[00:00:16] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to the Roundhouse podcast with Paul Solentrop of Wichita State University strategic communications. Thanks for your time. We appreciate you listening. Today we're going to talk Wichita State basketball with Harlan Beverly. Harland is a red shirt senior guard. He is from Detroit. He started 33 games for the Shockers last season. Averaged 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Really came on strong over the last several weeks of the season, and we will talk about that. Harlan, let's get started with some background. You wear number 20. Is there a story with wearing number 20?
[00:00:50] Speaker B: Yes, it is.
My first time playing on a travel team, probably. I think it was eight and under. I played for a team called Detroit Elite, and my dad actually picked the jersey number for me because he really liked Gary Payton and he was hoping that that would make me want to play defense because he said in the church leagues that I played as a kid under eight. Of course, he said I didn't play any defense, so I tried to put my own little spin on it, because at the time, of course, I don't know much about Gary Payton, nor did I probably care.
So I changed it into h two o and tried to make that like a nickname. And hopefully that made. I like to think that it made my jumper more water, as people would say. So, yeah, it was. And it became one of my favorite numbers. Okay.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: And did you play defense like the glove? That was his nickname.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: Oh, not at all.
Not in the slightest.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: But you stuck with it, though?
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Yes, I did.
[00:01:54] Speaker A: Okay. CJ McCollum, New Orleans pelicans, your favorite athlete, is that still correct? That's in your bio, so I'm going to double check that.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: Yeah, that was in my bio from incoming freshman.
I feel like I kind of just had to give an answer, but I do really like CJ McCollum.
Probably a lot of people's first time watching him was Lehigh versus Duke, and he was by far the best player on the court. And I thought it was really cool that he just went to not as big of a school athletically, and he carried them to a win. So I was a fan since then.
[00:02:32] Speaker A: Will you be watching a lot of the NBA playoffs?
[00:02:36] Speaker B: Yes, I will. I actually watched the first game, maybe this year that I watched last night, the Lakers versus Pelicans. Ironically, CJ was on the team.
Yeah, I'm excited for the playoffs. Hopefully LeBron can win another championship. I'm a LeBron fan.
[00:02:55] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: That was going to be my next question. If CJ's not really your CJ's someone you admire but not really your favorite. Who is your favorite?
[00:03:02] Speaker B: I really like LeBron. I respect his greatness and longevity.
I really liked Chris Paul and Rondo growing up. I really gravitated more to point guards and their style. Probably why I like LeBron as well, because he could really pass like the point guards. So I would put those three really high up for me.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: What is more impressive at this point of LeBron's career, his skill level or just the physical ability to do what he's doing at? How is he? 39? 38? What impresses you about him at this point in his career?
[00:03:35] Speaker B: The athletic ability at that age is something I feel like none of us have ever seen before. But he also does continue to improve skill wise, which can be equally as impressive given that he's played 20 years in the NBA and he's still improving in some aspects. So they're both pretty remarkable.
[00:04:12] 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.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: Do you have a favorite sport besides basketball?
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Over the past year, I've really been getting into UFC mixed martial arts.
I think it is the toughest sport to participate in.
I've been a fan of UFC for probably five years, but just this past year, I've really been making sure I catch every card and I play UFC, the video game a lot, and that really sparked more interesting. But yeah, that has to be. I enjoy watching that over basketball.
It's really fun to watch in the.
[00:05:21] Speaker A: Shock or locker room. What's the breakdown of sports arguments? Are there, like LeBron versus Michael Jordan arguments? What goes on in the locker room when you guys start talking about sports?
[00:05:32] Speaker B: A big one was that Wimbayama is a top ten player in the NBA right now.
That was a really fun one.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: Victor Bumbiana, the rookie for the spurs, like seven foot four from France, had quite the rookie year. Definitely.
[00:05:47] Speaker B: Yes, that was a really big one.
Another one is will LeBron James play with his son, Bronny James? Of course.
A lot of hypotheticals, not necessarily who's better than who, but just fun hypotheticals that you may never know the answer to.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: Those are the best kind of arguments. Yes. Nobody's wrong. Nobody's right. You can just discuss it.
[00:06:10] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Okay. Favorite memory from last season for the Shockers, what jumps into your mind first?
[00:06:17] Speaker B: A favorite memory would be anytime that a player on the team received the migraine chain that we took pictures with, whoever coach felt like was very impactful in that game. He would give the chain to, and really, those were just really fun moments.
