INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis kid is back home.
Pike High School Red Devils alum Jeff Teague will stalk the sidelines once again as the new head boys basketball coach at his alma mater after a successful 13-year NBA career.
What started as a joke with his dad, assistant Pike boys basketball coach Shawn Teague, turned into an exciting opportunity.
"Being competitive with him, I was like, 'I can outcoach him,'" Teague scoffed. "We went back and forth for a while. He just told me he it might be a cool opportunity to come back and coach the high school team. He was like, 'You love coaching. You love being a part of the game.'"
Teague mulled the decision over while acting as a regional scout for the Atlanta Hawks, but he knew home was calling to him.
"As I came back and was living at home a little more, a lot of my friends were coaching around the city. I was going to high school games and starting to get involved, and I just wanted to be a part of it. When the opportunity came, it was like, 'Yeah, it's my time.'"
The athletic director at Pike High School, Kendra Champion-McAloon, echoed Teague's sentiments – a match made in heaven.
"We've gotten to know his dad, who has been on staff the past several years. We've gotten to know the family a little bit," Champion-McAloon explained. "The timing just worked out really well for him and for us. I think things just fell into place and now we're just ready and excited to get started."
Teague's resume speaks for itself: a 2009 first-round draft pick, a 2015 NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks, and a 2021 NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks. For Teague, though, being back at Pike as head basketball coach tops the list.
"Just having an opportunity to give back to the youth and being a part of the community that I grew up in means a lot," Teague said, "I just remember when I was here and how good our teams were, how much fun it was, and how the whole community would be behind you. You would go to the Taco Bell or McDonald's and guys in the drive-thru were rooting for you. That was a great time."
A great time indeed. Teague was named an Indiana All-Star in 2007 before attending Wake Forest to continue his basketball career. With all he's accomplished, the Pike community still feels like home for him.
"[Indianapolis] means everything to me. I was born and raised here. It's all I ever knew. I have it tattooed on me, so that should tell you a lot about me and Indianapolis," Teague laughed. "This high school taught me how to be a man. The coaches that were here when I was here taught me how to be a great person off the court. They taught me hard work, dedication, how to be a respectful person in the community, and that's what I want to bring back to Pike."
Teague is returning to his roots. Staffers at Pike are thrilled to have Teague back home, saying he's as humble now as he was as a student.
"I was a teacher here when Jeff went through high school and he's just as amazing then as he is now. We joke now. He would never speak up, just kind of quiet, just would do what he was supposed to do - just a great human," Champion-McAloon said. "I think you can still see that in him today. Throughout his career in the NBA, he was just a great person, a great example, and a great role model. We're just excited, thrilled, thankful, and humbled. He's humbled. We're just excited that he wants to be a part of it."
It's the type of person you want coaching your kids, and it's the type of message Teague wants to bring to Red Devils basketball.
"Being successful young men. My biggest thing is off the court. Basketball will take care of itself. If you work hard, play hard, practice hard, and work on your skills, you'll get better as a player. But, off the court, I want you to be a really good person," Teague explained. "It's a different world we live in now. I just want to be one of those guys that can guide them in the right direction. Hopefully, when they leave here five or six years from now, they're doing what they dreamed about doing, living the life that they want to live, and enjoying things that they could have never imagined similar to what I'm doing."
Teague has coached AAU basketball teams before. Right now, he says he's practicing for the nuances of leading a high school basketball team by coaching third graders.
"There are a lot of personalities with third graders," Teague laughed, "You have to have a lot of patience, but I think that's helping me a lot to deal with different personalities on a high school basketball team."
The biggest point of emphasis for Teague while leading the program is honoring former players or anyone who has achieved success and is associated with Pike High School.
"I just want to make sure they're honored, and they feel special," Teague concluded. "Some of the achievements we have coming out of Pike High School are unbelievable."
Teague takes over the Pike basketball program from Bill Zych, who announced his retirement last month after 13 seasons at the helm. The Red Devils are coming off a 16-9 season after losing to eventual 4A state champion and undefeated Ben Davis in the sectional championship. The Teague family also owns and operates The Factory, a three-court basketball facility that offers strength and agility training as well as leagues for youth players.