Former Gladiator Casper Ware, Jr. Makes His Mark on College Basketball Landscape

When Casper Ware Jr. arrived as the new starting point guard at Long Beach State University in the winter of 2008, head coach Dan Monson saw some things in the 5-foot-10 ball handler.

Coming off a standout senior season at in Cerritos, where he led the Gladiators to a 20-10 record and a second-round CIF-SS Playoff game, Ware certainly proved his talent but still had a few things to work on.

In Monson’s words, Ware was shy, academically at-risk but showed great potential if he applied himself a little more.

A Changed Player Since His Days at Gahr High

None of those are issues today – in fact, the unquestioned leader of the 49ers who wears the No. 22 jersey is now among the best college point guards in the nation.

“There was one time when I asked our team, ‘OK, it’s three seconds left in the game, we’re down one,” Monson said. “‘Who would you want to take the shot?’ Everyone in the room said Casper Ware. It’s easy to see how he’s played – anyone can measure that. What they don’t see is how he’s improved as a person. He’s been a leader on the floor.”

This past offseason, Ware was recognized as one of the top players in the country, earning him one of 50 spots on the John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year list. He is the first 49ers player to ever receive that honor.

Ware is also coming off a season in which he was the first player in the Big West Conference to win both the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year award. Not to mention, he only needs 24 assists and 18 steals to become the school’s all-time leader in both categories.

“I felt good about myself, felt I’m getting recognition,” Ware said. “We’re starting to get national attention, which is nice.”

Season Expectations and NBA Aspirations 

Ware, who is perceived by many NBA draft experts to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in this June’s NBA Draft, is on track to earn his bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. But no matter how long his NBA career will last, Ware hopes to become a sports broadcaster one day.

But until then, the Cerritos native is finishing off a season, that as of Tuesday, has him leading the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game. He is also averaging 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Also on Tuesday, Ware was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week, after he led his team to wins over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara. Last Thursday, he scored a career-high 30 points versus San Luis Obispo.

“Only time can tell,” Ware said of where he’ll be drafted. “I’m trying to worry about helping Long Beach State winning as many games as possible. I’m excited about it (the NBA prospects), but I know I just have to work hard every day and focus on this season first.”

Another huge honor came last August, when Ware was named the Drew Summer League's Most Valuable Player. He scored 37 points in one game against a lineup that featured NBA players like last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Wizards point guard John Wall, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan and oh by the way, some guy named LeBron James. Playing against the pros, Ware saw how he could not only hang with some of the world's best players, but also dominate at times.

“I believe my dad got me well prepared,” Ware said of his father, Casper Ware Sr. “He developed me. It was all about confidence, when to go, when not to go. LeBron told us all, ‘Just play your game, I’ll play mine. Don’t change it up just because I’m here.’ The way I scored at will in that league surprised me. Those are grown men out there.”

Ware Sr. who last year worked in the medical services department at a Norwalk hospital, deserves a ton of credit for developing his star son. His father, a playground legend who was named as one of California's 24 All-Time Elite Playground Legends by ESPN, he once scored 40 points against NBA players. The Gahr graduate, once struggled at the free-throw and three-point lines, but as of Tuesday is now a 32 percent 3-point shooter and an 81.6 percent free-throw shooter.

Leading the 49ers in a Season of Redemption

That kind of talent has helped Long Beach State slay some big cats on the college block. On Nov. 16, the team’s second game this season, it picked up a huge road win by upsetting then-No. 9-ranked Pittsburgh, 86-76, as well as then-No. 14 Xavier on Dec. 22, 68-58, in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Long Beach State reached the championship round in Hawaii, losing 77-60 to a tough Kansas State team on Christmas Day -- the 49ers’ third game in three days.

Ware scored 28 points and had six assists in the win over Pitt, and added 12 points and another five assists in the win over Xavier.

More importantly, however, is that as of Tuesday, Long Beach State held sole possession of first place in the Big West Conference at 7-0 (14-6 overall), the school's best start in Big West play since the 1999-2000 season. It also leads the conference in points per game at 74.4 and points against at 59.9 per game.

But just because the 49ers have slayed some giants doesn’t mean they’re unstoppable in conference. Case in point was a fairly recent 55-50 win over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, in which Ware shot 4-for-12 from the field and scored 12 points.

“Just being confident and knowing we can win those games,” Ware said was the key element in beating ranked teams. “This year, we knew we could come in there and beat them. Last year, we were like ‘Oh, we just want to stay close.’ We didn’t have that mindset of coming in there and beating them and having that confidence. We have four seniors that have been there through the tough times. That’s the difference between the mid-majors and the high-level teams, is they have players who go there for one year and they leave (for the NBA), where we have three years to work on it.”

Monson knows how vital his point guard has been to his team's success, and how instrumental he'll be the rest of the way.

“If we get there, it’ll be because of him,” Monson said. “He’s played against some of the best point guards in the country – Tu Holloway of Xavier, Tyshon Taylor of Kansas. Not one of them outplayed him.”

Ware and teammates like guard Larry Anderson, who played at Long Beach Jordan, power forward T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps are also looking for some redemption. Last season, the 49ers were 14-3 and earned the Big West Conference regular season title, only to lose in the championship game of the conference tournament to UC Santa Barbara, who represented the conference and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Knowing you won’t ever play the rest of the season was hard,” Ware said. “We don’t want to have that feeling ever again.”

Robinson, who last season was one of only six players in the NCAA who averaged a double-double each of the past two seasons, has enjoyed having Ware as a teammate.

“Casper always makes us better,” Robinson said. “He’s our leader, he gets everyone playing well. In those big games, he came through. He made several ‘and-one baskets’ (where a player scores a field goal and gets fouled). Getting past the hump of getting to the NCAA Tournament is one of our last steps.”

Ware has let the game come to him more during his time playing at Long Beach State. At Gahr High, he would at times have to force some shots up, as teams would key in on him.

“Coach preaches we don’t have to force anything up,” Ware said. “We just trust our teammates. As a playmaker, I just have to give it up to my teammates. I wouldn’t be the playmaker I am without them making plays of their own. We’ve been through the ups and downs throughout our whole careers.”

As for playing for and attending Gahr High, Ware said he had fun playing with his brother, Ervin Ware, and watching his cousin, Shannon Austin, play on the girls basketball team.

Another former Gahr boys basketball standout, college freshman DeVon Potts, plays as a backup guard for Cal State Northridge and Ware said “he’s going to be solid.”

If Long Beach State can win the Big West Conference and qualify for the NCAA Tournament this season, it will certainly have the potential to be a tough out as the 49ers have proven they can beat almost anyone on a neutral court.

“The sky’s the limit,” Ware said. “We’ve proven we’ve beaten top teams. We have to stay ready at all times. We have a target on our backs at Long Beach State.”

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