[00:00:15] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Welcome to the Roundhouse podcast with Paul Solentrop of Wichita State University strategic communications. Thanks for listening. We are going to continue our summer series, introducing fans to newcomers on the Wichita state basketball teams. Today we have Cory Washington. Corey is a six foot six forward. He is from Little Rock, Arkansas. He transferred to Wichita State after two seasons at St. Peter's University in New Jersey. Corey has two seasons of eligibility at Wichita State. At St. Peter's, Corey averaged 15.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. As a sophomore. He earned all conference honors. He scored 24 points in the Metro Atlantic championship game, a win over Fairfield. Also had nine rebounds, four block shots to earn tournament mvp honors. Corey, you are from Little Rock. What's the best thing about being from Arkansas?
[00:01:06] Speaker A: I would say the people. It's really not just the area. I would say the people. Very nice. Very well, I mean, great to speak to. They'll just speak to you without even knowing you. I think that's great.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: My wife is from Arkansas, so those are all good answers. Are you an outdoors person? Do you hunt fish? Arkansas is great for that kind of stuff.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: I don't hunt or fish, but I do like to go Cliff. Cliff jumping for a while.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: Okay. Cliff jumping into water?
[00:01:31] Speaker A: Yes. Into a lake.
[00:01:32] Speaker B: Okay. That sounds fun. Lebron or Michael Jordan? Who's the. Who's the greatest?
[00:01:39] Speaker A: Lebron. I just say that because the game is evolved so much, you can't really compare those to those who played before us.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Is that still a debate that rages in the basketball locker rooms and playgrounds when you guys are together? Are there Michael fans and LeBron fans?
[00:01:54] Speaker C: For sure.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: For sure.
[00:01:55] Speaker B: Okay. Who's your favorite NBA player?
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Kevin Durant.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Kevin Durant. Tell us more. What do you like about Kevin Durant?
[00:02:02] Speaker A: I would just say his size. I mean, also how he can get to his spots defensively. He can cover one through five if he wanted to.
[00:02:13] Speaker B: Okay. The shockers have been back to work this summer for a couple weeks. First impressions of shocker practices. What stands out? How's it going for you?
[00:02:21] Speaker A: I'm loving it. I mean, the guys. The guys are great coaches, really vocal and talking to you, I really feel like that's important.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: Tell us about choosing Wichita State. How did you end up here?
[00:02:35] Speaker A: I would just say again, the connection with the coaches on my visit, just speaking to them, knowing what they're about, it was things I was about. So, I mean, just felt the connection immediately.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: So the point is to introduce you to shocker fans. What do you want Shocker fans to know about your game. What do you hope they walk out of Coca arena next season? Thinking, saying about Corey Washington?
[00:02:58] Speaker A: He's great. I mean, I'm an energy guy, so I'm get the crowd involved in many ways. So, I mean, that would be great. Hearing that would come from them.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: Okay, so the energy guy, we hear that a lot. Have you always been that way? Can you learn how to be an energy guy in a basketball court?
[00:03:16] Speaker A: Um, I wouldn't say learn. It's really just, just doing it consistently. So when it comes to a game, you're not really forcing yourself to do it. It just comes naturally.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: If you weren't playing basketball, is there another sport you would be playing in college?
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Actually, I was a football player before I was a basketball player. I actually played quarterback. And we went to the state semis my junior year. And then I stopped playing my seniors.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: Okay, why did you choose basketball? Why did that become your favorite?
[00:03:47] Speaker A: I was kind of given the ultimatum of choosing between one and I just had more love for the game. Basketball.
[00:03:55] Speaker C: We're gonna have to go out to the field and see who's a better quarterback.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: Hey, we have Zayn.
Zayn Meeks is dropping in. Yeah. Corey, tell us about your quarterback skills. Were you a running quarterback? Throwing quarterback. What'd you do on the field?
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Um, I was a dual threat. I was a dual threat. I played defensive coming up, but got more into just settling into quarterback position when I got into varsity, so.
