Photo courtesy of Robert Naubert

“Let’s go, run it.” Robert Naubert yells at the start of practice. After that, if you blink, you will miss him.

Naubert can be spotted holding a pad during layup lines, hammering at players and urging them on with playful trash talk. In the next moment, Naubert is demonstrating how to drive the lane and kick out with aggression. While the team stretches, Naubert can be spotted courtside doing pushups.

This is all a normal hour for Oakland’s newest men’s basketball assistant coach, Robert Naubert, referred to collectively by the players as Coach Bobby, Coach B and Bobs.

Energy and enthusiasm are things that Naubert has always had in spades. After all, one does not become a professional basketball player in Germany at 5-foot-10, 150 pounds without having a lot of drive. 

For Naubert, it all began in seventh grade – an enjoyment of basketball turned into a deep passion that would guide his life and career. 

Coach Bobby talked about transitioning from playing the basketball ‘for fun’ to pursuing a professional career in the sport.

“I remember thinking okay,  now I really want to be good. I gotta catch up to all the people that played for so long,” Naubert said. 

Although Naubert received offers from some Division 1 schools, he opted to play for Madonna, a small college in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Throughout his athletic career at Madonna, Naubert was a three-time all-American. 

Upon graduation, Naubert went overseas to Germany to play professionally. He earned all-leaguer status for his two years there.

Coach Naubert credits his time overseas to building who he is now as a coach.

“You’ve got a lot of time on your hands [when playing professional basketball]. If you don’t use that free time, you’re just wasting it. My biggest thing was just getting better,” Naubert said. 

Naubert’s experience in Germany helped develop his enthusiasm and hands-on approach to coaching. To combat the language barrier when coaching the junior national team, Naubert would have to demonstrate drills himself. 

Upon returning to America, Coach Bobby knew that he wanted to continue his career in basketball through coaching. He became an assistant at Madonna before working at Central Michigan. He also coached teams at Iowa Western Community College and Garden City Community College before accepting the assistant coach position at Oakland University.

In the same way that Naubert used his passion for the game to progress his career, he now focuses his energy on developing other players. Naubert especially values building strong relationships with the staff and players.

“Kids don’t care what you know, it’s that they know you care. When you have to have a difficult conversation with them, hopefully, they can look back and say, ‘I know that he cares about me,’” Naubert said. 

For Naubert, the most important thing is being together in a battle and having players’ trust.

Oakland newcomer Jack Gohlke – the team’s starting shooting guard – recognizes the value of a coach like Naubert.

“The first day he was introduced to us, he told us all to take advantage of his willingness to spend time with us and develop relationships,” Gohlke said.

Even though his career will continue to grow and take him to new heights, Coach Naubert knows the importance of staying in the moment and values each day with the Golden Grizzlies.

Legacy is something that gets discussed a lot in sports. For Bobby Naubert, the only legacy he cares about is the one he leaves behind with his players, fellow coaches and fans – that every day, he gave it his all.