[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 appreciate all your time. Today's guest is Emily Hebert. Emily is the newly hired general manager of the Wheat Shock Collective. That is the official collective supporting name, image, and likeness opportunities for Wichita State student athletes. You probably remember Emily's name. She played volleyball for the Shockers from 2013 to 2017. She earned seven of the year honors in both the American Athletic Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference, helped lead the Shockers to three NCAA tournaments, the 2017 AAC title with a 200 record, and they hosted NCAA play that year. Emily is from Newton. She comes to Wichita State after teaching and coaching for four years at Wichita Northwest High School. Emily, let's start. You're back at Wichita State. You're working in college athletics. Why did you take this path?
[00:01:11] Speaker A: Yeah, so I'm so excited to be back. Wichita State means so much to me. It was and is still a huge part of my life. I grew up playing sports and watching sports, so I'm excited to be back and be a part of Wichita State athletics again.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: So you would have played for Chris Lamb. And anybody who's followed shocker volleyball knows there are just about a million really good Chris Lamb stories. I'm going to ask you to narrow it down one or two. What's your favorite memories of playing for Chris Lamb?
[00:01:37] Speaker A: Oh, man, there's so many. I love that guy. He's awesome.
But I think usually my go to one that I tell people is about our soup can story.
We were. I can't remember where we were, but it was freshman year, it was one of our first road trips, and he sat us all down and was talking to us about how he didn't want any of us freshmen to be distractions on the road trip.
And he's. If you know him, he does a lot of analogies. So his analogy was, he didn't want us to be like a bunch of soup cans rolling around in the back of the car, in the trunk.
So, yeah, we. That was about an hour long talk about soup cans. And then on our way to practice for our pregame practice, we got out of the bus and I go to open up the door to hold it for everybody to walk into the gym. And he walks by and he's like, hebert, you're not a soup can. And I was like, oh, my goodness. Thank goodness he doesn't think I'm a soup can. But, yeah, that's probably my favorite lambo story.
[00:02:48] Speaker B: That isn't excellent, Chris. Lam story. I love the soup can story. I was slightly bitter. You never told me that while you were. While you were playing here, but I got it out of you eventually, and that's a really good one. Shocker. Volleyball won a lot of matches.
Favorite memory from on court. Playing for the shockers.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: Oh, man, that's a difficult one as well.
I think. I always go back to my senior year when we beat Creighton at home and they were ranked number eight in the country at the time, I believe.
So that was definitely probably one of my favorite games.
But then, like, just memories off the court as well, hanging out with the team on the bus trips, we all became so close and like a family, traveling to Hawaii and playing in Hawaii was great.
And then one year we played in Springfield, Missouri, at Missouri State, and we ended up getting stuck in a snowstorm in Springfield. And we were able to stay at Danny and Gabby Mastrom's house, the whole team. So we had like a huge sleepover and that was so much fun. They're an amazing family.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: People often talk about those kind of things, the bus trips, playing games, bringing food more than they do wins and losses. Why is that? Why do those memories stick out so often?
[00:04:12] Speaker A: I know those things are just the things that impacted my life so much. I mean, I'm still so close with all of my coaches. I had with lambo and all of my teammates. We all became, like I said, I know it sounds kind of cliche, but really like a family, just super close because, I mean, we were together all the time, lived together, practice, weights, going to eat in the calf, traveling. So it was just an awesome time.
[00:04:42] Speaker B: So we're here to talk about Nil, one of the big changes in college athletics that people are grappling with over the last few years. Let's start by letting you give a little bit of an advice. You played in a different era, really enjoyed it. What advice would you give an athlete who is in college now and their head is spinning a little bit? There's Nil, there's the transfer portal, there's all kinds of things they're weighing as they plot out their next four or five years in college? What's your advice exactly?
[00:05:11] Speaker A: Yes, it has changed significantly, significantly since I've been here.