But I mean, I prefer quarterback for sure.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: Prefer quarterback. Zane, were you also a quarterback?
[00:04:26] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't really get to play. When I got older, I got to be too big. I was over in Kansas. He had the weight limit, so I couldn't throw growing up. Then by the time we got to high school, they were like, yeah, go. Go play basketball. But I can throw far, though. I'm not gonna throw, Cory, we're gonna find out.
[00:04:39] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. That sounds like an interesting challenge. Who's your favorite NFL quarterback?
[00:04:43] Speaker A: Corey Lamar Jackson.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Okay, Zane, counterpoint. Who's your favorite?
[00:04:49] Speaker C: I mean, soon to be goat. Patrick Mahone.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: That was an easy question. Yes. That was a layup for Zayn Meeks. Corey, you will wear number six for the shockers. Is there a background story with number six?
[00:05:04] Speaker A: I was number six growing up until I crossed into high school. So I went to 8th grade Aau. I was always number six. And then I got into number two and then number three when I went to St. Peter's. But just feel like I should go back to that.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Go back to number six. Who is the best basketball player you have faced off against high school, summer college. Who's the best guy you've been on the court against for sure?
[00:05:33] Speaker A: Brandon Miller.
I got some stops on him, but he made it hard. He made it very hard.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: Okay. That would be. That would be a good one. Do you have a book, a movie, a tv show you would recommend to the fans? What are you watching or reading right now?
[00:05:50] Speaker A: Right now I'm watching power, actually, but for a movie, I would say.
I would say Coach Gardner, Coach Carter, anytime that movie, I can watch that movie. I watch it.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: Okay. Good choices. All right, you are. You're a college veteran. Now play the mentor. What advice would you give to a high school student, maybe a sophomore, junior who's kind of getting started in this, thinks he wants to play sports in college. What advice would you give them about navigating all of this?
[00:06:24] Speaker A: I would just say keep a hard work ethic and just be coachable. I mean, if you're not coachable, you won't ever learn anything and then you probably won't get along with the coaches as well. So, I mean, being coachable can go a long way.
[00:06:39] Speaker B: How do you learn to be coachable?
[00:06:43] Speaker A: Learn to listen and not to talk.
But there's times to talk. I mean, how to communicate on the court. But when coaches are talking, just pick up. Be a sponge.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Be a sponge. Good advice, Corey. Thank you very much. For sure.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: Hi, this is Rick Newma, president of Wichita State University.
[00:07:20] Speaker C: Check out the latest episode of the Forward together podcast.
[00:07:23] Speaker B: Each episode, I sit down with different.
[00:07:25] Speaker C: Guests from Shocker nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:07:47] Speaker B: We are back with Zane Meeks. Zane is a six foot nine forward. He is from Prairie Village, Kansas. Attended Shawnee Mission East High School before finishing up at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Zane transfers to Wichita State from Arizona State, where an ankle injury limited him to five games last season. In 2023, he played for the University of San Francisco, where he averaged 10.3 points. So Shocker fans who are paying attention may remember Shocker game against USF, the San Francisco USF 2022, the T Mobile center in Kansas City. Zane was in that game. Had eight points, six rebounds, three assists and a win for the dons. There was a boisterous group of your friends in the lower bowl. If you watched it on tv, you saw them all the time. Are those guys going to be attending shocker games this year?
[00:08:37] Speaker C: Yes, I've actually had quite a few of them. Text me even one texted me yesterday, and, you know, they're all asking about the k state game, and of course, we have a game in Kansas City, hopefully. I think it's on the, on the list of games, so, you know, those games will be packed. You know, I'm obviously from Kansas City, and that was my first time playing in the sprint center, really playing in Kansas or Missouri in my entire career. You? I've kind of been on the west coast, so that was my first real chance for extended family and friends to really see me play here near home.
