Returning to Kentucky, last night Dwayne Casey was honored as the guest speaker of the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club’s 42nd Annual Steak & Burger Dinner. Casey acknowledged that he relished the opportunity to be able to speak to the kids and has told his players over the years to always give back when given the opportunity.
When addressing the kids, Casey’s message was to reiterate the importance of Boys and Girls Club.
“The platform of the Boys and Girls Club, there are so many players in the NBA who grew up with the support of the Boys and Girls Club,” Casey said. “It is really a family away from home. That’s why it was so important when Steve called me.”
Casey also wanted the kids to know that dreams do come true. Having grown up in Morganfield, Kentucky, Casey played for Union County before spending four seasons at the University of Kentucky from 1975-1979.
“I had a dream when I was little, but I never knew I would leave Morganfield,” Casey said. “I never thought I would make it to the University of Kentucky, and I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be a 15-year head coach in the NBA. But dreams come true. But they don’t come true unless you make them come true.”
After graduating from Kentucky in 1979, Casey joined the team’s coaching staff as an assistant. In 1994, he made the jump to the NBA, spending 11 seasons as the assistant coach for the Seattle Supersonics. From 2005-2007, he was the Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks and later went on to become the head coach of the Toronto Raptors from 2011-2018. In his last season with Toronto, he was named the NBA Coach of the Year and then from 2019-2023 was the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. After the 2023 season, he joined the team’s front office.
Honored to be the guest speaker, Casey wants the city of Owensboro to continue to support the Boys and Girls Club. “This doesn’t happen by itself; it comes through donations, volunteering, working with Steve, and making sure that they have the time and resources,” Casey said. “It’s not easy to support something like this.”
