[00:00:14] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thank you very much for listening. We are in basketball season or very close to it. So today's guest is Kenton Paulino. Kenton is in his third season as associate head coach with Wichita State's men's basketball team. Kenton will give us the update on fall practices highlighted by scrimmages against Drake and Santa Clara over the last few weeks. The Shockers open the season versus University of North Carolina Asheville on November 4th at Charles Koch Arena. So Kenton, let's start with where practices are. Now. We're about two weeks away from the opener. What are the Shockers focusing on?
[00:00:53] Speaker A: Well, as usual, you know, the Shockers are focusing on the defensive side of the ball, you know, fundamentals, really paying attention to the details. Now that we've played two scrimmages, we were able to analyze some things and find out what we need to get better at.
I would say that that's the main focus. The attention to details is probably something that's going to go on all year. But you know, when you're playing, when you played against other teams and other opponents, you know, you could kind of what you've been talking about or focusing on all this time in practice, we were able to pinpoint when we're playing against somebody else.
[00:01:33] Speaker B: Had I been more prepared, I would have done figured this out beforehand. Are there different styles of play that you saw from Drake and Santa Clara that made them helpful scrimmage opponents?
[00:01:42] Speaker A: Yeah, so I would say more so with Santa Clara, which was great. They pressured the ball and they played full court defense, which is good because that's what we'll see. Against Asheville, Drake was more so a half court game and more of a slower pace. So it was good to see both sides of the ball. But both teams could really, really shoot the ball and that was something going in our shooter defense and guarding the three point line is going to be important for us moving forward. So that's we wanted to see and wanted to be tested at that and I thought the two scrimmages did that.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: So when you think about setting up these scrimmages in the summer, I guess when they're, when you're starting to look around how much of it is we just want to play another good division one opponent, how much leeway do you have to say we'd really like to play a team that does this really well or this really well. Are you able to do that much?
[00:02:35] Speaker A: Yeah. When you're setting up these closed scrimmages or open scrimmages. You want to try to play teams that are similar to teams in your league athletically and what you're going to see during the season. So we try to pinpoint teams that does that.
We struck out on a few teams that we wanted to play, but it ended up working out at the end of the day.
[00:02:57] Speaker B: And just to remind people, so the Shockers played Drake a few weeks ago in a charity scrimmage here at Koch arena that was open to the public. And then last weekend went to Denver to play Santa Clara in a closed scrimmage. So These scrimmages against NCAA Division 1 opponents have become more and more popular.
A lot of schools are not going to the exhibition games against maybe an NCAA Division 2 school.
Makes a lot of sense to me. Describe the format of these scrimmages and how the coaches structure them to get the most out of that time.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: Well, the first scrimmage we played, I say about 30 minutes of offense, defense, offense. I think Both teams had 10 possessions where they did that, where they either started on offense or on defense and that's the time. It's more so like practice where you get a stoppage in between.
We did that the first scrimmage so we could play everybody different combinations to try to get a feel for our personnel.
And then following that we played a 40 minute game. You know, regular running clock. I think we reset the score at halftime and then the last 10 minutes was more so for our young guys and walk ons to get their feet wet playing against another team.
Now Santa Clara, we played four 12 minute games, so we played 48 minutes.
The first 36 minutes it was more so guys that we feel will be in the rotation when this season start, which is important because with 12 new guys, you know, everybody's not going to play the minutes that they anticipate playing.
So one of the biggest things with a new team, you want to establish a rotation and you want to establish reality before the season starts so that that's something that's valuable moving forward.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Why do coaches like these scrimmages so much?
[00:04:49] Speaker A: Because, you know, instead of playing against a team where you're obviously better than, you get a lot more out of a team that you know that could match your talent early in the year in situations. So coaches like it because you could learn a lot more about your team, especially with the transfer portal and guys, you know, coming and going. You want to establish how you would coach them in a game and them being Used to the style of play and what's expected in a game setting versus, you know, playing an exhibition game where you might win by 40.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: You know, so there was a point to going to Denver, kind of meeting in the middle. What was that point? Why play Santa Clara there?
[00:05:39] Speaker A: You know, just for logistics. You know, it was. It was more. So instead of traveling all the way to California, you know, both teams could travel halfway and we can get there the night before and leave the same day because we didn't want to. We didn't want to be there for too long.
So that's probably. That was where we met in the middle. And I thought it, you know, it was good for everybody. It worked out for everybody.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: And then did it also give you an opportunity to show the new guys, this is what we do on the road. This is our routine?
