When Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called rookie Rodney McGruder “a 6-4 version” of team captain Udonis Haslem last week, the comparison naturally raised some eyebrows around the fan base, which has come to appreciate the blood and guts the 14-year veteran and three-time NBA champion has left on the floor for the franchise over the years.
One person not the least bit surprised by the comparison? South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, who coached Haslem, 36, on three consecutive state championship teams at Miami Senior High from 1996 to 1998 and then McGruder, 25, during his first three seasons at Kansas State from 2009 to 2012.