Episode Transcript
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0:06
Welcome in too, Behind Kentucky Basketball presented by Fulton Line Curtis Burch. Today
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we're going to share a conversation we had with new Kentucky basketball coach John Welsh.
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As I mentioned, we are presented by Thornton's. Stop by any lexing
0:18
Kenthornton's location and earn five cents off a gallon with your refreshing rewards card.
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Now joined on Behind Kentucky Basketball by Kentucky assistant coach John Welsh. Thanks for
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joining us, Oh, thanks for having me. It's a question to be
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here. I think you got an interesting kind of connection to the program.
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Obviously, your son, Riley was a player and then a grad assistant.
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So even though you're a new coach, you have a pretty good connection here,
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don't you. Yes, I've watched just about every game for the last
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four years and attended the SEC tournaments the last four years, so yeah,
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I'm very familiar with the program. Big picture, you're big into development.
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It's going to be your big roles. What are some new techniques in development
1:00
that you've developed over the years that you didn't maybe even know existed when you
1:04
first started, If that makes sense, Well, I think I think the
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biggest change in player development are the resources and manpower allotted to it. When
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I first came into the NBA, it was John, here you go,
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here are the players. Now if you look at an NBA game, there's
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ten coaches behind the bench. I am so appreciative here with the managers who
1:27
have been helping me. And you know, basically the big thing in player
1:33
development is you wanted to transfer to a game, and so you know your
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workouts have to be game simulations. And so with the help I get here
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from the managers and the other coaches, what we do is we set up
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game situations and make it as similar to a game for the players as as
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it can possibly be. And I think that's the biggest difference. Now what
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goes into putting together a workout and the drills that you like, you plan
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anything else. You know, you your goal, you have an objective,
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and you know, try to figure out, you know, how you're going
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to accomplish it. And a big part of it is, you know,
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with me, is getting to know the players and seeing what they do well
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and what they need to work on. I think, you know, you know, part of it is not so much as doing drills like it used
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to be as more solving problems. Now can you give you an example,
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like when you talk about selling problems, well, well, same thing. You put them in a situation of you know, finishing a layup at the
2:30
rim and then we have you know, we have a six to eleven managers
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right there, and if they're if you know, why aren't they making it?
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You know? Is if I'm guarding them and bumping them is figuring out
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what the problem is and finding a solution to it. And a lot of
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times it's a player who finds a solution. And I think that's uh the
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most organic way that learning takes place. You've been here and what is this?
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How many weeks? Two weeks? Two weeks? So how much have you gotten to know the guys? And how familiar are a couple returners?
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I know you've probably you've seen to do no most, I don't know. We have about seven guys here and scholarship players and the walk ons, and
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it's been great for me through the workouts and and even so at the beginning
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through camp, we you know, we had satellite camps for I think four
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days the first week, so just being around the players at the camp,
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it was a great way to form a connection with them. What is the
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balance between knowing the player personally and knowing their game and how do those interact
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when you're well? I think you need both, you know, because you
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know a lot of how you play is who you are, so uh,
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you know, the more I can get to know the players, the better.
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Do the players yet know your NBA experience, has anybody comed up and
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asked you about X player that you trained in the pro? But I think
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coach Kalis, you know, that's how he usually leads off everything, So
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I think they're aware of it. And but it's you know, I think to get the players respect, you have to earn it. I don't think
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nowadays you get respect from your title. You know, you have to form
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a relationship. You know, no matter what your job is, if you're
3:58
a school teacher, a police officer, or whatever is, it's it's about
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you know. Coach cal constantly say it's about the relationships. Your time in
4:04
the NBA, well even before that, when you started out in college.
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I mean you've worked with some a bunch of Hall of famers. It's a
4:11
crazy I made a list of both coaches and players. What are some of
4:15
the lessons that guys like Jerry West, Hubey Brown, George Carl have taught
4:19
you that you've kind of taken from them in your coaching career, that it
4:24
made you better. You learned something different from from everybody. Uh, from
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hughby Brown, it was you know, I just you know, his leadership ability and ability is like a disciplinary and it was just it was just amazing.
4:36
You know. That was one of my first experiences in the NBA and
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just watching the way he led the team, and it was a eye opening
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experience, you know, because in college I worked for Jerry Tarkanian, who took a little bit of a different approach. So I say, I think
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in coaching, you have to coach to your personnel and if you're not,
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you know, genuine to yourself. The players realize that he spent a long
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stretch in Denver. They just won the NBA title. How cool is it
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to see because I know, you a big amazing I still know some of
5:14
the assistant coaches there, and uh, it's just it's just great for Denver.
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I mean, and they're a fun team to watch. They're very easy
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team to like. So and uh, you know, they played played team
5:24
basketball so I was very happy for him, and they got Jamal Murray player
5:29
as well, you know, obviously played a big role in that. I think he's a perfect compliment to Yoka's just because you know it as good as
5:36
the offense is that everyone's bogs down in a moment and Jamal can create his
5:43
offense and himself. Yeah, and that's I think the perfect fit. Yeah,
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we saw that here in his year in Lexington, that's for sure.
