Raptors grilled their head coach candidates in mock press conferences
The Toronto Raptors were likely looking for many things in their recent head coach search: an innovative strategist, a fresh voice in the locker room, and either by design or by necessity, a first-time candidate rather than a familiar face.
And, as it turns out, the Raptors were looking for someone who’s good with the media.
In a newly released episode of “Open Gym,” the Raptors’ in-house documentary series, the Raptors revealed they’d done mock press conferences during the interview process.
Led by Raptors PR head of communications Jennifer Quinn, eventual-hire Darko Rajaković (and presumably other candidates) went through a series of questions posed by members of the Raptors PR and media staff roleplaying as members of the Toronto media.
“That was something I did not expect, but I did not have a problem with it.” – Darko Rajakovic on the #Raptors running mock press conferences.
A cool little behind the scenes here of the media room at OVO Athletic Centre (though I’m dying to know who was roleplaying who): https://t.co/pfVwBG7tdl pic.twitter.com/kBKNQ8usH0
— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) June 22, 2023
“That was something I did not expect, but I don’t have a problem with that,” Rajaković told the Open Gym crew. “I’m talking to you, I’m having great conversations, that’s how I take it and every time I talk to media, I don’t talk to ‘media,’ I talk to human beings who are in front of me. I just take that naturally and positively.”
The mock press conference for Rajaković took place on May 31 at Toronto’s OVO Athletic Centre facility, as per the video, with reports of Rajaković’s hire coming out on June 10.
It’s possible to see the mock press conferences as a correction for previous head coach Nick Nurse, who had garnered a reputation for creating headlines during his pre- and post-game media availabilities.
Most notably, Nurse admitted during a pre-game press conference back in March while on the road in Philadelphia that he was unsure about his future in Toronto, which led to weeks of speculation about whether he’d return for the 2023-24 season. Ultimately, Nurse was fired in April, before signing on to be the new head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers last month.
While one press conference doesn’t indicate the success or failure of a head coach, it’s at least an intriguing insight into the different ways Toronto tested their candidates before hiring Rajaković.
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