ThePostGame recently caught up with the basketball broadcaster as he prepares to call this weekend's Final Four.
ThePostGame: With the Final Four this weekend and the NBA playoffs starting in a few weeks, is this the busiest time of the year for you?
STEVE KERR: Oh yeah, no question. Kind of between March and June, it's a crazy time for us. We go right from the NCAA tournament into the NBA playoffs. I'm on the road all the time. It’s kind of a crazy time but it's exciting and fun as well.
TPG: Looking back at the past two years calling the Final Four and the national championship game, what have you learned and what will you take away from those experiences?
KERR: Well, the first year I was pretty nervous just because I had never done a Final Four before. I'm very comfortable with the NBA, but I wanted to be sure that I really did a good job with the college game. I just remember sitting for the open with Jim [Nantz] and Clark [Kellogg], and we came on the air and I remember thinking to myself, "There's like 80 million people watching this. It's kind of a big deal."
But I quickly settled in and just kind of focused on my job. Jim and Clark were great. They welcomed me right from the beginning, and they're just great teammates. I think we hit it off immediately.
TPG: Not only will you be calling games this weekend, but you're also doing some work with Allstate. What exactly will you be doing, and what does it mean for you to be helping out with the local community?
KERR: I've been part of a venture that Allstate has put forth this year, it's called the Good Works Team. It’s a group of players both from Division-I and the lower divisions that have been selected because of their community service and the work they do in their local communities.
So these players, most of them will be here in Atlanta at the Final Four. On Sunday we're going to do a basketball clinic here in town. It will be Special Olympics-related event. Dominique Wilkins and I are both going to help in the clinic, as well as most of the guys from the Allstate Good Works Team. It will be a lot of fun and it’s a good way to give back to the city of Atlanta.
TPG: This year your Wildcats fell just short of the Elite Eight, but Arizona should be pretty strong next year. Looking ahead, how excited are you to see what Sean Miller can do with this program?
KERR: I'm really excited about what Sean has done. It's amazing when you look at it, how quickly he's gotten things rolling. This was his fourth year and the talent level now compared to his first couple years is just dramatically different.
They just signed this kid Aaron Gordon, who was the MVP of the McDonalds All-American Game on Wednesday. He's just an absolute freak athlete. They've got a lot of talent coming back, so this is going to be a really, really good team and a good program for the foreseeable future.
As an alum, we always pull for our alma mater. But I'm close with Sean and really connected to the program, so I'm happy for them.
TPG: Which lesser known player has really impressed you during the NCAA tournament?
KERR: It's always a collective effort to get to the Final Four, nobody does it on their own. There's a handful of guys. Mitch McGary has been amazing for Michigan after barely starting during the season. He's really turned them into a different team.
For each team there's a guy who just kind of jumps off the page. Maybe not for being a star, but for what he does.
Ron Baker for Wichita State. He was injured for most of the season, and he's given them a great balance and a stabilizing force. For Louisville, Gorgui Dieng is so dominant defensively. The guards get most of the glory it seems like for Louisville, but Dieng is the guy who anchors the defense.
And then for Syracuse, everyone's talking about Michael Carter-Williams for good reason. C.J. Fair is a guy I have my eye on for Saturday. He's a terrific player and a difficult matchup for Michigan.
Those are just a handful of guys who have maybe gone under the radar a little bit who have played huge roles.
TPG: Is college coaching something you think you could see yourself doing down the road?
KERR: I'm thinking that I will be involved in coaching at some point in my life. I would probably gravitate more towards the NBA side, but I wouldn't eliminate the college game from my thinking.
You never know what's going to pop up, but I definitely want to get involved in coaching at some point.
TPG: You've seen basketball from several perspectives -- as a player, a front office guy and now a broadcaster. What appeals to you about coaching?
KERR: Just the interaction with the players. The daily work together on the court with the players and the relationships you build with your team and your staff. I think that's really intriguing.
Kerr has been serving on a panel which selected the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Allstate NABC Good Works Team. On Sunday, Kerr and NBA legend Dominique Wilkins will participate in a basketball clinic for dozens of Special Olympics Georgia athletes. For more information about the squad and its honorees, see here.
