[00:00:14] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thanks for your time. We appreciate you listening. Our guest today is Corey Washington. Corey is a junior forward on the Shocker men's basketball team. He's from Little Rock, Arkansas. Corey is averaging 13 points and 6.4 rebounds this season. It's coming off a really nice game on Saturday. Scored 17 points, grabbed a career high 13 rebounds in Wichita State's win over East Tennessee State. So, Corey, we're nine games into the season, Shockers are eight and one. What do you like about this team?
[00:00:48] Speaker B: Everything from how they are as people to how we work in practice. I feel like it all just sums together and it shows in the record.
[00:00:58] Speaker A: Tell us about practice and the work that gets done. How do you think that's helped this team get to where it is?
[00:01:04] Speaker B: I would just say it's very detailed, very hard working.
We really work on specific things and you really need to be locked in mentally to comprehend those.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: We heard a lot over the summer and before the season about defense and my observations, whenever I would pop in to watch practice, Shockers were working a lot on defense. Has that paid off to this point?
[00:01:26] Speaker B: Yes, it definitely has. We still have some things to clean up, but I feel like that's going to come more further down the line.
[00:01:34] Speaker A: So the Shockers open the season with a road game at Western Kentucky. You've played three neutral court games. There's a lot of teams that don't like to go on the road early in the season that don't like to challenge themselves in that way. How do you think that schedule has helped the Shockers?
[00:01:48] Speaker B: That just gave us an early test to see what we're made of, and we've stood up to every test that we've. We've had so far.
I feel like that just hasn't been any games. That's just been like.
Like we haven't even. There's no fight at all. There's always been fight people.
[00:02:06] Speaker A: We hear a lot about the bonding that might take place on a road trip. It's you against a crowd of 5,000, 7,000, 10,000, that kind of thing. Is that real? Does it help a team grow closer when you go through experiences like that?
[00:02:19] Speaker B: Yes, it does. I feel that hard times definitely makes us closer. And what's harder to play in front of 10,000, 20,000 people that don't want to see you win? I feel like that made us very close.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: Do you enjoy winning road games? Is there a special feel to quieting the crowd.
[00:02:38] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. It's definitely one of the best fielders in the world.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Actually, probably the two toughest games this year have been two games in Florida in a tournament. Defeated Minnesota, lost to Florida. What did those two games specifically teach this team?
[00:02:53] Speaker B: It just, it gave us just a standpoint on where we are in the season.
The first game against Minnesota, it was challenging. It was very detailed.
Scout wise, personnel wise. And Florida, they're a great team. Pass off to them. But there were some things that we needed to clean up and that gave us all we needed to know.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Definitely two good measuring sticks. Okay. We've talked a lot about rebounding with this team over the last couple weeks and better effort on the boards. Against East Tennessee State, you were one of the guys that led that good rebounders. Are they born that way or is that a skill that you can learn?
[00:03:34] Speaker B: It's definitely a skill, but it's definitely hard.
You just have to want to go do it. It's a thing that not everybody can do.
[00:03:43] Speaker A: What are the best drills? What's the best way to learn how to become a rebounder?
[00:03:47] Speaker B: This might sound weird, but just watching misses, see how they ricochet off the rims, knowing the area of which, how far it bounces and how far the shot is taken from.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: Yeah, okay. I was going to ask that exact question. Okay, you're on the court, shot goes up. What's going through your mind? How are you planning?
[00:04:09] Speaker B: What's your next move defensively? If the shot goes up and it's taken by the other team, it's definitely to side check and see if my man is crashing so he doesn't get it. But offensively, I would just say it's how far it is. If it's a three point shot, it's definitely going to come off harder.
It's going to be a long rebound. But if it's a layup, I can just definitely take a cheat step and just try to out jump or get position on the guy.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: So you had two tip dunks against East Tennessee State, Right? Two follow dunks. Where does that rank on the list of favorite plays or things that are most fun to do as a basketball player?
[00:04:48] Speaker B: That's definitely. That's definitely top five.
I feel like those are energy plays. It gets the crowd into it gets your teammates hype. It definitely can change the momentum of a game.
[00:05:01] Speaker A: So Paul Mills likes to talk about city rebounds and suburb rebounds. City rebounds means those rebounds that you get above the rim. How do you become a city rebounder?
[00:05:13] Speaker B: I would just say timing you have to go meet the ball at its peak and not let it come to you. I feel like if you let it come to you, then it just makes it easier for the opposition to get the ball as well.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: So Kawhi Leonard's famous for saying board man gets paid. Are you familiar with that?
[00:05:29] Speaker B: Yes. Yes.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: Okay, so you would say that probably that describes part of your. Part of your game, part of your motivation.
[00:05:35] Speaker B: Yes, sir, he does.
[00:05:36] Speaker A: He would be a good guy to. A good guy to follow. When I talk to coaches about Corey Washington, they use words, competitive motor energy when describing you in practice. You're taking charges, you're diving for loose balls, all those kind of things. Were you always that way on a basketball court?