[00:09:11] Speaker B: So you told Taylor Eldridge of the Wichita Eagle that coach Paul Mills and his attention to detail had really stood out even in your just short time here. Tell us a bit more about that. What points has he made that you found helpful?
[00:09:25] Speaker C: Well, you know, he already has tape down on the floor, so for, for those of us that aren't very familiar with college basketball, a lot of coaches like to tape up certain sections of the floor.
Most of the time it's either for spacing on offense with our exes or, you know, you've got a bunch of lines out there like the help line for defense. And at least in my experience, anytime you have tape out, you know, your first couple weeks of summer practice, right. The fundamentals are just incredibly important to the staff, so much so that there's tape on the ground, you know, before we even learn the plays. So it's stuff like that, as somebody who's been around, seen a lot, but under quite a few coaches, that gives me a lot of hope and, you know, shows me that these guys are very attention to detail oriented.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: Other impressions from your, I guess, two weeks of practice, roughly what's jumped out at you about this team?
[00:10:15] Speaker C: We're old, we're very loud in practice, two very good things. And, you know, we look like we can shoot a, you know, obviously that type of stuff, you know, has to be determined in games, but in practice, we've got a lot of shot makers, we've got a lot of loud communicators, a lot of great defenders, and, you know, I think we're going to be old and have a very good team this year.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Do you find yourself looking at teammates or looking at the game differently now that you've had all these experiences? You know, things are important to you now that maybe were not four or five years ago.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: I don't know if looking at it differently is the correct term. I would say it's more the game just slows down, if that makes sense. Like, you know, I was joking about it yesterday. I mean, you know, this is my 6th summer, so I'm, you know, working on probably practice 300, 8400, 420 somewhere in that range. So, you know, just the ability to kind of see what's going to happen in front of me, you know, I've more than likely seen it before. And the ability for me to communicate and help our younger guys who maybe aren't in position, you know, my age and experience allows me to talk guys into position and I think that's something that's very helpful for the young guys. And I just, they're all little tips and tricks. You know, Quincy AC calls them vet moves and, you know, he always kind of makes fun of you when I pull them out. So, you know, I just think you've been around a while, you kind of know how everything operates.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: Give us an example of a good.
[00:11:37] Speaker C: Vet move, like just, you know, anytime, like, you know, fly switching to down screen or just loud talking, like, you know, if I see there's a double drag coming and, you know, we're able to pre switch it right, it's pretty obvious what guy's gonna pop, what guy's gonna roll. And if I'm on the guy that's gonna pop, you know, just let the guard know, hey, by the way he's popping, the big guy's rolling. Let's, you know, switch that quickly or rise the screen happens. And so you kind of, kind of avoid, you know, simple miscommunications on defense with experience and age.
[00:12:07] Speaker B: Why did you choose Wichita state?
[00:12:09] Speaker C: I had to come. I wanted to come home. That was pretty much the end of it. Coach Mills, I mean, you know, Wichita is an awesome city. Coach Mills is a great staff. And then you throw in the fact that it's just two and a half hours down the road. My dad worked in Wichita. He's from western Kansas. My grandmother and grandfather, my dad's side are both from, you know, western Kansas. So it's really, really was just kind of a homecoming. And, you know, I knew we were going to be old, and that was very important to me in this portal cycle.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: What do you want shocker fans to know about your game?
[00:12:41] Speaker C: You know, I can shoot. I try to bring a lot of high energy.
You know, I have fun playing basketball. And, you know, I think when you have a community like Wichita and one that supports us at the level that they do, right, engaging with the fans makes them have more fun at the games and makes us have more fun at the games. And then obviously the presence and the energy that they bring in home games is vitally important to us as you're trying to win games. You know, seasons come down to a tip ball or a made shot or a misshot, right? All the energy that the fans are able to bring us can, you know, decide a season.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: You mentioned in the Eagle article watching Ron Baker when you were younger, have you met Ron Baker?