Sometimes it's obvious who's gonna get it. Sometimes you don't know. And I feel like that was always a moment that we all felt really close, and I think we all really enjoyed that.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Now, I knew about the chain. That was obvious. If you follow the shockers on social media. I didn't know it was called the migraine chain. What is the. Why is it called that?
[00:06:56] Speaker B: The player who gave the other team the most headaches, which was pretty fun.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Okay, makes sense. So shockers finished up strong. They won. Five of their final eight included a win at UAB. UAB ended up winning the american athletic conference tournament. Shockers probably the highlight of the season for a lot of the fans. American Athletic conference tournament win over Memphis. What changed in those last two or three weeks for the Shockers?
[00:07:26] Speaker B: I think we really all just started to really understand what coach Mills was looking for, what he wanted.
I feel like we all really bought in. We understood that obviously, what we were doing to that point wasn't working and that we all need to be honest with ourselves and really come together. And I feel like we really came together. We were closer than ever at the end of the season, especially being a new group, which, in college basketball, everybody's pretty much a new group now, but we really gelled at the end, and I was really pleased with how we.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: Finished up the Memphis game. Where does that rank on your list of memories?
[00:08:10] Speaker B: Top three. It was really, it was a really good one.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: That was good. How long were you planning, or was the team planning the. I guess the callback to the photo Memphis took here, was that in the back of everybody's minds, or was that kind of spur the moment after the game?
[00:08:24] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Everybody.
Nobody forgot about it.
You know, when it happened, it stung. You want to get your gift back. So it turned into a moment that we didn't like to, something that we could laugh at. And I feel like that was really, really empowering and fun for us that we got to go back and laugh at something that didn't make us feel good.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: Yeah. For those that don't remember or weren't aware, when Memphis came to Wichita State, they won. They took a photo in the locker room, I think, with a t shirt, maybe a giveaway t shirt. It was basically thumbs down to Wichita State. And then when the shockers returned the favor in the tournament in Fort Worth, they were responded with their own version of thumbs down. Okay. You played a big role in that late season surge for the Shockers. You shot 48% from the field, made eight of your 19 threes, and averaged 14.2 points over those final seven games. Why the good finish for Harlan Beverly?
[00:09:29] Speaker B: Confidence in sports, especially basketball, I feel like confidence is a skill.
Having confidence can really show how skillful someone is as well.
I would just say my confidence really, really grew over the season. Coach Mills had a lot of belief in me, and that really helped me a lot.
It's not easy when you're losing.
You lose. You look in the mirror and ask yourself, what could you do better? So you kind of being hard on yourself. And coach Mills really challenged me at the end of the year to be a better version of myself, and I feel like I stepped up to that challenge, and I'm really grateful that he had that belief and was willing to challenge me.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Are you the kind of player who likes being challenged? Was that a good tactic by him?
[00:10:21] Speaker B: With the way I played, I feel like it was a great tactic. Yes.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: And you said you appreciated the way he showed belief in you. Tell us a little bit more about that. How did he do that? Words, playing time. How did he get across to you?
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a little bit of both.
I feel like he really harps on being close with his players. He talks to us quite often, makes sure that he comes and speak to us, says hello.
I don't know if people know this, but all head coaches don't do that. They don't. Sometimes you just hop right into practice. There's never a moment where you get to, like, say hello, just check in, how you doing? And he made sure he did that. And in between those hellos, like, he would ask you a question, and I'm not going to say what he asked me, but he asked me a question, and I didn't know the answer to it. But I was in the ballpark, I was close, and he was like, well, good players would know that answer. So it kind of just gave me a different perspective, kind of changed my mindset a little bit, be a little more detail oriented and just little stuff like that. It really helps you learn and grow, and he has a really, really good way of teaching and connecting.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: So when he asked you this question, was it early in the season?
[00:11:41] Speaker B: No. Late in the season, yeah, probably about eight, nine games left. So right before that stretch where I feel like I played well.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: Okay, so that question you thought was kind of a catalyst to get you thinking in the right direction.
[00:11:54] Speaker B: Yes. And it was. It was impactful.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Okay, when will you reveal what the question was? Would that be something senior day or.
[00:12:00] Speaker B: After we win conference championship?
[00:12:02] Speaker A: After you win the conference championship. All right, we'll check back on that. Where do you feel like you made your biggest improvement over the season?
[00:12:14] Speaker B: I would say defensively and being aggressive on offense, we have some really good players.
