Inside Scoop with Kel'el Ware's former College Basketball Coach Mike Woodson
Kel'el Ware's former College Basketball Coach Mike Woodson joins us to discuss Miami's 1st round pick Kel'el Ware Mike. He credits the Heat as the perfect organization for the 7 footer. Coach Woodson discusses Draft day and what Ware's mother told Coach Woodson on Day 1. We find out what Coach Woodson did to help develop him into a 1st round talent and his take on how he will Mesh with Spo's style and where he can improve.
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00:00I've been looking forward to doing this one after the Miami heat made their selection
00:05of Colell wear in the first round and man, he has had a summer lighten up for the Miami
00:11heat.
00:12They take the summer.
00:13He has been good and we are excited.
00:14We got his college head coach joining us here on the program.
00:18The great Mike Woodson, head coach of Indiana university coach.
00:22Thank you so much for the time.
00:23We appreciate it.
00:25And thank you for spending some time to talk about Colell here with us this, uh, this morning.
00:29Thank you for having me.
00:30How you guys doing?
00:31Oh, we're doing great.
00:33We're doing great.
00:34How have, uh, how have you thought Colell summer has gone?
00:36You know, the heat had a great summer league and, uh, he was a big part of it.
00:40What had been your impressions getting to watch him immediately in the program?
00:43Well, I thought he had a great summer, you know, I, I spent a little time out in Vegas
00:48and watched him a few times and, um, you know, it is a major jump from college to, to the
00:56NBA, as well as high school to college.
00:58And, um, he's still got a lot to learn.
01:01Um, you know, I thought from a team standpoint, he couldn't have picked a better organization,
01:07you know, with Pat Riley sitting at the top and, and Mickey Erickson and, and, and coach
01:14bolster, it doesn't get much better than him, man, because he's figured it out a long time
01:19ago and has been very successful with that organization.
01:22So I just think sky's the limit for the young man.
01:26I mean, he just got to come in and listen and learn and, and, uh, and continue to grow
01:30as a basketball player.
01:32You were, uh, you were with him coach at his, uh, draft intro press conference there with,
01:36uh, with, with Spoe and with Riley, like what was that day like, uh, with, with Kalel and,
01:41and just kind of getting his feet wet, uh, being with an NBA organization.
01:45Nerve wracking up, you know, I'm sitting there trying to be calm as hell for him and his
01:52mom and his loved ones that were sitting there at the table and, uh, cause you just
01:57don't know.
01:58And, um, when he got the call at 15, man, I couldn't have been more proud for a young
02:05man in his, in his family, man, his mom has been great for, to me, you know, when I made
02:12the commitment to bring him and they committed to me, the one thing she said to me was work
02:19his ass and, and, and we did, and she never said one thing, man, she was, she was a great
02:31parent with the one at the best for his son.
02:34And we, you know, we tried to teach him on and off the court to do the right things,
02:39man.
02:40And he, he bought in and he worked and he put himself in a great position, man, to be
02:45drafted.
02:46I'm glad Miami heat, you know, picked him because I think it's a great spot for him,
02:51a great organization, a great way for him to learn the NBA game the right way.
02:58You, uh, they, they had said, uh, Adam Simon, their, their GME had said that they had done
03:02a lot of talking about Kalel before they ended up selecting when they reached out to you
03:06guys, what did they want to know about the young man that they were potentially going
03:10to select?
03:11Well, just like most organizations, you know, they want to know what, you know, what is
03:16his habits are like?
03:17What do you, what, what did, what he likes to do off the court?
03:21Um, uh, does he work hard on the basketball floor?
03:26Uh, how high is his IQ?
03:30Can he pick up things quickly?
03:32Um, and you know, all I could tell him was the kid was very skilled.
03:37When I got him, you know, there was that rap that he didn't work hard and play, play at
03:43a high level.
03:44And, and, you know, we all forget, you know, these, these are young kids, man, and it takes
03:51time.
03:52And when I got him, it took about a month, man, to, to, to break him and, and, and get
03:58him where we thought he could help us win basketball games and play at a high level.
04:04And, um, you know, and as the season went on, he got better, you know, that's how I
04:09judge guys.
04:10I mean, from when we're, from where we start and, and, and where we finished and when you
04:16look at his numbers based on what he did is his, his year at, um, at Oregon, um, it's
04:27just a big jump, big jump.
04:30What was, uh, you say it took like a month.
04:33Was there just like getting used to your demands as, as, as you know, as coach, you're, you're
04:39a guy who demands a lot of your players defensively, all that type of stuff.
04:41So like, was that the thing that you just needed to get him as far as like up to speak
04:45as he was, was he relying on skill too much, maybe in previous stuff, uh, at pre at his
04:49previous stop, or what were the things that you were just like, that was the click moment
04:53for him?
04:54Well, it, it was, it was really effort given second and third, you know, effort, you know,
05:03I mean, he just, you know, early on, you know, he, he didn't run the floor hard.
05:08He didn't go after shots and block shots.
05:11And, you know, he didn't rebound out of his space, you know, things that big men should
05:18do.
05:19Um, and you know, once we got him over that hump and where he was making second and third
05:27effort plays and, and running the floor and blocking shots and rebounding the ball, um,
05:35uh, it'd be, it started to become easier, you know, and when we got him, he just physically
05:42he wasn't fit.
05:44You know, we had to put weight on him and, uh, I find when you, when guys come in, not
05:51physically ready to play and they start to develop that part of their body mentally,
05:58you know, they're in a good space, man.
06:01And they start probably doing things that they didn't think that they were capable of
06:05doing.
06:06And, um, I mean, he, he did everything from a basketball standpoint that we needed him
06:14to do on and off the court, man.
06:16And he was rewarded for it.