[00:06:09] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, it's something that you don't even think about, but then you realize, like, man, these guys have never traveled with us. They don't know what we do on the road, how we do things in terms of scouting report, the pre game meal, how we wake up in the morning and watch film. So we wanted to establish that and get their feet wet with what's the standard here at Wichita and how we do things when we travel.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: And if you're a player like Dre Kendall, you're used to getting on a bus and going to Liberal Kansas or Hutchinson now, it's quite a.
[00:06:42] Speaker A: Quite a change, right? It's been an adjustment because, you know, you got guys coming from different levels and different programs, and they might do things differently. You might come where you're used to busing everywhere versus, hey, we're flying or taking a charter flight.
So it was good to see and see the guys in a different setting as well.
[00:07:02] Speaker B: So these two scrimmages, is there an aspect about this team that you really solidified? Such as, I thought we were a pretty good rebounding team, and now I feel even better about that. Anything like that that you would point.
[00:07:15] Speaker A: To, you know, going into these scrimmages, we. We had a feeling that we would be a physical team, but it's different when you watch our guys just beat up on each other every day. It's like, okay, we're ready to do that to somebody else to see if it translates.
And I would say, you know, rebounding is going to be our strength. We're a physical team.
We got good size and our guys get after it when the shot goes up.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Is there an aspect that surprised you after coming out of these two scrimmages.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: I would echo the rebounding. Now, I would say this. It was nice to see guys be able to step out and make shots.
Not that, you know, it surprises us that they can make shots because we see it every day in practice.
But it was good to see it translate. It was good to see it translate with guys like Mike. He was able to step out and make shots with Kenyon Giles. And then we have a few guys who are capable of making shots that just hasn't done it with the lights on, like Brian.
But it was good to see that because I know that's been a struggle the past two years, our ability to stretch the floor and make some shots. So it was good to see that with the lights on.
[00:08:33] Speaker B: And Michael Gray, you referred to transfer from Nicholls State. And then Brian Omanique, transfer from Fresno State.
So one of the reasons why you schedule these scrimmages, you want to put these guys in tough situations. Here's how we do this, and then learn from that.
What have you learned about the whole process of getting newcomers adjusted to new systems, new terminology?
[00:08:55] Speaker A: You know what?
It takes a lot longer than you think.
With three returners and 12 new guys, you find yourself explaining a lot of things that you normally wouldn't explain. Just for example, when we say, you know, you gotta secure the rebound with two hands, you would think that's something that's. That everybody does, you know, that every program emphasizes. And you could come for some places where you just need to grab the rebound.
So when guys like, for instance, I'll use Will as an example. He's 7 2.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Will Berg, transfer center from Purdue.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: Yeah, he's 7 2. You know, if he grabs the ball with one hand and transfer it to two, you know, coach might blow the whistle and say, you need to grab the ball with two hands. And it's something like. Just as simple as that. That could just take so much time. We've been saying that from the summer, you know, and it's still. It's still a work in progress. Not with him, but with everybody on our team. That's one of our staples.
That's why we feel like we're a good rebounding team. It's something we harp on, but it's things like that, just simple terminology that you have to. You find yourself explaining a lot more than you normally would with a team that has a lot of returns.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: I think I asked Paul Mills this back in August when I had him on the podcast, but what's your perspective on how much of this terminology is consistent across a lot of college basketball teams and how much variance, how much difference is there and how teams their language.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: I guess, you know, I would say It's.
It's about 75% different.
You know, it depends what tree you come from. Like, Coach Millie comes from the Baylor tree, I come from the Texas tree. Everything is different, you know, so when these guys are coming from 12 different programs and some things, some terminology translate, but others don't, you know. And so when you're explaining things and you're going through things, you know, you might have two, three guys that are familiar with what you're saying. You might have the rest that don't know what you're talking about. And it could be as simple as, for example, we talked about ball screen coverage or how they're defending us.
You know, most places they'll say, hey, they're forcing you to. They're forcing you to drive left.
You know, what we say is they're weakened the ball screen. They're making you use your weak hand.
So, for example, we were in the scrimmage, and, you know, we're yelling, they're weaken it. They're weaken it. We're yelling to Dre. They're weakening it. And he kept trying to drive the ball with his right hand. Well, they're not letting you go right. They're weakening the ball screen. They're making you go left. So when he comes out, Coach Mills walks down and says, do you know what weak means?
