Before Tyrese Haliburton`s dramatic game-winners in the recent NBA Finals opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 against the New York Knicks, there was another crucial, improbable shot that significantly impacted the Indiana Pacers` postseason trajectory.
This pivotal moment occurred on March 11. The Pacers were locked in a tight battle for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference standings. This particular game against the Milwaukee Bucks proved vital for securing home-court advantage in the initial playoff round.
With only 3.9 seconds remaining and the Pacers trailing by three points, Head Coach Rick Carlisle turned to one of his key assistant coaches.
He instructed her that it was time to deploy a specialized out-of-bounds play she had developed. This play, much like the coach who devised it, was the result of a truly unique path in basketball.
Indiana Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek first conceived the idea for this play while coaching the WNBA`s Miami Sol from 2000 to 2002, where she also played semipro flag football during that period.
She further refined the concept during her tenure as the head coach of the Seattle Storm between 2015 and 2017, collaborating with the legendary point guard Sue Bird.
And now, Carlisle was relying on her to execute it at one of the most critical junctures of the Pacers` season.
The fundamental concept is straightforward: with the player inbound the ball positioned across half-court, the other four teammates line up behind the half-court line, resembling a four-receiver formation in football. Each player then runs their designed route, executing various curls and post patterns towards the basket. The inbounder quickly locates the open player, anticipating that the defense will be off-balance somewhere.
Precisely this scenario unfolded when the Pacers ran Boucek`s play against the Bucks. Andrew Nembhard assumed the role of inbounder and `quarterback` in the four-wide set. Haliburton, initially lined up on the opposite side, curled behind his three teammates and sprinted towards the near corner. There, he received the pass and sank an off-balance three-pointer while being fouled.
Haliburton`s four-point play against the Bucks on March 11 was crucial for the Pacers` climb in the East standings. Few knew the play was devised by Boucek, an idea she first had nearly 25 years ago.
That four-point sequence marked the beginning of a series of spectacular moments for Haliburton throughout this postseason. It was equally a significant moment for Boucek herself.
“That was a fairly pivotal moment in our season,” Carlisle shared with ESPN. “That`s why, in my opinion, she`s on a path to potentially become the first female head coach in the NBA. This isn`t just due to her knowledge, but also her ability to build connections, her capacity to listen, and her humility.
“I truly believe that with the level of responsibility she holds with us, the league is taking notice.”
This significant responsibility was evident again in the Pacers` victory over the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (Note: The article seems to conflate dates/opponents; assuming the referenced game was against Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals based on context of Haliburton`s shots and Pacers` playoff run.)
After Haliburton hit his latest game-winning shot with just 0.3 seconds remaining, the cameras showed the Pacers` huddle where Boucek, not Carlisle, was directing the team`s defensive setup for the final play.
Indiana effectively covered all options, including the inbound lob attempt near the rim, which sailed out of bounds, securing another comeback win for the Pacers.
“Rick told me, `I need this to be your responsibility this year,`” Boucek recounted to ESPN. “And I don`t want to disappoint him or the team. But sometimes it feels like he`s pushing me into the deep end, essentially saying, `You`ll either sink or swim, but I trust in you.`”
“At times, that trust exceeds my own belief in myself. But when someone has faith in you, gives you a task, you strive to fulfill it because you`re part of a team, and you want to contribute your small part.”
That profound belief has fueled an extraordinary professional narrative and an even more remarkable personal one – transforming from a player whose dreams were cut short to a coach with aspirations beyond the court that she once feared might jeopardize them.
Like many assistant coaches, Boucek finds it hard to sleep after a game until she has reviewed the entire footage and edited clips to present to the team the following morning. However, unlike any other assistant coach in the NBA, Boucek has an additional late-night responsibility: planning activities for her 6-year-old daughter, Rylie, who travels with her.
The team covers the travel and accommodation expenses for Rylie and another adult – typically one of Boucek`s parents or friends – on any road trip lasting longer than three nights.
Carlisle, who openly admires Boucek`s capacity to manage both her roles, proactively supported her in overseeing the team`s defense by bringing in former Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen as a defensive consultant.
Carlisle not only trusts Boucek to lead the Pacers` defense but also believes she is a strong candidate for future head coaching opportunities.
