Springfield Grad to Receive NBA Championship Ring

By

Dan Geriot
Springfield native Dan Geriot's first year as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization ended with him kissing an NBA championship trophy.

Dan Geriot’s basketball career at Springfield High School still resonates in Delaware County, even though it ended a decade ago.

As a 6-foot-8 forward who could play on the perimeter, Geriot scored 2,157 points in his scholastic career, the second most in the county’s basketball-rich history. Later, the 2006 Springfield graduate improbably led Richmond to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and had a brief stint as a professional in Europe.

Geriot, however, never made the NBA.

As a player.

Now entering his second season as the Assistant Video Coordinator of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Geriot works in a behind-the-scenes capacity in the best basketball league in the world.

Which means that, thanks to LeBron James’s herculean efforts in the Finals last June against the Golden State Warriors, Geriot will soon be receiving an NBA championship ring that features more ice than all of Alaska.

Last week, a picture of the rings was leaked by one of the players on his Twitter account.

The jewelry will be distributed on Oct. 25, when the Cavs open their season as hosts to the New York Knicks.

What is it like to work with one of the greatest players of all time?

Geriot recently shared a story with the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, saying that early in his tenure in Cleveland, when the Cavs needed a fifth body to practice a half-court set, James called out to him.

“Dan, get in the corner,” LeBron said. “I know you were a shooter.”

Geriot was still new to the job, and wasn’t sure if James knew his name.

“Personally, that was a bucket list thing: LeBron knowing I was a shooter,” Geriot said. “I was alright with that.”

Prior to his arrival in Cleveland, Geriot played in Belgium for a year and was an assistant coach for two years at Princeton and two more at Campbell University.

“Koby Altman, Cleveland’s Director of Pro Player Personnel, was an assistant at Columbia when I was at Princeton,” Geriot said. “My college roommate worked with Koby at Columbia, and at Campbell, our director of player development worked at Columbia with Koby.

“I let Koby know that I would be interested if there was ever an opportunity to join the organization. My position came open in the summer (of 2015), and he let me know about it. I went through the interview process and was very excited to accept when I was offered the position.”

Geriot has dreams of one day coaching in the NBA. And they may not be so far-fetched. Frank Vogel (Orlando Magic) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) are two head coaches who’ve experienced success after starting as video coordinators.

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