And he starts going on, well, it's when they come up this. And Coach Mills said, okay, we'll explain it. They're forcing you to go left, and you can see the light go on. Like, okay, that's what it means. You know, that's just one example of you're in a scrimmage situation. It's a heated. He's. He's getting pressured with the ball. It doesn't happen in practice because we don't force guys to their weak hand.
And we're yelling at him that they're weak in it. So just go left, you know, so that signals the big, hey, set the screen to make the guard go left. Like it's okay.
But that's an example of where it could get lost in. Man, you know what?
These guys never hurt us in this type of setting when we're playing a different team, explaining what they're doing.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: And that would be the value of a scrimmage is everything is amplified. It's real competition. There's noise, all of that going on.
[00:12:53] Speaker A: And then. And then it's the first time, you know, for these guys who are. First scrimmage, where five guys are on the floor and 10 guys are on the bench, that's also different. Where in practice everybody's up, everybody has a role. You might have two or three guys on the side, so the magnifying glass is on you. So when you make a mistake, everybody sees it. Versus, hey, because in practice, there's always a right and there's. If you get scored on, that's good by the offense.
If you give up a bucket, that's bad for the defense. So it's always learning. But now when you're in a scrimmage situation, you know, usually mistakes on just one side, and that's us. So that's another good thing about these scrimmages. And especially to do it as early as we. We've done it, what's going on in college basketball, that that helps.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: Magnifying glass. That's a good, good way to think about it.
Paul Mills, he talked to Taylor Eldredge of the Wichita Eagle after the scrimmage against Santa Clara. He mentioned Drake Kendall had really improved from the Drake scrimmage to Santa.
Tell us about that. What's your perspective on Dre and his progress?
[00:13:57] Speaker A: You know, Dre is so fast, and he has, you know, great energy, and, you know, he plays 100 miles per hour.
So we thought the biggest difference between the first scrimmage and the second scrimmage is the game slowed down for him. You know, he's making better decisions. He was understanding when to use his speed or when to get rid of the ball.
He was delivering the ball on target and on time, which is a huge step for him, you know, because he's a. He's a guy who can score, and he's always been the guy who's been a spark plug.
So now he's learning how to manage the game, and you're playing with other really good players, and if they're open, you know, at this level, if you take one more extra dribble than you need to, you know, that guy that was open is no longer open.
So it's one of those things. He's been in the film role, and even now he's still bottled up. He's trying to learn, and it's going to take some time, especially at the point guard spot. It's just I played that position, and I know it took me years to understand how to play for Rick Barnes at Texas. You know, he's trying to do it you know, fast forward, but good thing we have the summer and, you know, the first scrimmage, second scrimmage, and what you want to see is improvement. And I think with him, we've seen the biggest improvement from the first and second scrimmage.
[00:15:13] Speaker B: And Dre played at Barton County Community College, won a national JUCO title two seasons ago, and then was there last year as a sophomore before coming to Wichita State. Okay, let's get into some more of the personnel backcourt. We talked about Dre Kendall. What else might fans see on opening night from the guards?
[00:15:31] Speaker A: You know, I would say Kenyon Giles, he can really score the ball in a lot of ways.
You know, for his size, you don't realize how high he gets up off the ground to shoot the ball.
He can get his shot off pretty much anybody at any size, which is good to see. He can really score the ball. Mike Gray is another one who can really score, who could space the floor. And then we have good balance with a guard like Karam Boyd, who's a defender and a dirty work guy. So I would say, you know, we have good combinations out there that make sense from the guard position with defenders and scorers and guys with size being able to play with the smaller guards.
I'd say that's something that we'll be able to see that's evident.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: Kenyon Giles was on the preseason All American Conference team. He's a transfer from UNC Greensboro.
[00:16:31] Speaker A: And.
[00:16:31] Speaker B: And then you also mentioned Caron Boyd, who is a transfer from East Tennessee State. He was Southern Conference defensive player of the year. Let's go to the wings.
[00:16:42] Speaker A: So we have Brian, who played at Fresno State as a freshman, who shot 41% from the three point line, really came on late. He's been shooting the ball really, really well. In practice, actually, in practice, he's been our leading scorer. In terms of percentages, he's been shooting it the best.
