals.

Coach Holland was a legendary high school coach in Oregon. I had two older brothers that played for him and I always hung around them so I ended up actually being coached by Coach Holland for six or seven years. I feel as though he was as good a coach that I have ever had or been around my entire life.

And then at BYU, Frank gave me a lot of freedom to play. I loved his offensive system and he gave me a lot of confidence. And Roger Reid really pushed me to work hard. I always thought that I was a hard worker but Roger pushed me to levels that I never thought that I could reach.

Hansen: You are president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics and bishop of your home ward in Boston. How do you balance those two responsibilities?

Ainge: It is not as difficult as it seems. If you have great leadership it makes your job very easy.

Hansen: What is your favorite scripture?