Ronald Nored: “I was put on this earth to help people get better”

The Long Island Nets season ends on Friday with a game in Westchester vs. the Knicks’ affiliate. The game is meaningless for Long Island. They will not make the playoffs. Their record is 16-33.

But in at least one aspect, the season will be seen as a success: It was solid debut for Ronald Nored, the 26-year-old head coach who went from helping Butler get to two straight NCAA Finals to being the youngest head coach in the D-League.

Nets Magazine on YES features a profile of Nored this month and in it, he, his mentor Brad Stevens, and Long Island player Carrick Felix talk about what makes for a successful coach, “whether you’re 26 or 76,” as Nored himself says.

“I was put on this earth to help people get better,” says Nored at one point, adding later, “What players want is someone who works hard, but mostly who cares about them. If you have those things, players will respect you and want to play for you.”

Stevens, who coached Nored at Butler then game him his first shot as an assistant with the Maine Red Claws, says that at his core, Nored is a teacher while Felix talks about how Nored is always trying to help players get better as a person, as a husband, not just as a player.

• Nets' Magazine: Ronald Nored (Video) - YES Network