By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Terry Kofler began his career as an athletic trainer at Xavier in the 1970s partly because he just wanted to escape his business classes. It turned out he ran straight to the right field.

After 12 years as the Musketeers' head trainer, equipment manager and then assistant athletics director, Kofler got his break with the then-Charlotte, now-New Orleans Hornets organization in 1988. Since then, he has been living the life of an NBA star. Or at least keeping the players healthy and booking their travel arrangements so they can live like them.

With New Orleans' elimination from the playoffs last week, Kofler, one of the only people in the organization to attend all but one of their more than 1,200 games, finished his 16th season as the Hornets' head trainer.

Q: What do you do now that you're out of the playoffs?

A: We start getting ready for the draft. We go to Chicago and do pre-draft physicals for all the athletes that have declared for the draft. Then we have some summer leagues where free agents come in and we see some of the seniors and evaluate them.

Q: Was the team pretty beat up after the Miami series?

A: Yeah, but that's no excuse. Everybody's beat up this time of year. We gave it the best shot we had. They were younger, we were older, and the younger prevailed.

Q: How's the team doing now?

A: They've all pretty much taken off; I can't even tell you who's left... And we won't see most of them until August.

Q: How'd you decide to be a trainer at Xavier?

A: I decided because of two things: I couldn't hack the classes in business administration, and I just really liked athletic training and found you could make a living out of it.

Q: How'd you get the job with the Hornets?

A: There was an agent, Ron Grinker, who represented some of the basketball players at Xavier, and he would hold mini-camps and I'd tend to their needs in the offseason. There was an opening in Charlotte, and he got me an interview.

Q: Best part of job?

A: The games. Getting to watch pro basketball games pretty much every other night.

Q: Worst part?

A: The worrying and attention to detail ... to attend to travel and anticipate problems. Just getting players back from injury as quick as you can.

Q: Worst injury had to deal with?

A: Neck injuries scare me. We had a player a few years ago that got hit on top of his head, and he had no feeling at all. He eventually got it back, but it's scary. And the most troublesome are those that don't seem like anything at all, like a sore heel. It's almost impossible to get rid of; I'd rather have a broken bone.

Q: Strangest injury?

A: We had a player develop vertigo from a virus, Jamal Mashburn. He basically just had a cold, but the virus attacked his inner ear, and it wiped him out of the series.

Q: Best game you've seen?

A: Beating Boston on a last second shot to advance to the second round of the playoffs (104-103 Game 4 win in 1993). It was our first time in the playoffs and moving on was really exciting. It told the world we're not just an expansion team anymore.

Q: Besides injuries, what are your other duties during the games?

A: I keep a board to keep track of fouls and time outs. ... The assistants are involved in other duties, so I kind of contribute.

Q: You're also travel coordinator, so what's traveling as an NBA player like?

A: We're very lucky because we're one of the few organizations to own our own airplane. ... Everyone's seats fully recline on the plane, so a lot of times you get your best sleep on the plane. And the hotels are top of the line, Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons.

Q: Does all the travel bother you?

A: It's a way of life now. Right now, I'm really enjoying doing nothing, but come July, August, I'm itching to travel.

Q: So Charlotte or New Orleans as a place to live?

A: I'll probably die sooner living down here. Charlotte was a little slower paced. But my wife and I are just having a ball down here. There's always something to do...but there's no Skyline Chili.

Q: Do you get back to Cincinnati at all?

A: Two or three times every summer to see old friends and family.

Q: Do you get to catch Xavier games anymore?

A: There's really not much time, but we had a rookie from Xavier this year, David West, and he kept me pretty well informed of what was going on.