Before he married a super model and engineered an historic NCAA Tournament run, Andy Enfield fixed Todd Day’s shot.
Enfield, who was a deadeye shooter and Division III All-American at Johns Hopkins University (he shot a record-setting 92.5 percent from the free-throw line), broke into coaching as a shooting consultant with the Milwaukee Bucks. One of his pupils was Day, an All-American at Arkansas and the Razorbacks’ all-time leading scorer.
“I spent a lot of time with him,” Day said. “We called him ‘The Shot Doctor’ or ‘Shot D’ for short,” Day said. “Andy was a great guy and just getting into the business.”
“I was struggling with my jump shot and my three-point shooting mechanics.” he said. “Andy was good with mechanics. It’s no wonder why his guys shoot the ball so well. He is a great shooting coach, and we can see now, he is a great head coach.”
Day said he and Enfield have bumped into each other the past few years on the AAU circuit as Enfield recruited talent for Florida State as an assistant and then as the head coach at Florida Gulf Coast.
Andy Enfield has been the talk of college basketball as he became the first coach in NCAA history to lead a No. 15 seed to the Sweet 16 with convincing wins over No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State. The Eagles play in-state rival Florida Friday at 8:57 p.m.
“I had no idea how well (FGCU) was doing.” Day said. “I coach high school (basketball), so I was busy and didn’t see many games. When the (the NCAA Tournament) started, and they were talking about Andy I was keeping up with him. I called Lee Mayberry (who played at Arkansas and Milwaukee with Day), and we were laughing. It is exciting.”
“It is a dream come true for him,” Day said. “I hope the publicity and his story don’t keep him and the great job he is doing from being overlooked. This dude has taken over a program that just became a program and led them to the Sweet 16. His team looks like the best team in the tournament right now.”
Back in Milwaukee in 1994, Day, still tried to make the transition from college to the NBA, and Enfield was making the most of an opportunity given to him by then-Bucks coach Mike Dunleavy.
“Andy was our age, and we respected him because we saw his work in the gym. He could flat out shoot it,” said Day, who was a 41-percent career shooter from the field and 36 percent three-point shooter. “It’s easier to learn from a guy when you can see he knows what he is doing. A lot of NBA players don’t like to take lessons on mechanics from guys who didn’t play pro ball. I saw the way he shot the ball, and I could see he knew what he was talking about.”
Enfield spent the off-season tutoring players like Day’s friend and former Bucks forward, Vin Baker, and others. Enfield, the Pennsylvania prep standout, also played in pickup games with NBA players he worked with.
“You couldn’t leave [Enfield] open. He would hit it every time,” Day said of his Shot Doctor. “He played the game the way you are supposed to play it. That’s what made it fun playing with him.”
Under Enfield’s tutelage, Day, who was in his third season, averaged close to 17 points per game and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range during the 1994-95 season as compared to 22 percent a year earlier.
“(Enfield) definitely deserves some credit for my career,” Day said. “He helped me more so mentally than physically. I was always a gifted a shooter and shot the ball well in high school and college, but in college you have the crowd to give you the boost, and you are shooting on adrenaline. In the NBA, it’s like you and a defender in an empty arena. Andy helped me from a mental aspect in preparing for the next shot.”
Enfield’s life reads like a Hollywood script. After stints as a shooting adviser with the Bucks and Boston Celtics, he left coaching behind in 2000. He moved to Manhattan, and first developed AllNetShooting.com, which offers shooting consultations, camps and training materials. Then, he joined partners in developing Tractmanager, an information management system for health care contracts. The company made Enfield, who has an MBA from Maryland, a multi-millionaire.
If that weren’t storybook enough, Andy Enfield met his supermodel-wife Amanda Marcum in 2003 when she wanted a ride from Manhattan to Boston to watch her beloved Oklahoma State Cowboys play in the NCAA Tournament. The two hit it off, and then Enfield took Marcum to a St. John’s NIT game. The couple ate at Taco Bell on campus on their first date because Enfield was unfamiliar with the dining options near the Queens campus.
Six months later the two were engaged. The coach proposed by sandwiching a ring in between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They now have three children.
“(Enfield) is a nice-looking guy and one of those nice gentlemanly type kind of guys,” Day said. “I’m not surprised.” Day said of Enfield’s family life.
Enfield’s story looks to become even happier and more improbable. Storied program UCLA and Minnesota among others are looking to fill vacancies. Meanwhile, FGCU officials are scrambling to double Enfield’s salary in an effort to keep him.
“Knowing Andy he may just stick around. The money doesn’t mean anything to him.” Day said. “He’s made a lot of money, and his wife has made some money. But, the reason he might leave is because he wants to coach a big-time program.”
“Why wouldn’t they look at him? He’s proven what he can do.” Day said. “It’s obvious. He has the backing of Leonard Hamilton (Florida State head coach) and other guys he knows from the NBA. It’s a fairy-tale story. He shows that you can work your way from the bottom.”
For now, Day won’t miss a minute of his Shot Doctor’s tournament run.
“I am following it all the way. If they can handle Florida’s inside game, their guards are as good as anybody’s in the country.” said Day, who coaches prep basketball at Memphis Academy of Health and Sciences. “It’s gonna be tough, but the Gulf Coast kids played against the Florida kids in AAU. A lot of them think they should be playing at Florida. They will be ready to play.”
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