[00:13:23] Speaker C: I haven't met him yet, although I did shoot him a DM on instagram. We've been texting back and forth, so know, I'm sure I'll get to get in contact with him here soon.
[00:13:30] Speaker B: He's around a lot. Yes, yes. I have a pair of Ron Baker socks. Perhaps if you'd wear them in a game, you can. You can have them. I bet Ron would appreciate that. That tribute. Lebron or Michael Jordan, do you have. Can you weigh in there, LeBron?
[00:13:46] Speaker C: My quick bit on Michael, is the league expanded? I don't know how many times during his kind of era. So, you know, if we added six new basketball, all teams today, I think there's a certain level of talent. The level of talent would drop slightly, and that doesn't take away from anything he did. But right when you have an expansion of the league, it's a little different than if it's to the same way for 20 something years.
[00:14:08] Speaker B: Okay. Do you have a favorite NBA player?
[00:14:11] Speaker C: You know, I do like LeBron.
I gotta. You gotta appreciate curry. I think, you know, I think there's five or six guys. I'm not a big hater of players. I think that's kind of stupid in a way, but I think there's five or six guys that, like, in the current age, you just have to appreciate, like Luca, Jokic, KD.
I mean, Kyrie, Steph, Lebron. I mean, I think all six of those guys, you know, you just kind of have to sit back and appreciate, you know, write their greatness and what they're able to do in the show they put on every night.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: That's a pretty good list. If you weren't playing basketball, is there another sport you might be playing?
[00:14:46] Speaker C: I mean, I always love to say I'd be a d one quarterback, but, you know, I mean, you don't see too many six, nine quarterbacks walking around. So, you know, maybe could be a trailblazer there, but probably not.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: Okay. When did basketball really become the sport that you were pursuing?
[00:15:02] Speaker C: I mean, Selvageli, I've always had fairly good hand eye, and I was big, and that combination usually goes together pretty well in basketball.
[00:15:10] Speaker B: You're wearing number five for the shockers. Is there a backstory with wearing five?
[00:15:15] Speaker C: There is. So my 2019 high school Brewster team won a national title. Terrence Clark was number five. He obviously died in a car crash. God, it's been two or three years now, and so number five is an honor of TC.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: Okay.
Best opponent, best basketball player you've played against. High school, summer, prep school, college.
[00:15:36] Speaker C: In college. I think there are two guys that really stick out to me. One was Malachi Flynn. My freshman year at San Diego State. He had a big. By the name of Yanni Wetzel, who I really hope to be somewhat like. And he was an incredible. He was incredible at setting a ball screen and flipping the ball screen. And Malachi was just incredibly quick. He was a really old guy. He'd been around a while and he was just so good off the ball screen. And they had the perfect kind of surrounding situation for him to excel. And then, you know, I'll throw Drew Timmy in that same bucket when he was. It was been our junior year together. I mean, I was on his team, played against him when he had Chet Stroller, Nemhardt, when he had all of those guys and they could get up and down and, you know, they let him run right down the middle and he got continual one on ones really within 5ft of the basket. I mean, that was about as hard to, you know, just impossible to stop.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: That was quite the talented team at Gonzaga. What was the experience like of playing up there in Spokane?
[00:16:43] Speaker C: I love big games. I love pressure. So I thought it was so. I thought it was so fun. You know, they. I mean, it's kind of cold up there. Not much going on, but you get to that, I think. I believe it's called the McCarthy Athletic center. You know, you get there, walk by the tv trucks, there's snow blowing sideways, but you step inside and you can hear. I mean, the students jumping up and down and it's crazy. It's awesome.
[00:17:04] Speaker B: Yeah, that would be a lot of fun. Looks like a lot of fun on tv. You may not need a whole lot of help adjusting to new team, new school with your veteran experience, but is there somebody on the team who's been helpful, who said, this is how we run this drill, those kind of things?
