College Article Feature: Resilience and Growth Define Rick Higgins’ First Season at the Helm

Written by Stephen Bergen | University of Utah

Coach Rick Higgins’ first year as a G League head coach has provided many learning opportunities for a man who has always wanted the opportunity to be a head coach.

When asked what this season has meant to him on a personal level, Higgins said, “I’ve always wanted to be able to make my own decisions and draw my own plays, yell my own nonsense, have my own stupid old man coach jokes. I’ve always wanted the opportunity.”

Higgins’ season was topped off with a win over the Santa Cruz Warriors and a career night by Max Abmas.

In the postgame press conference, Higgins spoke of a season of high points for the team and adapting to player movement.

“I learned a lot, and I think I’ve got a lot more to learn,” he said.

He pointed to the Stars’ Winter Showcase championship as the highlight of his season, while noting the challenges of the second half, when he needed to be ready to adjust as players moved in and out of the lineup.

With constant lineup changes due to call-ups to the Utah Jazz, Higgins said, “We can be resilient, that we can persevere. We went through a lot of weird circumstances, players in the lineup, players out of the lineup.”

When asked how he approached those challenges, he responded in a tone that makes you believe him: “Show up every day, be competitive, and fight through the difficulties.”

His work ethic and approach to the job are clear in his answer.

Higgins also spoke about his players, and it is clear by the way he talks that he has built personal relationships with them.

With Max Abmas headlining the night, Higgins said, “Max is just awesome, he provides a very steady personality to our group — he’s got far more toughness than people know.”

After discussing the challenges of player movement, Higgins made it clear that Abmas has had a strong impact both in the locker room and on the court.

He also addressed the challenge of managing a talented player like Abmas. When asked how he gets players to balance team play with personal stats, Higgins said, “I’ve had that battle with Max multiple times — I’ve been imploring him to find his heat checks within the group dynamic, compared to doing it by himself, and I think today was the first day he really leaned into that.”

Abmas had several heat checks throughout the game, but as Higgins noted, most came within the team dynamic, and the group rallied around him.

“There was something good going for the entire group, and they just wanted to see more of it,” Higgins said. “I think that showed in the way they celebrated the last one he hit.”

The Stars’ season has been unique, with success in the Winter Showcase and Higgins making the most of a shifting roster in the latter half of the year.

As he said earlier, Higgins has had many opportunities to learn in his first season as a head coach and has shown poise and composure throughout.

The Stars have a coach who cares about his players, works hard and inspires team play,
toughness and grit. The future looks bright for Higgins and his group.