But the first two scrimmages, he's figuring out how hard you have to play defensively. So the transition of we need you to do more than just score. Your focus is you're going to get judged on how well you've. You played defensively. And I think he's taken huge strides there at the wing spot. I would say T.J. williams, who red shirted last year, is dynamic in the open court, you realize, you know, and I think we even realized that after the first scrimmage. That man, he played his, you know, his first Division 1 game, so to say, you know, so to speak. And it was A little nerves there. He's been in the program, so we look at him as a vet, but he's a red shirt freshman. You know, it's, it's crazy how time has, has changed. A red shirt freshman is your most expensive, experienced guy.
He took a huge jump the second scrimmage.
Just with his, his defensive ability, his athleticism and how hard he plays, he can make a huge difference.
Ty, who's a freshman, he's still trying to figure it out. He's very talented.
He's one of those guys that's just trying to figure out how to play at this speed. And once he, once he does, he'll, he'll be really good for us.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: And that's Tyrus. Help me with pronunciation, make sure I've got it right.
Rat and Mays from Canada, played for PJ Kuznar at the Legacy School of Sports Sciences in Houston.
[00:18:31] Speaker A: And then. And Joy, he's another one at the wing spot. Unfortunately, he, he got hurt in practice and he could be out for some time. He had a really bad ankle injury, but he was coming along. He's another guy that has experience, but he was playing well until he went down.
[00:18:50] Speaker B: And Joy is in his, he's a junior, his third year in the program.
Okay, does that take us to the big men then run through that group for us?
[00:18:59] Speaker A: Yeah. So starting at the fourth spot, we have a few guys who got size and athleticism.
Jared Valencia at 6 9, he was two time all defensive team at Monmouth. I mean you could really tell with his length and athleticism and his motor, how he affects the game when he's out there. He's a lob threat, he's a guy who could grab offensive rebound.
He's a career 36% three point shooter. He's. He's a glue guy on the floor. He's a ball mover.
Kind of like how Ronnie DeGrey was for us last year.
He just has more size doing it.
You have a guy in Dylan Batee, who.
Just a raw talent. Raw talent, very athletic, transferred from Temple, didn't play much, but when he did play, he was effective.
He's figuring out how to play on the perimeter.
When we say bigs, you know, we really only have three true centers, right? We have Wilburg, we have Emmanuel Okorafor, and then we have Noah Hill. Now the other guys, they're more perimeter guys, but they're bigger. So Jared Valencia, six eight, six nine. You have Dylan Batee, who's six eight.
Those guys there are bigs, but they have to Play on perimeter. So Dylan is. Is making that transition from being at Athletic 5 with what he played at Temple to learning how to play on the perimeter. So once he does that, because in terms of talent, he has it all.
But now he's learning how to play on the perimeter versus just playing on the block.
[00:20:45] Speaker B: My assumption would be after watching some practices, those two guys, Jarrett and Dillon are going to be really important to the three point defense. They're big enough, they can get out there and really affect shooters. Am I on the right track there?
[00:20:57] Speaker A: You're on the right track because defensively we switch one through four. So those guys have to be. They have to be mobile enough to guard a point guard and big enough to guard fours and sometimes even fives, you know, and they have to clean up shots when the shot goes up.
Those guys are really good rebounders, so. And they're very athletic. And tj, he's another guy. I know I talked about him being a wing.
He also plays that position. Position as well. So we could go. He's a smaller fork, but he's athletic just like those guys. So we have quite a few options at that spot. Okay.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: And then I would say the most entertaining part about dropping in and watching practice is watching Wilburg and Emanuel and Noah just go at each other in a rebounding drill or a post offense drill. Tell us about that group.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: Yeah, those guys. So usually I'm down there with the guards, but every once in a while I'll hear that rim snap and I turn and it's Noah Hill just ripping the hinges off the rim and you look down there. It's just so physical. Every day those guys are just banging and banging and banging. And that's why I alluded to earlier, you know, we felt like we could be a physical team. And it's mainly because you look down there and those three guys, every day they're getting after it.
Every day there's new scars or maybe a busted lip or something. Those guys really get after it and it's something to watch, you know, and something that's going to help us because in this league you need that type of physicality and there's no drop off with either guy coming in replacing the other.
[00:22:34] Speaker B: So Noah Hill, the freshman is a lot of fun to watch. Even though he's younger, less experienced than Will Berg and Emmanuel Okorafor, boy, he doesn't back down at all when they get in those rebounding drills. Post defensive drills, he really shows some of his determination and athletic ability. What's it like Watching a freshman like that get adjusted to college basketball.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: You know, even though Noah's a freshman, he's built like a senior.
He's super physical, he's ultra athletic, and he plays so hard.
Now, once he figure out how we play offensively, defensively, which takes, you know, freshmen a while to do, he'll be able to help us.