“She possesses strong convictions, extensive experience, and deep knowledge,” Boylen commented to ESPN, “but she also has this inquisitiveness and a talent for learning and then teaching what she`s learned. She`s an exceptional communicator, an exceptional teacher.”
“And I felt deeply – this is a personal and spiritual connection for me, having two daughters and being raised by a strong woman – that one of the reasons I was meant to be here and contribute was to support her in navigating the challenge of being a single mother with a young child while leading a defense in the NBA.”
The Pacers have demonstrated significant defensive improvement, rising from 24th in the league in 2022-23 to 14th this season. They maintained a top-10 defensive rating from January 1 through the end of the regular season and have further improved by five points per 100 possessions in the playoffs compared to their performance last postseason.
Forward Pascal Siakam, a three-time All-Star, credits Boucek with facilitating his swift integration into the Pacers` system.
“Jenny has been fantastic,” he remarked. “Joining Indy and adapting to a different system required me to adjust to many things, and she has been extremely helpful. She provides me with valuable insights into our objectives as a team and what we aim to achieve.”
Guard Andrew Nembhard, whose defensive capabilities have been widely praised throughout the postseason, shares this sentiment.
“Her understanding of the game,” he stated, “is among the best I`ve encountered.”
There was a period when Boucek believed none of this would ever materialize. In fact, there were countless such moments.
After completing her studies at the University of Virginia, Boucek assumed her basketball career was finished.
The WNBA had not yet been established, and she had pursued a medical degree, following the path of many family members. However, she needed an additional fifth year in Charlottesville to complete her double major before attending medical school.
Coincidentally, that year marked the inaugural season of the WNBA. She had been away from basketball for eight months and had already processed the end of her identity as a player. But during that final year, she read about an open tryout nearby and decided she would regret it if she didn`t at least attempt it.
She successfully made the team and signed with the Cleveland Rockers.
“I saw women in the stands – adult women in tears at our games,” Boucek recalled. “Representing our sport, and our league embodying all the rejections they had faced throughout their lives because of their gender. And this represented a massive affirmation.”
“And I realized, `This league is significant. This league matters.`”
Even after sustaining a career-ending injury in 1998, Boucek still felt drawn back to the game.
Despite injuries ending her playing career prematurely, Boucek felt a strong pull back to the sport she loves.
Ron Rothstein, who served as an assistant coach for Mike Fratello`s Cleveland Cavaliers, frequently attended Rockers games and practices on his days off. He expressed his admiration for the way the women played, their passion, toughness, and particularly noted a defensive specialist named Jenny Boucek.
Several years later, after Fratello`s coaching staff was dismissed by the Cavaliers, Rothstein received a call from Miami Heat president Pat Riley, inquiring about his interest in coaching the new WNBA team in Miami. It was an easy decision, but he also understood that his first hiring choices would be crucial to his success.
“I knew I needed to hire women because I had no prior experience coaching women,” Rothstein admitted.
He remembered Boucek from her time with the Rockers and also recruited Marynell Meadors from the Charlotte Sting.
“Honestly, I was navigating blind. But these two women were our guides. And I quickly learned to trust them because they were intelligent, tireless workers, simply outstanding. I couldn`t have made better hires.”
Boucek similarly feels fortunate regarding her mentor.
“Ron is recognized as one of the finest teachers to have come through the NBA,” Boucek stated. “That`s precisely why Riley hired him to mentor [Erik] Spoelstra. I am incredibly blessed that he took me under his wing, challenged me, and invested in my development.”
“He opened my eyes and mind to the technical intricacies of the game, and it was incredibly stimulating.”
Boucek often speaks about the science and systematic nature of basketball. It`s how she perceives the world.
Her mother`s family lineage includes backgrounds in neurology and psychiatry. Her maternal grandfather, Robert Heath, was a distinguished psychiatrist who, she noted, was a pioneer in deep brain stimulation during the 1950s.
Her father`s side specializes in pediatric cardiology. Both her father and uncle focused on pediatric heart transplants. Her uncle, Mark Boucek, was part of the team that performed a successful yet controversial baboon heart transplant on a 12-day-old infant known as Baby Fae, a procedure that directly paved the way for infant-to-infant heart transplant surgeries.
