[00:00:16] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thanks very much for listening. We appreciate your time. Today we have Wichita State men's basketball assistant, newly hired PJ Kuznar. He will be a familiar name to most Shocker fans. P.J. played for the Shockers from 2004 to 2008. His time here was highlighted by 2005 NIT, 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Champions and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Team. P.J. averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds for his career. He was an All NVC Defensive Team selection three times, twice an Honorable Mention All MVC pick.
He is the founder of Coos Elite, a basketball program in Houston for grade school and high school children. He comes to WSU after working as head coach at Legacy, the School of Sports Sciences, for seven seasons. His wife, Tiana Jones, ran track at Wichita State, and he has five children. One of them, Pierre, will be on the Wichita State basketball team next season.
So, pj, you and your family have a significant history in Houston. Your dad, your mom, you, everything. I would have said PJ was going to live the rest of his life in Houston.
Why did you come back to Wichita State, man?
[00:01:33] Speaker B: Houston and Wichita is kind of the same for me.
I think both of them at home, you know, I think it's just the right time, right opportunity to make an impact, you know, and leaving such a traditional place like that and all the tradition that my family have in Houston and all the things that we do, I think it just was perfect timing, you know, time to elevate and take on the next step.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: When you were here at Wichita State, did you think you would end up in coaching in college? Coaching?
[00:02:05] Speaker B: No, I had no. Coaching wasn't even in my. In my plans when I was here as a player. You know, you think you're going to play forever, but you eventually, you know, you're gonna have to do something else. But definitely, coaching was not what I envisioned, you know, but I'm glad I picked it up, you know, and been pretty successful to get back to this place right here.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: What changed your mind? What got you hooked on coaching as a career?
[00:02:30] Speaker B: Man, it was just the guy that helped me start Kooza Elite, Clay, Clarence Whitmore. He was telling me every time when I was going to play overseas and coming back, he's like, man, you need to coach. You need to coach. And you see how the kids respond to you. You see how the kids respond. And then, you know, just being around the kids in our neighborhood and being Giving them an outlet to play sports and play basketball. So just that camaraderie and that chemistry I had with the kids, like, hey, man, I might could do this just to help kids and help affect their lives and change their lives.
[00:03:01] Speaker A: Describe your coaching style.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: Coaching style. I'm laid back, you know, kind of not like how I was as a player.
I got some great advice when I started coaching at a school. I coached at Kincaid School.
The head coach there, Zimmerman, he told me one thing you got to remember in coaching, that the kids are not you. So that changed my outlook on how I looked at everything as far as, like, you know, I had an intensity, I had that passion and I had that energy all the time.
But, you know, it's just different ways and different methods to get the kids. You know, you don't have to be all over the top of all the time. But, you know, he still had that fire and that passion, though.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Paul Mills has a lot of history in Houston. He would be very tied to that, that city as well. Tell us about your relationship with Paul and why you would want to come work with him.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: I think for one, he's a great guy, a great person, and that is what, you know, that's the first thing you look at when you. Well, first thing I look at because I know what type of person I am.
So just the relationship I had with him from kids at Oral Roberts. I had a couple kids that played for him at Oral Roberts and they were pretty successful up under him. So, you know, and my kids tell me all the time, coach was good to him and stuff like that. So, you know, just then, once I met coach and got a personal relationship with him, I felt like, okay, this is definitely somebody I could work for.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: There will be a time when you're introduced to the fans at Koch Arena. I don't know if that may be shock or madness, may be the first public.
Have you thought about what that will be like to roll out onto that court as a coach and get introduced?
[00:04:42] Speaker B: I haven't thought about it. You know, one thing I have thought about is getting 10,500 people back into the arena. I know that made this place a special place for me and special place, A special outlook on college basketball in general. I think if we get back to that, I want to start a 10,005 campaign or something to try to get everybody back in the arena and get the seats filled up. So I'm more anticipating that more than, you know, hearing my name called.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: Well, you will find a lot of people who want that same thing, no doubt.
Coaching role models. Who would you put on your list as far as people who have influenced you?
[00:05:21] Speaker B: Definitely the people that I work with, you know, they influence me the most because I'm around them every day, you know, from Clay to coach, chapter coach Chip, you know, guys that I. That's been around me for the past seven years and helping me grow in this thing. And I learned the most from them as far as, you know, everyday thing, because they are unique, they are different. And so you learn how to adapt and just to keep learning, you know. So that would be my guys, you know, all the guys that was around me.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: So you've been the boss for at least seven years, running the program, coaching.
Have you thought about how do I go about finding my role, finding my voice as an assistant coach now?