It's easy to kind of defer when you feel like a skill of yours is to pass the ball, which I feel like it is. So I got caught up in maybe a little overpassing sometimes. Instead of being aggressive and also looking for my own shot, then defensively, I feel like I really grew just being taught and understanding the game. Like I said, he was a really good teacher and just learning to be like, in what spot? Being in the right position, that really helped my defensive game grow.
[00:12:58] Speaker A: We should probably mention you had the back injury that limited your time at Miami as part of this story. Just getting back in the groove, getting fully healthy, all of that. Was that part of your improvement as well?
[00:13:09] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I tried to treat last year as at Miami, kind of just getting my feet back under me because after I had my surgery, they said it really takes a year to fully be healed and feeling back to your old self.
And I was playing probably five months after the surgery, which was fine, but I could always feel a little slower not jumping as high. So I used that year to really just get that momentum and confidence back. So this year I was able to kind of put it all together and feel back myself and healthy.
[00:13:54] Speaker A: So chakra coaches, Paul Mills, they love using statistics as a teaching tool. I think that's pretty much a daily part of the routine.
Is there a number that made a big impression on you from last season? Is there something they said or something they pointed out that sticks with you?
[00:14:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like it'd be a little long to kind of explain.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: Give us a category. What part of the game did it involve?
[00:14:25] Speaker B: Offense. Just shooting the shots that add up to winning percentages and putting the amount of points on the board that is needed to score. So they broke it down into, like, which shots generate a specific point per possession. And after seeing the data from college and NBA, it really showed us all, like, which shots will give us the best chance of winning, produce the most points. So that was really smart. It was a really good way to show us that.
I feel like we all really learned in those moments, and they really harped on that really for the whole year, and I feel like it made a difference.
[00:15:12] Speaker A: So a lot of these statistics that they use, you mentioned point per possession, are all still, I say, new. Within the last, maybe ten years, 15 years, they've really come into more prominence. And there are always going to be people who say, I don't want to give me the eye test. I don't want to be bogged down with all these numbers. There are other people who really enjoy them as a way to supplement what they think about the game. Where do you fall? Do you enjoy kind of these in the weed statistics?
[00:15:39] Speaker B: Yes, but that's a great question, because I feel like it's a fine line.
When you're trying to win basketball games and improve players.
I feel like it's really smart to show statistics and points per possession and stuff of that nature. But when evaluating players and trying to, like, see who can play at a specific level, I think it's very important to use the eye test, especially if you don't get to catch every single game. Maybe they're in high school and you don't have access to that amount of data or stats.
Yeah. So I think there is a fine line, and they can be used for different reasons, purposes. But winning basketball games, I think, is very important to use statistics and understand just what is needed to win.
[00:16:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I think most coaches would say it's got to be a combination of both. There are times to really drill down into the stats and be smart. But there's other times when you just gotta kind of play and use the eye test and not get worried with those kind of things.
Wichita State, by my count, there will be eight returners, including yourself.
How will that help? When things get started this summer, you guys will be gearing up again, I would guess. Within a few weeks, the newcomers will be filtering on into campus. So that's a pretty good number of returners, especially in this current climate of college basketball. How does that help, having that base of experience?
[00:17:09] Speaker B: Yeah, it's huge. We all know what to expect. We all know what coach Mills wants. We all know what practices will look like. So nothing will really catch us by surprise, necessarily.
We'll all still be challenged, though, but we understand what is expected and what is needed to win to improve every day. So I think it'll really just even help, like, the newcomers kind of get them acclimated, maybe quicker than we did.
Having eight players back in this climate is really, really good.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: What would be your first piece of advice to some of the newcomers? How do they go about getting acclimated? To Paul Mills, basketball program.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Take it one day at a time.
Listen, everybody here is going to be honest with you. It's not.
We're not working against you. We are working towards the same goal, so hopefully they take that message properly.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: What's your advice to a high school, say, junior, who's just getting maybe started in the recruiting process? He's starting to, you know, he's that talented. He's starting to get some contact, whatever. What's your advice? What should a high school junior be looking for in a college basketball program?
[00:18:35] Speaker B: The first piece of advice I would give is to be respectful and build great relationships with every single one of these coaches to the best you can.
You never know where college coach might end up coaching. He could end up being your coach like Paul Mills was for me.
And then second, really take your time, understand what you're looking for, and ask the players that are there questions. Don't be afraid to speak or be shy. You should really, really.