“My heritage is marked by a passion for systematic problem-solving and innovation, coupled with a deep care for people and a desire to help them,” she explained. “Understanding others is key. But there are also many researchers who are inherently wired to question established norms.”
For years, Boucek pursued both professional ambitions and personal dreams, believing they were mutually exclusive. Now, as a front-row assistant for the Pacers, she is finally realizing both.
Boucek takes great pride in her family`s achievements and their legacy. She believes they have significantly influenced her own journey as well.
She didn`t deliberately set out to be the first single mother on an NBA coaching staff, nor to potentially become the league`s first female head coach. But now that she is on this path, she has adopted a distinctly analytical approach to managing it all.
“I`ve extensively studied attachment theories and the psychology of relationships,” she stated. “And focusing on what, as the primary caregiver, your baby needs from you in their first few years – zero to one, zero to two, and so on.”
“And the discussions with the organizations and Rick have been ongoing – regarding things like, `I think I can handle this now. I think I can do that now.`”
“He has been incredibly supportive, saying, `Okay, as soon as you feel ready for that, we`ll place you in this new role.` He has consistently advanced me, often pushing me beyond my comfort zone, but always with candid conversations about, `Does this align with what I need to be as a mother to my daughter at this stage?`”
Boucek now feels comfortable having these discussions, but this wasn`t always the case.
She initially kept her pregnancy discreet while on the Sacramento Kings` staff during the 2017-18 season, only informing then-Kings coach Dave Joerger after a tennis match where she became concerned her heart rate exceeded a safe level for a pregnant woman of advanced maternal age.
Joerger was supportive of the pregnancy, Boucek mentioned, but agreed to her request to keep it private from the rest of the staff and team.
“I didn`t want anyone to know because I didn`t want the coaches to treat me differently, you know, or the players to worry about injuring me, or them to not want me to travel,” she explained. “I thought I might have to make a difficult choice. As women, we often face this.”
“Will we be able to pursue this career path and be a great mom, or not? Many women, unfortunately, have to make that decision when considering their career progression. `If I start thinking about having a family, can I continue? Or do I need to step back or stay in a limited role?`”
Joerger was one of the first individuals who questioned why Boucek couldn`t accomplish both.
“I hired Jenny because I genuinely respected her perspective and her expertise,” Joerger commented. “She simply has a wonderful outlook and demeanor. The players are drawn to her. You can sense their deep respect for her.”
However, mentally, Boucek was still coming to terms with the possibility that it might not be feasible to balance both roles.
“I always wanted to be a mom,” she said. “I was busy, active, traveling globally, coaching and visiting players around the world. It wasn`t until I was in my 40s, while head coach of the Seattle Storm, that I acknowledged my biological clock and consulted a fertility specialist, who advised that if I wanted to carry my own child, I should start considering it. I had always hoped to find that ideal partner to start a family with, and have the traditional family unit and all that accompanies it.”
“So I began to contemplate and pray. `Would I, could I, should I embark on this journey independently?` And I found peace with the idea. I had to grieve the loss of my envisioned family dream – the way I had always imagined it. But I was absolutely certain that I wanted to at least attempt to become a mother.”
That decision triggered another wave of considerations. “Could this jeopardize a future relationship? Could this cost me my career? Some might pass judgment. Because it wasn`t something commonly done. But ultimately, I felt that whatever the cost – even if I lost everything, if it depleted all my resources – I had to try.”
What she discovered, once she decided to risk everything for motherhood, was a network of friends and fellow coaches who offered unwavering support and provided her with what she needed to excel in both her professional and personal lives.
“I cannot adequately express my respect for her,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell stated. “She`s managing all of this as a single mom. It`s incredibly challenging, and she`s breaking significant barriers in this sport. She`s an exceptional coach. We are thrilled to have her. We are fortunate she`s here.”
And now, she sits prominently on the bench of a team competing for an NBA championship.
“I`ve been affiliated with eight teams. I`ve reached the Finals four times,” Boylen remarked. “This woman possesses remarkable coaching ability. She can teach effectively. She communicates exceptionally well. She`s resilient – and she`s a mother. That is incredibly powerful.”