Skip Schumaker might’ve won the National League Manager of the Year Award in his first season at the helm, but he’d be the first to tell you he still has lots to learn.
Well before the Marlins hired him in October 2022, Schumaker had consumed plenty of content about the greatest coaches across all sports. On Monday night, he got to meet one of his inspirations, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, before the team played the Los Angeles Clippers in Southern California.
Schumaker can somewhat thank his 16-year-old son, Brody, for the opportunity. Schumaker and his wife, Lindsey, wanted to gift their two kids, Brody and Presley, experiences rather than material goods this Christmas. After debating between attending the Rose Bowl and the basketball game, Brody picked the latter, much to his father’s delight.
“I think for me and for him, you just want to see the best do their jobs -- whether it's the high-caliber coaching or it's the NBA players up close,” Schumaker said. “[We’ve been to] NFL, we've been to hockey games that are right on the ice, and inside the clubhouse, and watching them do their thing. Just seeing the elite get after it, there's a common trend of work. That's what you see no matter what sport. For me, it's really cool to have your kids experience that part of it. It's not just the talent. These guys get after it every day.”
Following Brody’s decision, Schumaker reached out to Marlins personnel, who connected with the Heat to coordinate everything. Decked out in a Heat hat he purchased at the 2023 NBA Finals, Skip and Brody arrived for shootaround and chatted with players like Duncan Robinson.
About an hour before tip-off, Schumaker then spoke with Spoelstra for 20-30 minutes. Spoelstra is in his 16th season as head coach of the Heat and his 29th in the organization. Since taking over for Hall of Famer Pat Riley, Spoelstra has led the Heat to six conference titles and two NBA championships. In February 2022, he was chosen as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history as part of the league’s 75th Anniversary Season celebration.
“I will say that after listening and reading all this stuff for the last 12-15 years on Spo, and finally getting to talk with him, everything that was written or said, or the podcasts I've listened to on him, it was pretty spot on,” Schumaker said. “You're doing something right when you're in the same organization as a head coach for as long as he's done it, that he's been there with so much turnover, so many different rosters, players and personalities. That's what a winning, sustainable organization looks like, right? When you have that stability at the top?”
While fans show up to watch the players, Schumaker studies the coaches. From his seat behind the bench, not too far from Riley, Schumaker paid attention to how Spoelstra and his staff interacted with the players -- whether it be during pregame or timeouts.
Playing without superstar Jimmy Butler, the Heat fell, 121-104. But the team treated everything as business as usual from the preparation to in-game adjustments.
Schumaker saw coaches that weren’t afraid to teach, having developed strong relationships with “genuine, high-character” players. The game evolves, and so has Spoelstra. Schumaker found it refreshing that the NBA coach’s messaging hasn’t gotten stale -- a testament to who he is.
“It was just really cool to hear him talk about that and see the strength coaches interact with the players and so much energy with the coaching staff,” Schumaker said. “The players obviously buy into all their messaging, and it was just really, really cool to sit back and watch.”
Schumaker hopes it’s not the last time the pair crosses paths. Spoelstra, who was shown on the loanDepot park jumbotron during the 2023 season, had brought his tee-ball team to a Marlins game. Since it was so last minute, he and Schumaker weren’t able to connect.
“It's not surprising once you meet him [to see] why they are where they are,” Schumaker said. “His quote is, ‘How you do anything is how you do everything.’ I remember him talking about LeBron [James] putting together his locker or making it neat and tidy. That just kind of shows how he is and how he goes about things. It feels like he's super regimented.
“There's a lot of non-negotiables, just watching their routines. It's somebody you strive to be at some point in your career, right? I mean, I've got a long way to go, a really long way to go. Just to see him and how he interacts with the players and how he interacts with his coaching staff and how he empowers his coaches, it's just everything that you strive for one day.”