5:49
Some of the other guys want to touch on that you coach a guy DeMarcus
5:53
Cousins. Yeah, it seems like you had a really strong relationship. He's
5:58
talked to some reporters and had things to say when you were hired. What
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is your relationship with DeMarcus. I actually was in Taiwan training players and working
6:08
with a pro team, and I heard rumors he may go over there,
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and this was, you know, months ago, and that was the last
6:14
time I spoke with them. And I had a lot of respect for DeMarcus
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because when I went to Sacramento, I got there and he was training in
6:24
Las Vegas, and you know, they sent me to Las Vegas to hang
6:27
out and he was training an impact and in the offseason. He plays basketball
6:31
every day and I heard different things about de Marcus and it was like just
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amazing the dedication to the game that he had. He really loves basketball and
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it's just you know, it was just a pleasure with him. Is just
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finding ways because he was so versatible to use him offensively. It's literally the
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year in Sacramento. I think it was one of his better years. And
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you know, you know at the g average about you know, twenty six,
6:59
twenty seven points a game, and it was it was fun to watch.
7:02
He had a connection to some other Kentucky guys too, specifically on that
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team right because it was both Willie Colli Stunt and well Willie. Willie another
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one ended up one of my favorites. Spent a lot of time with Willie,
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and Willie would would get me in trouble because he worked with another coach,
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but afterwards he'd always seek me out. And same thing that you know,
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the management's office oversee the court and they always said I was working Willie
7:25
too much and pushing on and said it's not me. Willie's you know,
7:27
coming to me and asked to work. And he'd want to join in the
7:30
workouts with the guards, and so another one that I think, you know,
7:34
really had a passion for the game. And then I think that the
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NBA experience is interesting because we mentioned Rondo there as well. Yeah, you're
7:43
probably not in that stage of his career developing him a lot, are you,
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because he's Well, that's what people don't quite realize. Like I coached
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in college for like fifteen years before I went to the NBA, and uh,
7:58
you know, Rondo was in a contract. You're in Sacramento. His
8:01
family wasn't there. My family wasn't there. They stayed in Denver, I
8:05
think my son's senior year of high school. And every night, you know,
8:09
Rondo would come back about nine o'clock and you know, his trainer within
8:13
ourself and three of us would be in the gym from about nine o'clock to
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eleven eleven thirty every night, and so we're doing one on one stuff.
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This trainer and I would take turns guarding him. And like people don't realize.
8:24
They don't think Rondo is a good shooter, like and drills, Rondo
8:26
is a great shop. Just the amount of time they put in on a
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day to day basis and by the time they're thirty two thirty three. They're
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they're so skilled in shooting, passing, tripling the basketball. So even a
8:39
veteran like like Rondo. I spent a lot of time with him, and
8:43
uh, like I said, he you know, was you know a student
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of the game. And your first thing you mentioned anybody is you know, they mentioned how smart he is. So did you talk to any of those
8:52
guys I have? I asked yesterday for his number. If anyone has this
8:56
number, they can give it to me. Another one I had was Patrick Patrick Patterson the Clippers and just what a pro. Uh, you know,
9:03
his role there. Sometimes he played thirty minutes, sometimes he wouldn't play,
9:05
but it's work ethic never changed. Had a great impact on the team and
9:09
a great ability to you know, he became a great three point shooter later
9:13
in his career. Yeah. And and just you know, just a class
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you know, pros pro. You mentioned working at out some players in Taiwan.
9:24
You haven't, I guess you know you when was your last year?
9:28
It was with the Clippers in the yes, when with Doc Robers. Yeah,
9:31
with so that that Since then, what have you been doing. I've
9:35
trained different players, I've coached in Mexico, U tried to make you know,
9:39
coaching and some adventures kind of put them together and trained different NBA players
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and what is the well, what's coaching in Mexico Taiwan? Like where where
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all did you travel? And did you have any funny? I loved it.
9:52
I enjoyed being in Mexico and coaching. Uh. And we had seven
9:56
Americans on the team Jaalen Tate in Arkansas, Smith from Arizona, so it's
10:01
good players. And in Taiwan, I was just kind of consulted with the
10:03
new Taipei Kings or in the finals right now. Uh and and train you
10:09
know, different different players as well. So it was a good experience.
10:15
Broadly speaking, in development, what are kind of your philosophies if that makes
10:20
sense, what are your goals? Like I said, it's just you.
