MEMPHIS -- This past Sunday night at the FedExForum, Memphis Tigers men's basketball coach Josh Pastner walked up to the podium to address the roughly 1,000 13- to 16-year-olds and youth coaches -- plus hundreds of parents and local youth sports representatives -- at the opening ceremonies of the 30th annual U.S. Maccabi Games.

Pastner drew laughs off the bat. "Is there anyone 6-foot-7 or taller out there, because we're looking to recruit a power forward," he said. "Well, there's actually one player out there we can use -- and he still has some college eligibility left. Where's Kenny Anderson at?"

Anderson -- the former NYC high school phenom, two-year player at Georgia Tech and New Jersey Nets All-Star point guard -- raised his arm to acknowledge a crowd that represented the U.S., Canada, Israel and Mexico.

Anderson, who has been living in South Florida the past two years, was in town helping the 14-and-under basketball team from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., at the games, an Olympics-style sporting competition held each summer in multiple Jewish Community Center (JCC) sites throughout the country. It is the largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world, featuring events such as basketball, baseball, tennis, flag football and track and field.

A year after graduating from Miami's St. Thomas University with a degree in organizational leadership in 2010, Anderson was hired by David Posnack Jewish Day School to be the varsity basketball head coach. In addition, he occasionally does motivational speaking and hosts a weekly radio show on 560 WQAM, covering the Miami Heat, NBA and NCAA hoops. (Anderson is currently in discussions with CBS and WFAN about a new radio show.)

This past week in Memphis for the Maccabi Games, which had the closing ceremonies on Thursday night, Anderson not only worked with members from his on his team, but he also hosted a basketball clinic on the final day for any kids who were available. Throughout each of the four days of competition, there were jam-packed schedules featuring different sporting events and community outreach activities.

Wherever Anderson went, coaches, parents and kids stopped him for questions and photos. Anderson's story from riches to bankruptcy has been well-documented, and he shared his life lessons and advice with those he came face to face with.

That included yours truly, who was the assistant coach of the 14-and-under team from Miami, where I grew up. On Friday at the coaches' hotel, I had breakfast with Anderson to talk about his involvement with the Maccabi Games, coaching at David Posnack Jewish Day School and some NBA topics, including the Nets' move to Brooklyn.

Here are snippets of our conversation:

Q: How was your first Maccabi Games experience?

Anderson: It was great for the kids -- for me, too, to interact with them. I've been doing this, dealing with the youth, since I retired. I took a job last year at the Jewish day school. We're small, 1A. That's how I got connected, because my high school is connected to the JCC. Coaching, to me, is like I play through the kids. I'm seeing if I can get them to win, but get them to win the right way and get them to do certain things. It's also about managing egos.

Coaching is more than X's and O's. I'm a point guard, and I played with a lot of great coaches, so I know the game. But I think more of it is mentoring. That's why I like the high school and the college level, because it's more of a bonding thing. In the NBA, it's a great job, the money, but it's not rewarding. Those guys already know how to play.

Q: What did you think of the event?

Anderson: The opening ceremonies were nice. I got the rundown of the event, but I was like, "Wow, this is nice." It's for the kids. It was competitive. But also every night, they did something to have the kids interact. They don't know when they're down the road, 28, 30 years old, these guys will have relationships with different kids from different cities and different opportunities. You never know.

It brews up confidence, too. Kids are getting a medal. It's like a confidence builder. There was good sportsmanship. Sometimes it's good to learn how to win the right way and how to lose the right way. I know it sounds crazy, but you've got to know how to lose the right way. It's a type of dignity and respect.

Q: What did you stress to the kids during your clinic?

Anderson: You can get in a kid's ear because of what I did, so they'll listen. I played in the NBA, did college. I just try to give them advice. These kids are very smart. They're not even thinking about the NBA, but I tell them that with basketball, baseball, football, whatever you do, you've got to be self-disciplined, you've got to be dedicated and you've got to work extremely hard. I try to give those principles to them and try to put that into my life and what I did at an early age.

Basketball is half of it. I tried to talk to them about my life experiences, how I was raised, what was important to me, how I was motivated. They've got to be motivated to be the best, regardless of what sport it is. I did a few dribbling drills and shooting. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to play basketball. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, for example, they just do it a lot. You've got to put in repetition over and over and over again, and conditioning and taking care of your body, getting shots up and working on your moves over and over. It's like when you get in trouble and the teacher says, "Hey, write that word a thousand times." After a while, about the 50th time, you're going to know how to spell that word backwards. It's just about repetition. I try to tell that to the kids.

Q: How did the coaching opportunity at the Jewish day school come about?

Anderson: They wanted me. I didn't want to do public school. I could've got an easy job with the public school system, but let's be real, I just didn't want to deal with the headache. It's just different dynamics, different kids. I got some nice kids. You always got the smart alecks, but that's easy to deal with. The school wanted me. They're trying to build a basketball program.

It's a challenge, but I knew what I was getting into, so there's no pressure on me. I just go and enjoy it and the kids respond to me well. They like being around me, I like being around them. I like teaching them the game. Not only that, but I tell them about my life experiences. I don't run from it, my mishaps, my accolades, all that. Sometimes on the way to the game, on the bus, they ask me all kinds of questions. I think now they're getting used to me. They're probably getting tired of me [laughs]. They probably don't like hearing my voice [laughs].

Q: Are you feeling a little more Jewish these days?

Anderson: I've always had a lot of Jewish friends. My best friend is actually Jewish. He owns a wholesale meat company. I've been going to a lot of bar mitzvahs. They're cool, man. I've been to the bar mitzvahs where it's real Orthodox. I was with my wife, Natasha, and they had the block. The husbands on this side, the wives on the other side. You can't see them. I don't wear no yarmulke, though [laughs].

Q: So what's next for you?

Anderson: I head to China on Monday to coach a SlamBall team. My guy, Mason Gordon, the creator and founder, is a good friend of mine. They pay me nicely. I've done it in Bradenton, Fla., and Los Angeles. It features ex-players [from the NBA] and former football players. It was even broadcast on Spike TV.

Q: What do you think about the Nets moving to Brooklyn?

Anderson: It's great. I think they're going in the right direction. They've got the players. They've got Deron [Williams], Joe Johnson. That's a great pair. They've got the building blocks. They'll be fine.

Q: Do you think Brooklyn residents will root for the Nets?

Anderson: I think there will be a honeymoon stage, but Knicks fans are going to be Knicks fans. Brooklyn fans maybe will root for both. You'll have a lot of bandwagon fans.

Q: How do you think the Knicks are going to do?

Anderson: They're going to be good, but everything goes through the Heat.

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