[00:17:21] Speaker C: I mean, I think I look to X, Mister Wichita more than anything. Him and I played on run GMC together what had been my 17 year. So, you know, I kind of have some backstory with them.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: Xavier Bell is who you're talking about wrestling.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: And then.
[00:17:37] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, you know, I've kind of been around a while, right? If I have a question, I feel like my age and kind of has a little more lead way just to ask coaches questions, like, hey, what are we doing on this trip?
[00:17:48] Speaker B: Okay, you mentioned asking questions which I. You find coaches really like, that it's something a lot of athletes are not comfortable doing early in their careers. Is that something you've grown more comfortable investing and being confident asking questions of coaches?
[00:18:04] Speaker C: Yeah. I think you also have to kind of read the room, like, who, what, when, where, and why you're asking. You know, is it just like, kind of a simple, like, hey, like, what are we. What's going on this drill? Or is it like, you know, what are we doing on the ball screen? And, you know, you've been doing 15 minutes of trapping a ball screen, right. I think you just kind of age and experience come along with that. But, you know, coaches generally love questions, especially not during high practice or game situations.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: Book, movie, tv show? Do you have anything you would recommend to the. To the listeners?
[00:18:41] Speaker C: Like, I'm not a big tv or movie guy. I will tell you the blacklist. Every couple months, it'll pop up on my Netflix, and I'll watch, like, ten episodes.
If I could give somebody a shout out, though. Be bama bass on YouTube. He's got this really cool series where he has basically built a backyard pond on his farm, and he talks all about how he, like, does the fish, and he's trying to build these big bass, so he puts a bunch of bait fish and crawfish and all this other cool stuff in there. So that's something I'm really interested in. I think it's pretty cool.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: And give us the name again.
[00:19:11] Speaker C: It's basically just the pond series by this guy named Bama Bass on YouTube. I love it. And everybody who I tell to watch it, they all tell me the same thing. They're like, it's awesome.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: Okay. Are you a big fisherman, outdoors person?
[00:19:22] Speaker C: I like to be outdoors. I'm not a big fisher or hunter. I don't really have the patience. You know, I like to just be outside throwing footballs or walking around or just doing fun stuff, really just outside athletics.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: You are talking to a high school sophomore, talented athlete. They're thinking about, you know, starting the process of choosing a college. What's your advice?
[00:19:44] Speaker C: If you're going to play basketball, shoot till your arm falls off and guard til they can't take you off the floor. If you do those two things, you'll be in very good position outside of that, we live in a different world. Everything's videotaped, everything's tracked. Right? If you want to be different, you have to act different, and you have to mentally lock in, I think, across the board. Right. There's so many different problems writing behind each corner, especially for talented athletes in today's day and age, that you have to realize that I'm just not going to be able to do what everybody else is doing if I want to be different. Being different requires different stuff. You just cannot do what everyone else is doing.
[00:20:23] Speaker B: You're talking about off the court, off the court.
[00:20:26] Speaker C: The other thing is, when you get to elite level, everybody's good on the court.
It's not about how well. I mean, it's about how well you can you shoot, but it's, you know, your off court habits and how you take care of your body that really, you know, adds up over the long run.
[00:20:40] Speaker B: All right, Zane Meeks, thanks for your time.
[00:20:42] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:20:59] Speaker B: Hello. We're back, introducing you to new shockers for the basketball teams. Our guest is AJ McGinnis. AJ is a six foot four senior guard. He is from Huntsville, Alabama. AJ transfers to Wichita State from Lipscomb University. He averaged 13.2 points and 2.3 rebounds there last season. Made 39.7% of his three pointers. AJ, let's start. Lebron or Michael Jordan? Who's the. Who's the greatest?
[00:21:26] Speaker D: Lebron James.
[00:21:27] Speaker B: Okay, you seem. You are confident in that answer.
[00:21:30] Speaker C: Why?
[00:21:30] Speaker B: What do you like about LeBron?