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You want what you do in developmental transfer to a game. That's basically the
10:26
end all and be all of it. You know, It's like it's it's
10:30
if you're working with players and it doesn't show up in the game, you
10:33
know, then you know, I don't think you're accomplishing your goal. What
10:37
have you seen major I mean there have been major changes in basketball as a
10:41
whole in your in your career since you started. What are what are some
10:45
things that you focus on now in training that weren't as biggest emphasis when you
10:48
started. Well, I think one of the biggest changes is, you know,
10:54
it's positionless basketball. It's you know, teams are playing five out offensively,
10:58
teams are playing faster, so you know, the you know, big
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part of training is you know, training skill more shooting, IQ, passing,
11:07
h you know before it was a little bit more athleticism, playing with
11:09
bigger players, getting the ball inside. How much inside has Riley given you
11:15
in the transition to Yeah, no, and he's helped quite a bit with
11:18
it. And you know he uh, you know, just in all areas,
11:22
you know, from just where things are to to you know, uh,
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the coaches everything, it's it's it's it's it's made it much easier transition,
11:31
just getting me set up on my computer and different things. You haven't
11:33
got any of his emails or anything. With the having a young roster,
11:39
a bunch of incoming freshmen, how exciting is that for you from a developmental
11:43
piece, you kind of get to shape these guys throughout this season. Yes,
11:46
players are are very advanced like the players were getting right now they've been
11:52
in the spotlights and you know they've been freshmen in high school and I've been
11:56
again just amazed with their ability. You know, our players we have are
12:01
very talented, you know, So it's it's it's been fun working with him.
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I do want to take a minute and kind of we talked about the
12:07
Hall of Fame coaches you worked with, Jocho, were with a bunch of
12:11
players like Carmelo Anthony for many years. What was what was that like a
12:18
great score? You know, it's I had him younger in his career and
12:22
uh, you know, just you know, it was just a player that
12:26
you know, again that creates your offense. You couldn't guard him one on
12:30
one, so you know, we'd get the ball inside to him and it
12:33
would always cause two players to go to him, and he created for others. So you know, it's basically the hubbub our offense and get score in
12:39
so many different ways. And then Marcus Camby was on that team. He
12:41
was well, again, very high IQ player, great passer. I think
12:46
he was defensive player the Year for US the year in Denver. So you
12:50
you fixed all the things coach kel got wrong when he was at Massachusetts another
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one, Marcus one of one of the smartest players I've coached. Well,
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what do you take do you how much do you learn from players? Oh,
13:01
immensely, especially at the NBA level. Of the difference coaching in the
13:05
NBA is you're you're coaching a Chauncey Bill Upsets, you know played for you
13:09
know five Hall of Fame coaches himself, and you know Larry Brown and et
13:13
cetera. So it's the schematic knowledge of NBA players is much higher than college
13:24
players. And you know, that's one of the biggest differences as well in
13:30
that in that career when we talked about the nuggets of things, you were
13:33
on some staffs that went through some transitions. We're talking about Carmelo him being
13:37
traded out, Alan iverson coming in. I mean, those are very different
13:39
dynamics you go through. What lessons do you learn from that when they're kind
13:43
of is a new roster you deal with because now, obviously as a new
13:48
coach you're dealing with a completely Yeah, I think that this I've been fortunate
13:52
and I don't know. I think ago sixteen of eighteen years I made the
13:54
playoffs here and I don't think my first year, we didn't make it one
13:58
year in Sacramento. Is I find when your your teams are successful, you
14:03
just kind of figure your team mode coach colleague and say, you know,
14:05
you go in there thinking these ten things are important, this is what you're
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gonna do. When you figure out eight of them don't work and then these
14:11
two when you add three, it's is you know, players change, injuries.
14:16
Is the teams are able to figure it out. And sometimes an injury
14:18
makes your team better. Sometimes it hurts you. So when when you when
14:24
you figure out what works for your team, Uh, that's usually when you
14:28
have a good year. Is there a good example? Last one question for
14:31
you that you can think of that you draw on recently, You draw on
14:37
from the fact that it happened. You know this year you thought you were
14:39
going to be this particularly with one of those teams, and you ended up
14:41
being completely something different. Uh. Just your one thing was with DeMarcus and
14:46
Sacramento. You know it's like we when we're in Denver, we kind of
14:50
played you know, quote quote modern basketball. Then we played very fast space
14:56
the court you know, led the NBA in scoring. Uh, and we
14:58
just like to base an attack and and Sacramento that that didn't really work for
15:03
us is we were trying to get it and players are getting each other's way.
15:07
And we just figured out with the Marcus, if he did a you
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know, DHO or set up pick and roll and and they iced it threw
15:15
it back, he was unstoppable. Any basic action with him in it couldn't
15:18
be guarded. And that was much better than spacing for us. And once
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we figured that out, Marcus took off and our team did much better. So I think, you know, a big part of coaching is just noticing
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what works and what doesn't work. I look forward to watching you guys find
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out what we're experience for this upcoming team, and you got to do that
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pretty soon when you make that trip to candidate. Yeah quick. Thank you
15:41
very much,
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