At U.C. Irvine, to Honor Kobe Bryant Is to Win

Badrtalei, too, was relentless. He became the assistant coach of the Anteaters in 2009 as his relationship with Bryant deepened. “Being around him, not wanting to let him down, kept that drive going,” he said.

One of the last texts Badrtalei sent to Bryant was about that persistent mentality. While listening to an interview with Bryant, Badrtalei realized he could predict every answer. “I said: ‘Man, I can’t believe how much you have impacted my thought process. Every question they asked, I kind of knew the answer.’ I know how he thinks and how it’s shaped the way I think in terms of my approach to training and competition.”

“And that’s unfortunate for everybody I’ll be coaching — they’ll feel that,” he added, laughing.

It was evident on the court Saturday night when Turner and Badrtalei led the Anteaters against California State University, Northridge. The Anteaters are in their championship push with hopes of an N.C.A.A. berth, and it shows.

At one point in the game, the Anteaters were leading by 32 points. But they were playing with an intensity as if the score were reversed, their coaches shouting as if the N.C.A.A. championship were on the line.

Most of this year’s squad did not interact with Bryant as much as some previous teams. In 2013, after Bryant ruptured his Achilles’ tendon, his off-season became dedicated to rehabilitation. His time at the Bren Center became sporadic, and he retired three years later.

But his relationship with U.C. Irvine remained strong, and the Anteaters intend to honor him the best way they know how: on the court. The Anteaters won their game on Saturday, 87-64, to improve to 19-10. They are 11-2 in the Big West Conference.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/sports/kobe-bryant-uc-irvine.html