Faces of Milwaukee: Coach Mike Budenholzer

I have a pet theory about coaching in professional sports that I call the "Second Chance Theory." The idea is that you want to find a coach who is looking for their second head coaching opportunity, having lost their first job under pretty specific circumstances. First, they dramatically exceed expectations over a short period. Then, they become victims of their own success as elevated expectations lead to angry fans when the team can't get over the hump. Bonus points if they are looking to step out of the shadow of another famous coach with whom they are closely linked. Milwaukee Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer fits this theory perfectly and, hey, the results speak for themselves!

Budenholzer comes from a large family in Holbrook, AZ, a town of about 6000 with a large Navajo population due to its proximity to the Navajo Nation. He attended Holbrook High School, where his father Vince taught and coached basketball. Vince was a star coach in his own right, taking the team to the Division 3 State Championship in 1971 and a member of the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame. Mike got his start as a video coordinator on the staff of the San Antonio Spurs, eventually working his way up to assistant coach under Gregg Popovich, He eventually got a chance at a head coaching job in Atlanta in 2013 where he took a struggling team into the playoffs his first year, and then to 60 wins in 2014 but fell short in the playoffs. He struggled to find that same success again in Atlanta and left in 2018.

The Milwaukee Bucks took a chance that Coach Bud could repeat what he did in Atlanta in turning around an unpolished young squad through a culture of tough defense and a high-powered modern NBA offense. He lucked into a few things in Milwaukee: new owners looking to win now, smart personnel moves like finding Brook Lopez on the cheap, and a budding Greek superstar. But there is no doubt in his coaching bonafides anymore. After a tough finish in 2019 and a pandemic that shutdown one of the winningest in Bucks history, the team finally broke through in 2021 and he deserves much of the credit. Thank you Coach Bud!