There is a story Monty Williams once told me about his one and only season under Pat Riley that defines that generation at Madison Square Garden and made a lasting impression on a young player who would one day become a head coach.
"Charlie Ward and I had two days off as rookies; New Year's Day and another random day," Williams said. "That's it. When the team practiced we'd lift weights with (strength coach) Greg Brittenham for 45 minutes. Then we'd run upstairs, and Jeff (Van Gundy) was waiting to run drills for another 45 minutes. And then we'd practice with the vets for three hours.
"I had never experienced anything like that. But Pat Riley set the tone for me in terms of working. Riles was the kinda coach that if you were in the fire with him, he had your back. To this day I respect that because he built something in me that nobody can take away."
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I met Monty 20 years ago and one of the first things you learn is to never question his toughness. Monty was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition while at college at Notre Dame and still became a first-round pick and carved out a solid NBA career for himself. Coaching was the natural next step. Monty played for Riley, Van Gundy, Doc Rivers, Don Nelson, Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich and obviously learned plenty along the way.
After serving an apprenticeship with the Spurs, Monty moved to Portland to work for Nate McMillan before finally landing a head coaching job with New Orleans. The day after his press conference, Monty sent me a text thanking me for my support over the years. It was appreciated but hardly necessary. Monty had earned this all on his own.
When I spoke to him last month at the Garden before the Knicks faced Oklahoma City, Monty told me how much he enjoyed working on Billy Donovan’s staff and being around players like Kevin Durant. Before going our separate ways, I asked Monty about his family and told him he should be proud of the job he did with the Pelicans. The next day, he sent another text.
“Thank you for the kind words. I’m humbled by that.”
That’s just the type of person he is.
I’ve thought a lot about Monty Williams in the days since his loving wife, Ingrid, was killed in a car accident in Oklahoma City last week. The tragedy hit close to home for those who knew him well, especially one of his best friends, Charlie Ward.
You sit and wonder just how Monty, responsible for the couple’s five children, can get through it. How do you even make sense of it? Where does he even begin? But then you hear the words Monty delivered on Thursday in Oklahoma City at the funeral service for Ingrid and you remember that this is a man of great faith and compassion.
With Ward, Allan Houston, Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau among the approximately 900 attendees, Monty told them “this is hard for my family but this will work out. And my wife would punch me if I were to sit up here and whine about what is going on.
“That doesn’t take away the pain, but it will work out because God causes all things to work out. You just can’t quit; you can’t give in.”
It was a beautiful, moving tribute from one of the toughest guys you’ll ever find.
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