Larry Garcon grew up in the small French town of Reims being born on . His parents Mikel and Marie Garcon were athletic in their youth, both playing Futbol (there's a cute story of how they met). Larry followed in their footsteps, playing futbol up until he was sixteen. Unlike his parents, Larry had another athletic passion. He also played basketball from a young age alongside futbol.
Larry would be a better basketball than futbol player, he would grow to 6'4''. He played in amateur leagues for awhile, instead of deciding to continue playing basketball he moved into coaching at the young age of twenty. He would coach within France until he was twenty six (2003).
He then would become an instant coach in the Israeli Leagues, until 2005. He would then be hired to be an instant coach in an English Basketball league. Where he would coach as an assistant until 2009. This is where his career took a drastic change, he became the Head Coach of his current team in England. He held the position for one season and led the team to drastic improvements.
When Larry Brown decided to step down as Coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, new owner Michael Jordan decided to look outside of the normal candidates to find a new coach. Jordan heard Garcon's name while searching for candidates. After interviewing for the job, Jordan decided to hire Garcon to a 4 year, $736,750 contract. Larry Garcon's name became a talking point on ESPN and many talk radio shows.
While Garcon does not have say with player management, Jordan felt that Garcon's aggressive defensive and rebounding approach would take the Bobcats to new levels. Garcon knows there's a good deal of challenges in front of him, the Southeast has solid teams as the Hawks, Magic, and the newly dubbed "Best Team Ever" Heat. It will take a great deal to make the Playoffs, but Garcon is going to put a lot of effort into his position. Hopefully, General Manager Rod Higgins will be on the same page, as it will take a great effort to take this team towards a championship.
October 31, 2010
We come to a team meeting between Head Coach Larry Garcon and his assistant coaches, Phil Ford, Jeff Capel, and Herb Brown. They have been speaking for an hour about the upcoming season, sitting around an oval desk in Garcon's office.
The starting lineup was decided a few weeks ago, newcomer Shaun Livingston and DJ Augustine will split time starting at Point Guard, Stephen Jackson will again start at SG, the amazing Gerald Wallace will start at SF, Boris Diaw at PF, and Tyrus Thomas at Center.
The bench will not have an explosive scorer, but Matt Carol, Augustine/Livingstone, and Eduardo Najera will play important roles.
Garcon: Our season begins with us in Cleveland on the 2nd and then we have Miami at home on the 4th. After that Detroit comes into town on the 6th.
(His French accent stands out, the coaches around him nod.)
Ford: We should pump up our guys for Miami. If we can defeat them on the second game of the season, we send a statement to the NBA.
(Garcon appreciates the enthusiasm as the other coaches agree.)
Garcon: True, True. But, we have to concentrate on the Cavs. I'll be honest, they are a lot weaker this year. We should be able to start the season off with a win. If we stop Jameson, we win the game.
Brown: Agreed. Cleveland plays tonight, we should definitely watch the game.
Capel: It starts in an hour.
Garcon: I guess we're spending a few more hours together.
(The group of coaches laugh as they continue speaking.)