[00:19:10] Speaker A: Questions are different things important to you now that you've been through four or five years of college than they were when you were being recruited?
[00:19:21] Speaker B: I wouldn't say so. I feel like I've been a relationship person for most of my life, and that was really huge for me.
I do feel like I understand how to dissect a coach's play style better.
You know, like, when I was in high school, I was told, like, don't go to a specific conference because they're not big on offense or stuff of that nature, which might not even be true. It could just be some notion that somebody's put in your head because that's what they think. And I feel like now I would be able to make that own type of thought and come to a conclusion for myself, which just comes with watching and playing more basketball.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: And you had a relationship with Paul Mills, right? Am I remembering that correct? That's how you ended up here? He had recruited you?
[00:20:16] Speaker B: Yeah, he recruited me for a little bit, but he was my first official scholarship offer, which was really nice. I don't feel like many players forget their first one, and that's something that stuck out. And then he had a great run at Oru, which I feel like everybody kind of took notice of.
[00:20:38] Speaker A: Okay, you've been very patient sitting through all the basketball talk. We'll get to the movies, which I know is your favorite hobby. What's your favorite movie?
[00:20:45] Speaker B: It's really, really tough. I like time movies. I like psychological thrillers. So the first one that kind of comes to mind is Looper.
That's a really good one. I like the Dark Knight. That's always a really easy one.
I also don't like to just watch super critically acclaimed movies as well. I watched Drum line with Nick Cannon almost every night growing up. You know, on the DVD players. I put it in. It was only like one of the few DVD's I had that was. That's always just like a feel good movie.
I would put those three in there. Drumline does not deserve to be in the same conversation as those other two, but it's really, really fun.
[00:21:33] Speaker A: Is there a teammate that you can discuss movies with?
[00:21:37] Speaker B: Yeah, we can.
We've only really discussed Marvel movies, which I love as well.
But, you know, we talk a lot of superhero movies, but that's pretty much it.
[00:21:52] Speaker A: Do you have a go to movie snack when you go to the theater? Is there something you always have to get?
[00:21:58] Speaker B: I see for sure the coke one.
I don't know what. I don't know what they put in. Like the drink coke, but it's addicting. It's really good.
I really enjoy coke.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: Popcorn. I've gotta have junior mints in my popcorn. Do you get popcorn?
[00:22:16] Speaker B: No, I'm not really much of a popcorn guy unless they have the kettle corn, like salt that you can put on it, which it sucks. Cause you put the kettle corn on the top and then as you eat, like, you eat the ones that have. So you kinda have to go back and refill it back up. But I kinda stay away from the popcorn. I took Popeyes into a movie one time before. That was pretty good.
I like the little Reese's pieces, is probably the one that is my go to. Cause AMC sells them.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Sure. That's a good one. That's a good one. All right. You are a big Christopher Nolan fan. You mentioned the Dark Knight. Very famous director. What's your favorite Christopher Nolan movie?
[00:23:03] Speaker B: Interstellar is such an easy one to do. I would say that dark knight. I remember going to the movies to see it, so that was a really good experience.
Oppenheimer was good. It's really hard to choose because they're all kind of different. They all add a different level of thought provoking feelings and they're all really good. It's hard to choose, but I would say inception, interstellar, dark matter are the top three for me.
[00:23:34] Speaker A: Top three. For someone who's maybe not familiar with his work, describe his directing style. What makes Him a favorite of yours?
[00:23:46] Speaker B: It's not really a passive watch.
You're more so actively watching the movie, feeling connected with the characters, with the themes, the stories, they're also just very, very fun stories.
The plots aren't very simple, and I like the ones that are sci-fi as well, that make you do a little research after the movie's over. It's always fun.
[00:24:14] Speaker A: So I really enjoyed Oppenheimer. I was Very glad I saw it on the big screen. I thought it was a movie that needed to be seen in that format. Do you feel strongly about there are certain movies you need to see him in the theater as opposed to on your tv?
[00:24:27] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. He. I know Interstellar is coming out, I want to say September 27. They're doing a rerelease in theaters on the ten year anniversary the movie came out, I think it is, and I didn't get to see it in theaters. And that is one that I absolutely think that you need to see it. And I'm gonna go see it in theaters for sure.
[00:24:50] Speaker A: Okay. That's good. Sounds like a good idea. Is there a Christopher Nolan movie you're not big on? One. You didn't enjoy Tenet?