I would say even with the nil and the transfer portal, they should still try to find a school and a team and coaches and a community that fits them best if they're around a good and supportive community of people, which we definitely have here at Wichita State because I experienced it and still do. It will only just help them succeed.
[00:05:40] Speaker B: Okay. Nil. Name, image, and likeness policies. New part of college athletics. We're doing a lot of educating, a lot of explaining. So start with kind of a basic definition. What do people need to understand as they get started thinking and learning about nil?
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Yes. So nil stands for name, image, and likeness. And what we're trying to do is trying to create nil opportunities for our student athletes to help them in any way possible.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: So you started on June 10 as general manager. What have your days been filled with? What have you been doing to get up and running?
[00:06:13] Speaker A: Yes. So it's been a lot of learning so far, but it's been great.
I've been getting out, meeting some of our, well, meeting some of our new fans and reconnecting with some that I already knew.
Been setting up a lot of engagements, which I can get into a little bit more later.
And. Yeah, just kind of learning and getting familiar with the coaches and everything like that.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Let's get into the details. I think maybe for some people, there may be a perception colleges are just kind of shoveling money at athletes, and we can speak to here at Wichita State, you mentioned the engagements. There are academic components. There's all kinds of things that are a part of the nil as Wichita State figures out its way in this. What are the kind of the basics, the requirements that when a softball player, basketball player signs up for nil, what's in the deal?
[00:07:15] Speaker A: Yes. So for Wheatshawk Collective and blueprint sports, we have two different sides of our fund. So we have a nonprofit side, and then we have a for profit side.
If we are paying a student athlete out of the nonprofit side, we require them to go out into the community and work with a nonprofit or charity in the Wichita community, which is honestly, has been my favorite part of the job so far.
So this week, Justin Hill and I went out to the Kansas food Bank, and we helped load up boxes of food, and I tried to help as much as I can. He was definitely able to lift a lot more boxes than I did.
[00:08:04] Speaker B: And Justin is one of the new men's basketball players. Yeah.
[00:08:06] Speaker A: New men's basketball players, yes. And he did such an amazing job.
They actually sent us home a little early. Cause he went through everything really quickly. He got it done quick.
And then we also went out to the Wichita children's home, who, the CEO out there is Debbie Kennedy, who's Mike Kennedy's awesome wife.
We were able to spend time with some of their kids out there, and their staff, which was so much fun, played some volleyball, shot some baskets.
So it was a great time. And then tonight, I'm actually taking Quincy Ballard and Justin Hill to Starkey, who they help create possibilities in the lives of 450 people with intellectual disabilities through a wide range of businesses, employment, residential, and life enrichment things. So we're really excited to go out there and be a part of that in the community as well.
[00:09:09] Speaker B: So the community service, community engagement will be a part of the nil picture at Wichita State. Why is that? Why did Wichita State or the collective, I guess, decide that was important?
[00:09:17] Speaker A: Yeah. So blueprint sports, who actually are the ones who hired me, they have that for all of their collectives. They want to help make impacts throughout each of the communities where the schools are. So instead of just kind of handing over student athletes money, they want them to go out into the community, make an impact, connect with the community before they're getting their payments.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: And that'll be something you'll be working with them on.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: Yes. So I will be the one scheduling all those engagements, reminding them, meeting them there. I'm going to try to get a lot of content when I take them out there so that all of our fans are able to see them out in the community and what they're doing to help.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: And so if someone out there at a nonprofit is interested, they contact you.
[00:10:09] Speaker A: Is that the way to set up? Yes, for sure. Yes, please. Please do. That would be awesome.
[00:10:13] Speaker B: And I guess we should be clear. I mean, these are things that Wichita State athletes and college athletes in general have done for years and years. They've done pen pals and clinics and visited schools and read to children and things like this, now it's got an Nil component as well.