[00:05:54] Speaker B: Yes, sir. That's the only thing I'm really used to at this point. That's the only way I know how to play basketball.
Just even from being small. It's like just seeing guys on the NBA.
I'm going to do that. I'm going to play hard any chance I get.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: Yeah. Where does that come from? Did you have role models that played like that? Were you born like that? Where does that energy and that will to compete come from?
[00:06:19] Speaker B: It just comes from within, honestly. It's just a thing that I've always wanted to just do personally, but I've seen other people do it on tv, on social media, but it's just always been within me.
[00:06:34] Speaker A: So you did not attempt a three pointer as a freshman in 2022, 23. When you were at St. Peter's University last year as a sophomore, you shot 30% from three point range. This season at Wichita State, you're 9 of 22. You're shooting 40% from three point range. Take us through that progress. How did you improve your shooting?
[00:06:56] Speaker B: It just comes from work, getting the reps in.
I just want to think of it as a confidence thing. My freshman year wasn't really too much. I knew I understand the game and I understand I wasn't ready to take those shots yet. So I just got in the gym and got to work over summer and just kept going.
Now we're to this point.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: Have you changed anything, tweaked your form or is it just repetition?
[00:07:20] Speaker B: It's just repetition. You get enough reps of shooting of. I feel like if anything, I mean you can perfect it or get close to perfecting it.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: Who is the best dresser on this team?
[00:07:35] Speaker B: It's me.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Hands down, Hands down, hands down.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Me.
[00:07:37] Speaker A: Okay. And I've become interested in this because if you watch NBA basketball, they always show the guys walking into the arena, what they. They're dressed, that kind of thing. Do you pay more attention to what you're wearing on the way to games because of those NBA guys? Has that changed the way you think about dressing?
[00:07:54] Speaker B: I would say it gives me like a role model or how I look up and see how they dress and I dress. I would just say that I just have my own personality, my own style, and I just go with that.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Describe your style, your dressing style.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Others would say flashy, but I think that's just who I am. Very confident in what I'm wearing, if anything.
But it's not really too much. It's not just out blingy. It's more of just a chill.
Very, very, very dull. I don't like bright colors like that. So it's very dull.
[00:08:37] Speaker A: So if you're the best dresser, who's second on this team? Who gives you a run for your money?
[00:08:42] Speaker B: Oh, I'll go. Justin. Justin. He's definitely. He's definitely two.
[00:08:48] Speaker A: Who is the teammate that in this eight, one start for the Shockers, who's the teammate who maybe is getting overlooked, who didn't get enough credit for how they helped their help? This team?
[00:08:59] Speaker B: I would say Quincy. I say that because he really makes up for a bunch of mistakes that we make defensively and offensively, and he just cleans that up, whether that be on the boards, blocking shots, catching bad passes. I mean, he just cleans it up. Cleans up all the miss.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: As you're talking about center Quincy Ballard, what's the difference playing defense when he's on the court versus when he's not?
[00:09:27] Speaker B: He definitely has a huge rim presence. So him putting pressure on the rim, defending the rim, protecting the rim, I feel like that makes it definitely harder for the opposition because, I mean, you settle for jump shots all game. That's not going to be a good idea.
[00:09:44] Speaker A: And he has become a really good free throw shooter, which I think is a big part of this team's success. Last year, this team struggled from the free throw line. This year, I think they're like 74%. It's really become a positive. Paul Mills has talked about the free throw routines during practice. Tell us about that from your perspective. How do. How does this team work on free throws?
[00:10:05] Speaker B: We do this drill in practice where we have maybe two to a goal or maybe somebody at a goal by itself, and we just go around and each person, each group has to make one. The first person shoots, you make one. The next person shoots, and you have to get to six and then we have to get to eight. I mean seven and then we have to get to 8. So just, I mean, getting those reps in, having all that pressure on you of I can't miss.
We also have a minute, I think a minute or two minutes to do this. So it's very time. So you can't just take all the time you want. But I feel like those reps really, really do it.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Okay, you are in your third year of college athletics. What would you tell young Corey Washington? Corey Washington, who is a freshman or a sophomore in high school? What would you tell him? What would your advice be to a person in that situation?
[00:11:03] Speaker B: Just keep your head down and then keep working. You're going to get everything you deserve, everything you work for.
No panic. Don't panic at all. No need to panic.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Okay, Cory Washington, thank you very much for your time. The Shockers are 8 and 1 after Saturday's win over East Tennessee State. They play at DePaul noon Saturday. You can watch that game on FS1 or you can listen on keyn 103.7am FM. Corey, thank you very much.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:11:48] Speaker C: Hi, this is Rick Miuma, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode I sit down with different guests from Shocker Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:12:19] Speaker D: 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] Malcolm out near the timeline, left side of the floor to Baker. Ron works deeper to the wing, fires a three.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Good.
[00:12:40] Speaker D: Ron Baker with his third three point field goal of the game and Wichita State goes ahead by four.