Like I said, there's no drop off from those three bigs, and it's refreshing. You know, sometimes you have to get a freshman used to the physicality of the game. That. That's not. That's not an issue for Noah Hill. He. He comes in physical, and even if he makes mistakes, he does it going hard. And that's all you can ask at this point, especially at this time of the year.
[00:23:40] Speaker B: Noah is from Frisco, Texas, played at Sunrise Christian Academy, and I think he's a. He's an athlete people are going to enjoy watching. Throughout the entirety of his shocker career.
So throughout the summer, into the fall, one consistent thing has been the coaches. People around the program really like the way this team loves basketball.
Noah Hill was out in the gym working on stuff just as we were getting ready to record this podcast. The competition in practice, I think, has impressed people.
Why do you think this group is like that?
[00:24:11] Speaker A: You know what I would say? During the recruiting process, we wanted guys that just loved to be in the gym. You know, they weren't about glitz and glamour.
Their main focus wasn't nil.
They wanted to be good basketball players. And we wanted to target guys that they just love being in the gym. And I think they showed that this summer. And it was something that just came natural, you know, but we wanted to establish that before they even got on campus, because if they didn't love basketball or want to be in the gym, this wasn't going to be the right place for them. And we made it known during the process that that's what we were about.
So it was good to see.
I mean, it's almost a competition on how much time God's put in the gym. And now it's coming together where it's. If one guy comes, they pull a couple with them.
And it's good to see. And it's refreshing to know that it's just what you want out of players. Just the pure joy of just playing basketball with no distractions or anything like that.
[00:25:16] Speaker B: Not that there weren't shockers in the past. Xavier Bell stands out to me, who are in the gym a lot. But I think it has been noticeable that this Group. There seems to be a real dedication to a lot of guys getting in the gym, working on shooting. They're out there with.
With the gas and the student assistants.
How do you go about. Now we're three or four years into nil and the transfer portal. So how do you go about finding those kind of guys? Are you relying on. You're talking to other assistant coaches? Are you watching video? How do you recruit a group that you think is going to fit that type of attitude?
[00:25:49] Speaker A: You know, I think now it's more the norm to talk to the coach and assistant coaches from the program they're coming from. Whereas before, you kind of tiptoe around it, now it's just, hey, straightforward. You ask straightforward questions, nobody is offended or feel like, hey, my players in the portal, you shouldn't even be recruiting them. I think it's more so of a brotherhood between coaches of, hey, we understand the climate, so we're going to shoot you straight. So I think you spend more time talking to the assistant coaches, the head coaches of the schools that they're coming from.
[00:26:25] Speaker B: Interesting. I guess that's a natural evolution. Okay, you get on a plane, you got to do your video work, you got to prepare, scatter reports, all that kind of stuff. When you get a few minutes to relax. What are you watching? What's a movie recommendation for the people out there?
[00:26:39] Speaker A: A movie recommendation. So, you know, since we're close to Halloween, I like to escape and watch movies that probably, you know, would never happen in reality. So, for instance, I'll recommend I Am Legend with Will Smith. It's.
It's a pretty interesting movie that I would say I watch just to get an escape from reality.
I don't know if you ever watched it.
[00:27:05] Speaker B: I've seen it. I'm familiar with it. Yes.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: Yeah, so it's a pretty good movie. But it's. Those are the type of things I do, you know, if I'm on a plane, long flight, if I'm done watching film, I might pop in a scary movie that's, you know, because it's the holidays around Halloween.
[00:27:20] Speaker B: Makes sense. Makes sense. What's your favorite meal on a road trip?
[00:27:23] Speaker A: Oh, man, I'm a sucker for Mac and cheese. I love macaroni and cheese and, you know, I gotta try to stay away from it. These pregame meals that are. That are designed to, you know, a lot of carbs and get guys ready the night before games.
I think Mac and cheese is something that you just can't go wrong with.
[00:27:47] Speaker B: I would agree that's a good one. Okay, basketball season is here. The Shockers open the season November 4th versus UNC Asheville. Kenton, Paulino, thank you very much for your time.
[00:27:57] Speaker A: All right. Thank you.
Foreign.
Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse podcast courtesy of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. We encourage you to rate, review and.
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[00:28:31] Speaker B: And it was shoved out of there by Bijon Cortez. Lob to Beverly Evan. Point lead at the under eight timeout.
[00:28:39] Speaker A: Here at Charles Cocarina.