So if you've listened to shocker coaches over the last year or so, most notably Paul Mills, Brian Green, they've been really out in front talking about nil, and I think their message every time I hear them is that no matter what you think about nil, and I think people have different, you know, different viewpoints. It's the way of the world. They understand mixed feelings. But I think they have termed it as it's the price of admission for Wichita State athletics to get where it wants to be. In your conversation with fans, how are you describing the importance of Nil to the competitive part of this?
[00:11:04] Speaker A: Yes, for sure.
I just want to mention, too, coach Green and coach Mills have been awesome to work with. So I totally agree with everything that.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: They had said there that would be really important. Those guys have to be on, on board and other coaches as well. Terry Nooner, all the coaches.
[00:11:19] Speaker A: All of the coaches, yeah, they've been great, every coach in the department.
But yeah, when I'm talking to fans, I know a lot of people are hesitant to get on board, and I totally understand that.
But like the coaches said, I think it's really important for everyone to know that nil, it's here, it's not going away. And we really need to start growing it here at Wichita State so that we're able to compete with all of the other schools around the country. And Shocker nation, we're really appreciative of everything they have done so far.
[00:11:55] Speaker B: And as I hear more about nil again here at Wichita State, other colleges, many of the people are using it for, say, I want to go to grad school. That's money I can use for that. That's money I can use to help my parents travel to games. There are a lot of uses for this that fans might feel a certain kinship for. Has that been your experience as well?
[00:12:17] Speaker A: Yes, for sure.
There are yes stories on here. I don't know if I'll share all of them, but maybe we'll be able to do some other interviews later on with some of the athletes so they can share kind of what they are using it for. But I just don't want to speak for them. But I have heard, I know the.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: One I've heard Paul Mills refer to several times about Quincy Ballard and his parents. Quincy's from Syracuse, New York, so they were able to see some games. And I think there are examples like that where the money is being used for things that would be understandable, I think.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: Yes, for sure. For sure.
[00:12:53] Speaker B: So tell us about the connection to blueprint sports. That is a business. They operate collectives for many schools, Penn State, UCLA, University of Kansas, Arkansas. How are they connected to Wichita State's nil? What's their role?
[00:13:09] Speaker A: So blueprint sports and Wichita State partnered together, and I think I mentioned it earlier. So blueprint sports is who hired me.
They've been extremely helpful. Logan Craghead, he has been my mentor, teaching me pretty much everything and learning as we go.
But they'll help us create social media posts, content.
They help run our wheat shot collective website and memberships, which is very helpful. They set us up with basepath, which is the software that we use to actually send the payments to the athletes. And they really just help and assist us with anything to help make wheat shock collective more successful. I actually was, just got back a few weeks ago from a conference with them at the Star in Dallas, and they are all so helpful. It was great to meet them in person, not just on teams, and it was also kind of surprising to me, but people from the other schools were there as well, and they were extremely helpful. Gave me ideas about what's worked for them, which was so great. It's just a great group of people to work with.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: So let's hit this again. So a shocker. Signs up for nil money. An athlete, whether it's a volleyball player or a basketball player, whoever, what is their. What is their responsibility? What kind of things? What kind of markers must they hit?
[00:14:46] Speaker A: Yeah. So those engagements, they'll need to go out into the community, do an engagement. They're only.
They can only go to one specific nonprofit per quarter. So we need to find, like you said, if there's anybody who has any that they want our chakra athletes to come out to, that would be so great.
But, yeah, they'll go and do an engagement, and then we are able to pay them.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: People who may be specifically a fan of track and field or volleyball. Can you donate to the nil and specify which sport it goes to?
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Yes, for sure. So you can go to. There's a few different ways you can do this. You can go to our wheat shock collective website, and you can go click to, like, go donate now. And then it'll take you through that step, and you can choose which sport you want it to go to. And that's if you want to pay with a card. If you're wanting to write a check, you can make the checkout to BPS foundation, and then on the memo part of the check, you're going to write Wichita state student athlete community and then slash whichever sport you would like to go to.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Okay. Does anyone use checks anymore?