[00:21:32] Speaker D: You know, the game has changed a lot, and there's a lot of better. Like, the role players in today's game are. They could be all stars in the past. So in order for LeBron to, like, you know, have his stamp or make his stamp that he's made, and today's game is just incredible. And I. He was also, like, the first person that I grew up watching live, so that's. I might also be a little biased because of that, but is this still.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: A big discussion point among basketball players of your generation? Is this the argument, or are there others?
[00:22:08] Speaker D: I feel like when. It's still the argument, but when you get older, it starts to become like, okay, it's opinionated, so nobody really cares about it anymore.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: Okay. Do you have a favorite NBA player? Who would that be?
[00:22:20] Speaker D: LeBron is my favorite NBA player, but I also like Anthony Edwards and Steph Curry.
[00:22:26] Speaker B: Okay. Anthony Edwards had quite the playoff run. He's really burst onto the scene. Tell us about your journey to Wichita State. How did you end up here? Why'd you choose the shockers.
[00:22:38] Speaker D: You know, it's a crazy college journey. This is my fourth school, but I ended up here because when they showed interest, they kept it really real with me, and I knew that they needed what I'm strong at, which is shooting. So I hit it off with the players, hit it off with the coaching staff and everybody.
They're really good, genuine people. So I felt like this would be a good place for me to grow.
[00:23:07] Speaker B: Now that you're several years into your college basketball career, were you looking for different things now than maybe you were three or four years ago? Have your priorities changed?
[00:23:18] Speaker D: Not really.
I really just wanted to be in a place where that was going to help me be the best basketball player I can be and the best person off the court that I can be. So I felt like Wichita was the best place for that to happen.
[00:23:33] Speaker B: So you've had roughly a couple weeks of practices. What are your impressions? What's jumping out at you about the shockers at this point?
[00:23:42] Speaker D: You know, the physicality at this level is definitely a big change, but the thing that sticks out to me the most is how good we are together, and we haven't even been around each other that long, so I'm really excited to see what we can do as a team and as an organization.
[00:24:02] Speaker B: What would you like Shocker fans to know about your game? What do you hope that next January they're walking out of the arena thinking and saying about AJ McGinnis.
[00:24:10] Speaker D: A lot of three pointers.
A lot of three pointers. But also, I just, I like really bringing energy and, like, whether that's me bouncing off, bouncing off the fans or bouncing off my teammates, I'm just really passionate about when I'm playing. So, you know, the energy is always at a high level during the game.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: So coach Paul Mills, his teams have traditionally been really good from three point range shooting. A lot of them, making a lot of them. Was that part of your evaluation process, the way he runs his offense and the way it favors shooters?
[00:24:44] Speaker D: Yes, sir, most definitely. You know, you want to. You want to be somewhere that. I wouldn't say I'm needed, but I feel like my superpower is needed here. So, you know, you want to go somewhere where they need you versus where they. Okay, yeah, we got a lot of shooters, but this is. He's just another shooter.
[00:25:04] Speaker C: You.
[00:25:04] Speaker D: You know what I'm saying? So. And his offense definitely compliments shooters. And after watching film on, you know, his oral Roberts teams and the teams in the past that he's coached, I saw that I could be. I could help, most definitely.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: So, you made pretty significant improvements at Lipscomb from 2023 to 2024. Playing time, scoring, shooting, efficiency. What kind of things did you do to improve?
[00:25:32] Speaker D: Honestly, I just put in the work and trusted God.
I averaged, I think, like, seven points the year before my last year at Lipscomb, so I really wasn't happy with that because I just felt like I was a better player than that. And so I just changed some habits and just worked, worked and worked all summer, and it showed, and it paid off.
[00:25:59] Speaker B: You're wearing number zero for Wichita State. Is there a story behind that number?
