Daryl House beams ear to ear when talking about what it’s like to work for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Basketball Academy as camp director.
“I’m like a little kid now,” he said. “It’s been like a dream come true.”
In 1989, when the Minnesota Timberwolves started their inaugural season in the NBA, House was a ninth grader at South Minneapolis High School and always dreamed of working with the Timberwolves. Thirty years later that dream is a reality.
House and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Basketball Academy worked a camp at Brainerd High School July 16-17. House is familiar with the Brainerd area has he played basketball at Central Lakes College in 1995.
“Great people and great place,” he said. “Brainerd has grown so much.”
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Before coming to Central Lakes College, House played college basketball at Bismarck State College where he was teammate and roommate of current Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri.
House has coached basketball since he was a high school senior where he coached recreation league basketball. He’s coached every level of basketball from second grade to varsity level basketball. Most recently he was the head coach at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis.
House loves the chance to come to Brainerd, where he played college basketball and teach basketball with the Timberwolves and Lynx Basketball Academy.
“I am very blessed and fortunate,” he said. “My life was not easy growing up in the inner city of Minneapolis. So basketball was always a safe place being in the gym. There are a lot of vices out there in every community. And coming to Brainerd allowed me a quiet place to study and pursue my athletic career.”
House hopes the camp can return to Brainerd for years to come. He keeps coming back to coaching and teaching the younger generation because he sees greatness in others.
“Regardless of what your background might be, I’ve come to understand that we all breathe the same air,” House said. “Being great begins in the mind and think about being great in all you do to be better in life.”
House learned three things that helped him after leaving Central Lakes College. He learned to listen, follow directions and give your best effort all the time.
“Be teachable, be coachable and don’t think you know it all,” House said.
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