06:19Is there something that a lot of people don't know about Kalel personality wise, or like
06:23he is off the court that, that like you, uh, you, you just like about him?
06:27Like, is there, there's just something that's just not known about him that you find interesting.
06:32What was really unusual, you know, and I mean, you, you deal with a lot of parents and a
06:37lot of, a lot of young men at this level.
06:41But when I got him, he, when I challenged the man, everything was yes, sir, no, sir.
06:51Yes, sir.
06:53I mean, he never wants what, you know, I don't mind players barking back as that's healthy
06:59to me, you know, from a coach's standpoint, you know, you know, it lets me, lets me think
07:05you're ticking, you know, but, uh, he was just so gentleman-like in his approach.
07:12To wanting to learn how to play basketball, man.
07:14And that was, that was pleasant, man, for me, from a coaching standpoint, because I
07:18did challenge him early and, and tried to push him in the right direction.
07:23And, and he responded.
07:25Can you talk about, uh, you know, in this modern game, bigs are kind of asked to do
07:29everything, him adding that three point shot that he had with you guys.
07:33Like he didn't shoot a ton, but he shot it effectively.
07:35Uh, what do you think is, I guess the, the, the ceiling for that?
07:39Do you feel like he's a guy who's going to always shoot a ton or just a capable
07:42shooter?
07:42Cause people are wondering about like the offensive matchup with him and bam on a
07:46plan on a court together and what that could be.
07:49Well, again, uh, you know, that's going to be up to Spole and, you know, his staff
07:54and how they develop him and the things that they want him to do.
07:58Um, you know, but if he becomes a, a big time three point shoot shooter, you know,
08:05at his position, uh, it just opens up things for a lot in terms of what they're,
08:11they're trying to probably do from a basketball standpoint, but only time
08:15would tell.
08:16I mean, the bottom line is he's shown he can make, uh, threes, uh, you know, for
08:22us, he had to, when I look at his stats, he's, you know, he's got to get better
08:26and making free throws cause he's going to get filed.
08:29Uh, he shot, I think 60 some percent for 63 for us.
08:33I don't know what he's shot in the summer league, but his
08:36numbers were pretty good there.
08:38Um, but it's all about Spoles style in, you know, I think he fits his style.
08:45Uh, and the one thing I do know, uh, they're going to work his butt
08:50off and make him a better player.
08:52And that's, you know, that's all you can ask for, man.
08:55You just got to go along for the ride and, and do your part.
08:59That was something that was, uh, it was noticeable.
09:01You mentioned getting fouled a lot.
09:02Like no, I know it's summer league, but like, man, it definitely
09:06is that nobody could corral him.
09:08Like everybody had, they were sending him to the line a ton.
09:10Cause he's just such a forest coach.
09:12Like, was that just something noticeable last year?
09:15Like, man, nobody can seem to get this, uh, can defend this kid clean.
09:18Cause he's got so much, I guess, offensive ferocity and firepower to him.
09:22Well, I didn't go, you know, I didn't really go to him a lot on the low
09:27post, you know, when I had him, I rarely sell them, which was, that's
09:31why his numbers are so amazing.
09:33You know, I look at almost 16 and 10 rebounds and I really never, I
09:38didn't milk him like I did trace Jackson Davis, you know, on the block.
09:44And, uh, I put him in a lot of picking roles.
09:48Um, um, you know, he got offensive putbacks, you know, that was his way of
09:55scoring, but the picking roles, we were able to learn not to always, you know,
10:00throwing pocket, you know, pocket passes and stuff.
10:03I mean, there's times when you have to throw them, but a lot of times we were
10:07able to just put them up, put the ball in the air and he was able to go get it
10:11and either dunk it or come down and finish it.
10:14So, I mean, um, and then he, he got early strikes is what we call in transition
10:20by just running the floor and we were able to find him that way, but, you
10:26know, I didn't run a lot of plays for him, but his numbers indicated
10:30probably I did, but I really didn't.
10:32So I think just, just from a skillset, he he's, he's capable of doing pretty
10:38much anything on the basketball floor.
10:40He just got to learn the NBA game and, and the way Spohn likes to play.
10:45You, you have any sense of like how long a transition like that
10:48for, for a guy of his talent?
10:50Do you, do you have any sense of, of how long it could be till he's
10:53going to be at that comfort level?
10:54Like, I guess what you think his rookie year, uh, how, how big of an
10:58impact do you think you could make?
11:00Well, you know, I don't, you know, you can't judge that only time will tell,
11:05you know, he's got to get in there and learn what he, what they want him to
11:08do and, and, and put the time in, man.
11:12And if he does that, I mean, you know, I look at all of the players
11:15that pretty much play for the heat.
11:18They all work hard and they get better, man, and they win.
11:21So, you know, I don't see that being a problem for him.
11:25You, uh, your program just announced you're putting Victor Oladipo into
11:28your, uh, your basketball hall of fame.
11:30Uh, how did you guys come to that?
11:32He's got a lot of love down here, even though, you know, it ended
11:34short with injuries for him.
11:35A lot of, uh, heat fans were big Oladipo fans.
11:38He deserves to be there based on the body of work that he did
11:41here at Indiana university.
11:43And, and he's had a hell of a pro career as well.
11:49So, I mean, I'm happy.
11:50I spoke to him about a month ago and congratulated him.
11:55If I'm around him, I stick my head in there and, and, and watch some of the
12:00ceremonies, but he definitely belongs in the hall here, coach.
12:03We appreciate the time.
12:04Thanks so much.
12:05And, uh, thank you for giving us some insight into color.
12:08We're very excited to watch him this year.
12:09Best of luck for your upcoming season.
12:11We love him here in Hoosier land.
12:13Ain't no doubt about that.
12:15Take care guys.