Sports

ENERGY CRISIS CONCERNS CASEY

TORONTO – Before he goes after victories, before he goes after anything else, Don Casey wants to see one thing from the Nets’ players.

“Energy,” Casey said as he was about to embark on his first practice as interim Nets head coach.

Casey has 30 games to try to turn the Nets around and salvage something of the season that started in promise, sunk to a 3-17 record and brought about the coaching firing of John Calipari yesterday.

Casey, embarking upon his second term as an interim coach – he took over for Gene Shue with the Clippers in 1989 – has his first game tonight here against the Raptors. Actually, it will be his third game as Nets head coach. He filled in over in Japan in Calipari’s initial season when the coach’s wife gave birth.

“I played for Casey two games in Japan two years ago and it was a fun experience,” said Kendall Gill. “Hopefully, it will be another fun experience.”

Anything has to be more fun than the past couple days when only Casey and Hal Wissel survived the firing ax. They will be joined by Mike O’Koren on the bench tonight.

“They talked to me and said I am the interim coach,” said the 61-year-old Casey, who ran up an eight-year 151-94 (.616) record at Temple when his run their started in 1873. “What’s my first move? To regroup and get our energy back.”

It may seem hard, but remember, this guy coached the Clippers. And lived to tell about it.

“The first one [moving in as an interim] is not easy,” Casey said. “It’s hard when a guy brings you in. Gene [Shue] brought me in [in L.A.] and Cal brought me in from Boston, which turned out to be a good scene. He worked very hard with high energy and it just didn’t work out here.”

Managing owner Lewis Katz yesterday said Casey will be entered into the head coaching derby when the team’s brass considers all names to find a permanent successor.

“Case is a quality guy, an experienced NBA guy,” Katz said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he surprised a lot of people in these [30] games.”