Derek Fisher is all in for coaching basketball,

Holding a clipboard, sporting a baseball cap backward and chewing on a white whistle, Derek Fisher of Lakers fame is in the Crespi High gymnasium instructing fundamentals to a group of locked-in youngsters.

Spots of grey are seen in Fisher’s beard. The former New York Knicks coach and 18-year NBA veteran is long retired from skilled basketball but so busy, with a morning sports activities radio program, daily duties as coach at Crespi and a coming four-month high faculty schedule, that wanting at a calendar is a must.

He long in the past proved his creed as the backcourt mate of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant on 5 NBA championship groups. That form of respect and data has been embraced by Crespi gamers. You can see how they hear intently when he speaks and look into Fisher’s eyes understanding he’s performed and coached at the best degree.

The fact that Fisher, 52, is in his fourth season at Crespi may come as a shock. Some thought it was a gimmick. Others thought it was a stopover before heading back to an NBA place. Instead, he’s devoted himself to studying the high faculty recreation and competing against some of the best high faculty coaches in America in the Mission League.

Oh, he’s confronted the standard GWN moments, Lakers followers asking for autographs and Fisher even seeing his spouse ejected from a recreation that produced headlines on social media. But he’s targeted on serving to his two stepsons, Carter and Isaiah Barnes, and educating his Crespi gamers on what it takes to succeed on and off the court.

He said he’s always taking advice and consulting with his assistants.

“I try to learn as much from them,” he said. “We’re constantly in communication, talking and sharing.”

Yes, he actually understands he’s there to help his gamers. It doesn’t matter what degree he’s coaching.

“The variation is in the players,” he said of coaching. “It’s always a little different because the players are different. I think there’s some foundational things about basketball that don’t change.”

So what’s the distinction coaching youngsters?

“I’ve tried to be adaptable to the young kids that we’re coaching,” he said. “How responsive are they to what we’re asking them to do? If we’re not getting good outcomes, it’s on us to figure it out.”

For Fisher’s gamers, his basketball historical past earned him speedy respect, but that carries only so far. He had to show them he may coach.

“Relationships developed over three, four years is where the listening comes from,” he said. “Most importantly, they have to know, regardless of what I’ve done, they have to know I’m here for them as much as anything,”

Knicks coach Derek Fisher talks to his gamers during a recreation in 2016.

(Elsa / Getty Images)

This figures to be Fisher’s best Crespi crew based on how nicely it has carried out in summer time and fall competitions by beating some superb groups.

The big query: Is Fisher having enjoyable coaching high faculty basketball?

“Anytime I’m given the chance to coach basketball, teach basketball, plan for basketball, it’s fun,” he said. “It’s an obsession. The fact it’s high school basketball doesn’t change anything for me.”

And what about going through gamers 7 toes 5 and 7-foot later this season?

“St. Francis is kind of a unique team,” he said of the Golden Knights, who boast twin towers Cherif Millog and Yann Kamagate. “We got a couple months until January to face them. I didn’t have to play against Shaq [O’Neal] too many times, so I didn’t get as much experience playing against 7-footers.”

Fisher in all probability has somebody in his contact listing to call if he wants a strategy against 7-footers.

Phil Jackson? Mike Brown? Shaquille O’Neal?

It’s always good to have that one free telephone call out there because you performed with, performed against and had been coached by the best in the world.