[00:16:07] Speaker A: Actually, yeah, we actually have got a few checks. Mm hmm.
[00:16:12] Speaker B: Things not allowed under nil rules. I feel like that might be good to go over just because it's such a new and evolving thing. Are there things that people should know?
[00:16:21] Speaker A: Yeah. And, I mean, it keeps changing constantly. So I would say right now, the biggest thing is for people to know is, like, the school isn't able to pay the athletes directly. So that's where blueprint sports came in and our collective, so that we are able to get our athletes the payments.
And then if there's anything that anybody would ever like our student athletes to be a part of with their business, they can just contact me because it would have to go through blueprint split.
[00:16:55] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. That's my next question. I go to women's basketball games and I think selece blow would be a good representation of my, whatever my business is. A restaurant or Sammy Hood or TJ Williams, any of these people, how do I start the process of saying, hey, can they come out and sign autographs or can I use them in a video shoot or social media? How do you do that?
[00:17:18] Speaker A: Yes, for sure. They can contact
[email protected]. that's my email address. And then I'll be able to help them get something set up with whatever specific athlete that they are wanting to make a deal with. So.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: Okay. And I'll put all those things in the show notes, contact information for Emily.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:17:39] Speaker B: So you've been busy meeting shocker fans and business people over the past few weeks. What impressions are you getting? How are you starting to navigate this world?
[00:17:48] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, it is always great talking to our chakra fans. They're also supportive.
Like I've said before, I think there are some people that are still a little skeptical about helping out with the collective and nil, which I totally understand.
But I think the people I've talked to, they are starting to realize, like I said, it's here, it's not going away, and they want to help Wichita state any way that they can. And Nil is going to be a huge part of obtaining and keeping our athletes and keeping us competitive with all the other schools around the country.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: Okay, we're in the middle of July.
School year is coming up quickly. Volleyball. What is the. How does your job change going forward as we start getting into August, September and things really start to pick up?
[00:18:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Once all the other sports start getting on campus, I need to definitely introduce myself, get making sure they're all set up on the nil store to get their merchandise on there to sell. And honestly, Kevin and Madison said that's something we're going to sit down and talk about what my role is going to look like on game days, things like that.
Yeah. So I guess I'll still figure that out.
[00:19:16] Speaker B: I'm glad you mentioned that because I think in one of our earlier conversations, you talked about getting to know the athletes so it could work in reverse. Then I guess if, you know, an athlete has an interest in a particular field, maybe they're a musician or maybe they love coffee. Can you encourage them or guide them to, hey, maybe this place would be interested in associating with you.
[00:19:38] Speaker A: Yes, for sure. For sure. That is definitely something that I'll start doing once I get to know them on a personal level.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: Okay, very good. Emily Hebert. She is the general manager of the Wheat Shot Shock collective. Wheat Shock collective, the official collective supporting name, image and likeness at Wichita State. Emily, thanks for your time.
[00:19:59] Speaker A: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
[00:20:15] Speaker C: Hi, this is Rick Newma, 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.
[00:20:46] 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
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[00:21:02] Speaker D: 65 for Kansas, 64 for Wichita State. 24 seconds remaining in the ball game. This Wichita State team has kept coming back and kept coming back from adversity all year. Can they do it one more time against their cross state rivals? Mike Jones inbounds to Tony Martin. Kansas staying back in its two three zone. Tony Martin to Mike Jones. The shockers will let some time work off the clock as Mike Jones feeds it back out front to Tony Martin. Tony works to the right side of the key to Randy Smithson, who fumbles the ball. Valentine going for the steel. Couldn't get it. Martin left wing to Mike Jones, 8 seconds left. Smithson out to Mike Jones. 25 footer. Good. He got it. With 3 seconds left, Mike Jones from about 25ft out, hit another long jumper. 2 seconds showing on the clock. That may not be official, but Wichita State leads 66 65. Timeout Kansas. 2 seconds to go. Wichita State 66, Kansas 65.