[00:26:05] Speaker D: So, I used to wear number two my first couple years in college, and the last year that I wore number two, it was really just a bad year for me as far as not knowing where my next step would be in basketball and if basketball would be the same. So I decided once I did make that decision, that I would change my number. And when I went to lipscomb, they had some numbers that I wanted, like, 13 as a family. Number one, I wore it in high school a couple times, but zero stuck out to me because I was just like, you know, I'm taking a chance on myself, and I don't have any regrets about it. So I think, like, my first post in that Jersey caption was, like, zero regrets, and I just stuck with it.
[00:26:52] Speaker B: So, tell us about your artistic interests.
[00:26:57] Speaker D: My artistic interest comes from my mom and dad.
I think those are, like, my interests in that were the interest that they kind of, like, shied and put to the side as they were growing up, because my dad, he can draw and stuff like that. But I've recently became interested in architecture. That's what I really want to be when I grow up, or I want to really be able to design residential complexes and stuff like that, and, you know, design homes. And that's been a passion of mine for a minute, even though I haven't been able to act on it because it's kind of hard to do architecture and basketball at the same time in college. So, you know, that's my passion, and that's what I hope to be doing when I'm done playing basketball.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: Okay, last question. We'll give you a chance to hand out some advice. If you were to talk to a high school athlete kind of starting this process of choosing a college, what advice would you give them?
[00:27:59] Speaker D: The first piece of advice that I would give was, you're always doing better than you think you're doing.
A and that's just big to me because I've always. In high school, I was that kid, like, oh, man, this guy, he's getting this or he's getting that, and everybody has their own path. So it took me time to realize it, but my sister, she told me that I was doing better than I thought I was, and that kind of just stuck with me and just helped me to continue to work and strive for my dreams. And as far as picking colleges or schools, pick a spot where you really feel loved, and you know the love is genuine from everyone around you and pick a place where you feel comfortable. And that's all I have to say.
[00:28:54] Speaker B: Good advice. AJ McGuinness. Thank you. Appreciate your time.
[00:28:57] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:29:12] Speaker B: We have Justin Hill with us. Justin is a six foot senior guard. He is from Houston. He transfers to Wichita State after two seasons at the University of Georgia. He averaged 9.5 points and 3.2 assists last season, scored a season high 21 points in a win over Wake Forest in the NIT. Wake Forest, coached by former shocker assistant Steve Forbes. Did you know that?
[00:29:34] Speaker E: I did not know that.
[00:29:35] Speaker B: Steve Forbes was here for two seasons as an assistant coach. Justin also spent two seasons at Longwood. He earned all Big south honors there in 2022. All right, I'm getting everybody's favorite NBA player. Who's yours right now?
[00:29:51] Speaker E: It'll be either Damian Lillard or Jalen Brunson.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: Okay, tell us about those two guys. What do you like about their games?
[00:29:59] Speaker E: You know, they're not. They're probably the smallest on the court at all times, but they make it work and they score a lot of points, get a lot of assists, and most of the time their team wins. So that's what I'm trying to do as well.
[00:30:11] Speaker B: Those are good point guards, role models, no doubt. Lebron or Michael Jordan? Lebron.
Okay, tell us why.
[00:30:19] Speaker E: He's six eight. He passes it better, shoots it better, rebounds better, stronger, just all around better. Maybe Michael Jordan scores it more, but I just feel like at that size, you can't go wrong. So, Lebron.
[00:30:36] Speaker B: Okay, interesting. I think I'm getting unanimous. LeBron James, from all these new shockers. I don't know what I expected. Houston, a lot of basketball talent in that city. Who's the best player to ever come out of Houston? In your mind?
[00:30:50] Speaker E: Dang.
But in my mind, we talking about, like, older guys or whatever.
[00:30:58] Speaker B: Who jumps to. Who jumps to your mind first when you think about a great Houston basketball player?
[00:31:02] Speaker E: I say, I would say, dear Fox right now, just because he made it out, got his own team, own franchise, I think he was an all star this year. Was he all star?
[00:31:13] Speaker B: He may have been.
[00:31:15] Speaker E: Well, he plays like one, so I would say him.