[00:25:02] Speaker B: I watched it probably four or five times, too, just to continue to try to understand what was going on and watch YouTube videos and everything to try to understand what I just watched. It was. It had some good action in. It just really wasn't one of my favorites. It wasn't bad. I went to the movies to see that as well. It just.
It didn't stick out to me as some of the other ones did.
[00:25:30] Speaker A: Okay. We gave it a fair shot. If you saw it four or five times.
Okay. These are questions my son in law, Brendan Stewart, podcaster, movie buff, he knows lots more about this than I do. So these are his questions.
Did the top keep spinning?
[00:25:47] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:25:47] Speaker A: That means something to you?
I think it means something to movie people. Did the top keep spinning? Explain the significance of the top.
[00:25:54] Speaker B: Did the top keep spinning?
You know, to me, it looked a little wobbly. Whenever the little spinny top start getting a little wobbly, I think it's gonna fall. So I think it was eventually gonna fall, but, you know, nobody ever knows. That's one of those fun questions that you could ask. No right or wrong answer, but I do think it was gonna fall. It looked a little wobbly.
That is a very fun question.
[00:26:22] Speaker A: And that was at the end of inception?
[00:26:25] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:26:25] Speaker A: Okay. So that would be a big question. If you're a Christopher Nolan fan, you would want to know the answer to that from interstellar. Would you want to go into space to investigate the wormhole?
[00:26:38] Speaker B: Absolutely not. I'm terrified of space movies are really fun about space, but I don't think I would go into a spaceship or a space rocket. Nothing. I don't.
My fear is like, getting back. I wouldn't want to go and see, but I don't think I understand enough about the gps systems and how they get back to the exact spot that I just freaks me out. I'm okay.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: Okay, then you're probably also out on visiting the water planet. Would that be right?
[00:27:09] Speaker B: Absolutely. No, no, no, no.
That was one of those moments in the movie. You get, like, chills and your heart start beating fast. I'm perfectly fine on skipping out on the water planet.
[00:27:23] Speaker A: Okay. Favorite basketball movie? I've got one written down here that I hope you will mention, although not. It's more doc. It's a documentary, not a movie. But what's your favorite basketball film?
[00:27:35] Speaker B: My favorite basketball film, I would say we can count. Documentaries.
[00:27:46] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:27:46] Speaker B: More than a game. LeBron James.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:27:50] Speaker B: It was just really cool to watch the high school transformation.
I was born zero one, so I didn't get to experience the LeBron hype when he was in high school and getting drafted. My first.
I probably remember him from five years old, which he was already well in his career. So that was really fun for me to watch. And then the last dance was really good because I didn't get to experience Michael Jordan, et al.
But like, if we're doing like, fiction air Bud is fun.
I don't know. Basketball movie. It's hard to make a good basketball movie. I don't feel like it's many of them.
[00:28:42] Speaker A: Do you find that? Yeah, because you are a basketball player. Just the. Any kind of inaccuracy or it just bugs you when you see something like that.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: I don't think I look too deep into it. Like, Mike was always a good fun one growing up.
Cause I feel like you can relate to the characters in, like Mike. You have your shoes. I used to cut socks up and put them on my arms as basketball sleeves, like Allen Iverson. So I feel like those are really, really good movies, too. Both of them. There was two of them.
[00:29:16] Speaker A: Have you seen hoop dreams?
[00:29:19] Speaker B: One of my coaches at Miami made us all go to his house and sit down and watch it as a team.
It was too long.
[00:29:28] Speaker A: It was long.
[00:29:29] Speaker B: It was very long. But it was good. It was really good. It was very well put together. But it was a very long movie. And I think the circumstance maybe changed how I think about the movie. Just because we're at our coach's house for a long time. Nobody really wants to be at Coach's house for 5 hours of a weekend, so we all know love the coaches, but, you know, you want to get a weekend off, you want to go.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: Watch whatever you want to watch. Maybe it's one you could revisit.
[00:29:59] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I might have to revisit hoop dreams. Really good documentary. All right. Harlan Beverly, senior guard for the shockers. He has been gracious with his time, talking movies, talking basketball. Harlan, thank you very much.
[00:30:10] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
[00:30:27] Speaker C: 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. Wichita State is going to the final four for the first time in 48 years.
[00:30:56] Speaker B: Unbelievable. What a scene, folks.
[00:30:58] Speaker C: The Shocker fans are just going crazy in this dance. Just maybe the greatest win in the history of Wichita State basketball.
