Jay Flores elevated to assistant coach

The 2016-17 basketball season was a challenging one for Jay Flores.

As director of basketball operations, he played a large role in the University of Montana's success off the court. He was responsible for administrative duties, including coordinating all travel arrangements and helping the student-athletes stay on top of their academic game.

On the court, however, he was restricted. He sat on the bench for all games and stood on the sidelines for all practices, but he couldn't help.

He couldn't instruct. He couldn't touch a ball. He couldn't blow a whistle. He wasn't allowed to do anything, really, except watch.

For someone with deep aspirations of becoming a coach, this could have been a lost year. But for Flores – who has been elevated to assistant coach on Travis DeCuire's staff – it was a year of immense growth.

"It gave me 360 view of the program," Flores said of his one year away from the court. "It was actually really good for me to watch how the rest of the staff coached our players. I wasn't coaching, so I got to see things in a different way."

He took a step back in order to see things closer.

"It helped me formulate new views of how I wanted to coach," Flores continued. "It was a huge year of growth that I think will help me be a better coach."

Flores enjoyed his brief stint as director of operations, saying it made him realize everything that goes into running a program. But when Marlon Stewart transitioned to a new role at the University of Hawai`i, Flores knew he wanted to jump on that opportunity to get back into coaching.

And for DeCuire, who could have looked externally to fill Stewart's shoes, he knew right away he had the guy he wanted in house.

"I always knew that if one of my coaches were to leave, Jay would be the next man up," the fourth-year head coach said. "He's already in the program, he knows how I do things, he knows the types of players we're looking for. We were training Jay for the next step, and he was prepared for this position."

Flores was a standout player at Chico State, where he was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player as a senior. He went on to play one season professionally, for Soles de Mexicali of Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional – Mexico's top professional basketball league. And while he was invited back after starting at point guard and leading his team to 31 victories and the postseason in 2012-13, Flores knew it was time to hang up his sneakers.

He had a girlfriend – now his wife – back home, and playing professionally wasn't a sustainable long-term career. What was, however, was coaching.

Flores had an itch to get into coaching since a young age, and throughout college got his feet wet by coaching camps for some of the top programs in the nation, including UCLA, Michigan State and Cal.

That's where he first met DeCuire, who was an assistant for the Golden Bears, and Stewart, who was the team's video coordinator. One year led to another helping at Cal's camp, and soon relationships had developed.

At this point, Flores had begun his coaching career, spending three seasons at Cal State East Bay. Then last summer, DeCuire gave him a call offering him UM's director of operations position. It was a perfect fit for Flores, who knew not only DeCuire and Stewart, but also associate head coach Chris Cobb, who was Chico State's head assistant coach when Flores was a player.

"I'm incredibly grateful for Travis," Flores said. "First of all for offering me a position initially, but also for this opportunity to coach. Travis is as good as it gets on the court, so I'm excited to play a greater role on this staff."

He also wanted to thank his predecessor.

"I would be wrong to not mention Marlon and how helpful he was for me. He made everything a lot easier and was always there to help and answer questions."

DeCuire won't immediately fill the vacant director of operations position, having the rest of his staff take on new and additional roles this season as they formulate the best long-term fit for the program. It's likely that Flores will continue some of his off-court duties, in addition to now getting to coach and recruit.

Recruiting… that's another area where Flores believes he can flourish. His father has been a professional baseball scout for more than three decades. Currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Flores relies on his father for scouting advice.

He talks to his dad regularly about how he evaluates talent. How to notice the intangibles and look deeper than if a player can make a basket or block a shot.

"It's my dad, so I like talking to him anyways, but it's cool to be able to get advice that's useful toward my career," Flores said. "If I coach as long as he's scouted, it'll be a good life."

As the Grizzlies prepare for their foreign tour next week to Costa Rica, and the season in the coming months ahead, Flores is excited to not only be back on the court and play a role in the team's development, but to do so at the University of Montana.

He noted the school's strong history and the coaching tree that includes basketball legends like Jud Heathcote, Larry Krystkowiak, Stew Morrill and Hall of Famer Mike Montgomery. He notices the uniqueness of Missoula and the way the community supports basketball. All of this excites Flores to continue with the Griz program, and to do so in a coaching role.

"How great is this job that this morning I got to coach basketball? And then I get to do it again later."

University of Montana Athletics

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