[00:31:18] Speaker B: He is quite good. He would have played the Shockers, would have played them in the tournament in 2020, 2017 or 16. He's like, he might be the fastest basketball player I've ever seen on a court. He is just a blaze.
What do you want Shocker fans to know about Justin Hill's game?
[00:31:40] Speaker E: That he's going to try to do whatever he can in his power to come out with the win, even if it's ugly or the game could be close.
I feel like I'm the right point guard for the job.
[00:31:53] Speaker B: Tell us about your early impressions of practices with this team.
[00:31:56] Speaker E: Practices, it's a lot of running. I didn't expect that. Well, that's cool and all, but the competitiveness of everybody coming out, fighting hard for the rebounds, loose balls, it just stands out to me and everybody wants it. And you can see down the court this is going to be an exciting season.
[00:32:19] Speaker B: Tell us about choosing Wichita State. How did you end up here?
[00:32:23] Speaker E: I really felt like I could trust these coaches the most.
Seeing the Houston ties Paul Mills had and the assistant coaches he has around them. They actually played basketball and played at a high level, so I went with.
[00:32:37] Speaker B: Them and we can't have a Houston person in here without asking about PJ Kuznarde, former shocker, had a really great career here, now is really active in prep basketball down there. You know, PJ, tell us a little bit about that.
[00:32:52] Speaker E: Yes, PJ was helping me in the transfer portal with me a lot. So, you know, he told me the pros and cons about the other schools I was about every school I was thinking of, and I was saying, here I will have the ties, you know, the Houston ties. So if I need anything, I can go to him. Paul Mills, we can work things out and stuff. So I just went with the people.
[00:33:15] Speaker B: I trusted the most, Trey Murray, another Houston guy who was here and had an excellent career.
Real quick, I'll tell you the best PJ Kuznard story. When he was here, I think it was the 0506 season, having a great season. Students would camp out before games to get in so that they could get the best spots in the students section. He heard that one of the kids who camped out, he put his tennis shoes outside his tent. They got stolen. PJ heard about that, took him a pair of his tennis shoes to replace the ones that got stolen. So that's why people really have a lot of respect for PJ Kuznets around here. And that's one of the reasons why. If you weren't playing basketball, is there another sport you would be playing?
[00:34:00] Speaker E: It would probably have to be football.
I've never played football in my life, but if I wasn't playing basketball, it would be football.
[00:34:07] Speaker B: Football would be the sport. You are wearing number eleven. Is there a story behind number eleven?
[00:34:13] Speaker E: My mom used to wear number eleven, and she was a pretty good point guard, so I said, why not?
[00:34:19] Speaker B: Okay. Advice for a high school athlete kind of starting this process of choosing a college, what advice would you give them?
[00:34:29] Speaker E: Go where you think you'll be able to play the most and show your talent and where you trust the coach and the coach will push you to be better, even if you don't like it at the time.
Maybe that's what you need. So go where you feel like you'll be on the court the most.
[00:34:47] Speaker B: Last question. Who's the best player you've ever played against?
[00:34:51] Speaker E: Best player ever played against?
[00:34:53] Speaker B: Could be college, could be summer.
[00:34:58] Speaker E: Probably.
What's that? Dalton connect.
[00:35:02] Speaker B: Oh, from Tennessee.
[00:35:03] Speaker E: Tennessee.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: Yes. Okay. Good choice. He will be going in the NBA draft here. That's coming up pretty highly. All right. Justin Hill, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.
[00:35:12] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:35:28] Speaker B: Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse podcast, courtesy of Wichita State University strategic communications. We encourage you to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can find more roundhouse
[email protected] dot. It's over. It is over, ladies and gentlemen. Say it slowly and savor it.
State is going to the final four for the first time in 48 years. Unbelievable.
[00:35:58] Speaker C: What a scene, folks. The shocker. Fans are just going crazy in this dance.
[00:36:03] Speaker B: Just maybe the greatest win in the history of Wichita State basketball.