[00:06:05] Speaker B: I think it would be easy transition for me because I don't have an ego. I don't have a. Like, I don't think I know everything. And I don't think even though I was the boss at Legacy U, anybody I work with, they'll tell you I probably was the easiest person or the most humble person that they encounter, you know, So I don't have an ego. So playing my role is fine with me. You know, even when I was here as a player, I'm a team player at all times. So I think that'll be, you know, of course, it's an adjustment just learning as far as that, but I'll be fine as far as knowing my role and knowing what to do.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: You would have been with a lot of really good assistant coaches during your time playing for both Mark Turgeon and Greg Marshall. Is there an assistant coach from WSU that you look back and say, that guy was really helpful or that's who I kind of want to. Kind of want to do things like he did.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Man, they always great, you know, they always great. From Coach Bull, definitely Coach Rome. If I had to pick somebody, it would be him as far as my mentor, coach and mentor. But Coach Rome, Coach boy was great. Coach Pooh Williamson was great. Coach Janz, Coach Grant, I talk to him all the time. You know, all those guys are great, you know, and they. The best thing about them, they were great people.
People, you know, they was personable to all the players, you know, like, I really, truly felt like I had a personal relationship with all of them. And I still talk to them pretty much all of them still because of the AAU stuff and the basketball, and they still in the college business. So the relationships, you know, they was pure and genuine and authentic. That's why they still lasted, you know, And I still talk to them guys all the time.
[00:07:38] Speaker A: Let me see if I can run through all those names to update people. So Mike Roan was assistant coach here. He is now in Colorado with Tad Boyle. You also mentioned he was the head coach in Colorado. Chris Chance, head coach at Mississippi State. Earl Grant, head coach at Boston College. Pooh Williamson is now doing tv. He did a really good job too. I watched it to a couple games.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: I know, Yeah, I be talking to him all the time. That's my guy.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: That. Yeah. And I think one of the things that you just becomes more and more obvious. Head coaches don't have success unless they have really strong assistant coaches.
[00:08:08] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, that's the key. That's the key. You got to have people that will work for you and people that you could trust that's going to do their job. You know, that's the. That's the biggest thing.
[00:08:16] Speaker A: I remember having a conversation with an assistant coach here a few years ago and I noticed his foot. First year as an assistant coach here, he didn't say a whole lot in practice. He was pretty quiet. And then the second year I would watch practice and he was more vocal. And I asked him about that and he said, well, that first year I was coaching Ron Baker and Fred Van Fleet. What was I going to tell those guys?
[00:08:37] Speaker B: That's very true. You know, those two guys are elite of elite, you know, so you don't have to do any coaching with them. Two guys, you know, great players that they were. And you know, it's just finding your lane. You know, finding your lane might take a time or two, but I think it's all on relationships. You know, you could, you could coach a guy hard if you know him. You know, most kids, they were like, oh, don't talk to me if you don't have a personal relationship with them. So I think that's where, you know, I could come in and be a help too.
[00:09:06] Speaker A: Finding youg Lane is a good way to describe it so you have a connection with two new shockers coming in. I know fans will be quite interested in the makeup of the roster. Jarrett Valencia played for you at Legacy and he is a 6 foot 9 forward.
And Tyrus Rathan Mays is 6 foot 6 forward, also played for you.
Tell us about those two.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: They're great people, you know, that's the best thing about them. You know, Tyrus is a pros pro.
Jared is more of a personable guy. The city of love Jerry. He has the personality kind of like a Ramon Clemente.
They both play extremely hard. They both play with high iq and they no egos, you know, they gonna fit in and try to do whatever is best to win. You know, they're winners. And so I think they can help out a lot, you know, and just being around them every day, knowing that they work hard and you could coach them hard. So I think that's a good thing for Coach Mills.
[00:10:07] Speaker A: Okay, let's see how much on the same wavelength we are. I have two box scores here. One I keep posted up in my office. The other one I just printed out. These are two.
Two vintage PJ Cuisinart box scores. Which two games do I have?
[00:10:21] Speaker B: I know the sweet 16 would be one.
[00:10:24] Speaker A: Okay. The other one might be a little harder.
[00:10:26] Speaker B: The other one might be a little harder.
I would say sweet 16.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: And maybe they're both from your senior or your junior year. Both from that same season.
[00:10:43] Speaker B: Okay.
Is it in Miami, Ohio?
No.
Is it conference in conference in Valley game?
Was it Southern Illinois?
No.
[00:10:56] Speaker A: I'm shaking my head. Like people can see me shake my head. No, not. Not Southern Illinois.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: Was it Bradley?
[00:11:02] Speaker A: Bradley here at Wichita State? Yes. All right, let's run through these. And I told. I'm told that you reference the Tennessee game quite often when you were coaching to tell your players you had that dog in you back in your playing days.
So this was a Sweet 16 game. Greensboro, North Carolina. Wichita State 80, Tennessee 73. Tennessee coached by Bruce Pearl. Shockers coached by Mark Turgeon, of course, P.J. kuzner, 6 of 7 from the field, 4 of 4 from three point range, nine rebounds, 20 points, five assists in 36 minutes and a steal.
Four turnovers, which I think we blamed on maybe your teammates not catching passes or not being in.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: I know Ryan Martin owed me one of those.
[00:11:46] Speaker A: Ryan Martin may have been one of those. Is that your favorite game to look back on?
[00:11:51] Speaker B: I think it is, because it was on such a big stage, you know, and I scored the ball a lot. But my defense, I think, was, you know, on Lofton, I think I had him shoot like a crazy 6 of 18 from 3.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: I hadn't noticed that.
[00:12:09] Speaker B: Yeah. So I know I guarded them pretty well.
So I think my defense on that game was pretty much the best thing about it. You know, I had the offensive stats, but I was more impressed with my defense.
[00:12:20] Speaker A: Chris Lofton is who you're talking about, a really good guard for Tennessee who would also have the connection. He hit the shot that beat Greg Marshall's Winthrop team in the game before Wichita State played Tennessee.
[00:12:30] Speaker B: Yeah, sure.
[00:12:30] Speaker A: Indeed. We all know Jim Schoust was at that game, watched Winthrop play, and was impressed with Greg Marshall. And that's kind of how that that all got started. The other game that I have, Wichita State 69, Bradley 67. I think that was the second game of the Valley season. And if you were at that one, that was kind of a tip off that this was going to be really a strong season for the Missouri Valley Conference.
PJ had 14 points. No. 14 rebounds, 13 points, three assists, two blocks, and most prominently, the block on Patrick O' Brien kind of ended the game there. Patrick O' Brien, Bradley Cent. Went on to be a lottery pick, I believe, of the Celtics.
So that's two good box scorers from the past.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: Yes, sir.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: Another guy who played in both those games, former teammate Matt Breyer. He's now the head coach at Stephen F. Austin. He was assistant at Texas Tech, assistant at North Texas.
When did you know Matt was going to be a head coach?
[00:13:27] Speaker B: Early when we was playing.
He used to talk about it all the time. And you could just see, you know, Matt always been smart, and he always was like, man, I'm not gonna be in the NBA or I'm not going to mess around and try to go overseas, or nothing like that. So he was kind of working towards that, you know, so it didn't surprise me about the success he having as a coach. You know, once again, Matt is a great guy.
Like, we talk every day. And so seeing him elevate and be a head coach, I used to tell him all the time for the past three years, man, you need to be a head coach. You need to be a head coach. So to see it happen, I think it was just a blessing. Like, I was so happy the day he called me and told me he was about to be a head coach. It was like I had my brother just, you know, got. Was the president, you know. So, like, it was just the best feeling in the world for me to get the good news from him that he was about to be a head coach.
[00:14:19] Speaker A: And his father was a prominent high school coach in Texas for many years. So he definitely would have grown up in that. In that whole thing.
[00:14:25] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: Who is an NBA player, you might tell your players to observe, to learn from.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: Oh, man, there's so many. You know, it's at the high. As far as skill level right now with the NBA, there's so much skill work going on. And I mean, you got so many examples Like, I'm still they. I guess they old school now. Kevin Durant and all them got the new wave coming in. But Kevin Durant definitely is like somebody that. I think if you could model your game after somebody, it has to be Kevin Durant. You know, he's so versatile, could really have no weaknesses shooting the ball, and yet you know how to use his size and everything. So like any player, high iq. And then the best thing about him, I don't know him personally, but from what I've seen, he loved the game. Like, he loved the game. Like most of his controversy and all that stuff come from him just loving the game. He just want to hoop all day. So I think that's somebody you could patent yourself after.
[00:15:23] Speaker A: It would be a good choice.
So when you were here from 04 to 08, you loved the community service projects. You really connected with the fans at Wichita State.
Why? Why do you think you connected so strong with those parts of being a basketball player?
[00:15:39] Speaker B: Because I knew what it was and I knew that, you know, growing up under my dad and my mom, as far as the community and stuff like that, I think it just helped me be a personable guy and just trying to help others and give others that joy that I was experiencing. And like, I had a great time here, fun times here, and just letting other people experience that. Because you never know what people going through in a day. You never know, you know, how their day or lives are shaken up or shaking out. And if you got a chance to put a smile on somebody's face, why not? You know, so that was my whole motto while I was, you know, so and into it with the fans and stuff like that in the community, you know, just trying to put a smile on everybody face.
[00:16:21] Speaker A: So you would be one of the stories that I think Gretchen Torline, Director of Academic Services, I think is her title. Academic advisor.
Yes. Very important person around here. You would be one of the stories I think she is most proud of that she enjoys talking about your academic journey. How can that help you as a coach and a role model in a basketball program?
[00:16:41] Speaker B: It has helped me so much in two folds because one way it helps me, I get to tell kids that's kind of going through the same academic struggle.
Look, it's a great story at the end of it, if you could get through it. I think that being able to be a testimony to that, it helps me when I'm talking to young kids about it. And then the other way it helps me just knowing that you have the resources to get through, you know, you had the resources here, you could get through academically and it don't matter where you start, it's just how you finish, you know, so that was the way that could help me or help the story of it.
[00:17:21] Speaker A: Who's the best player you guarded during your time as a shocker?
[00:17:25] Speaker B: Ooh, man, there was some really good players in our conference at the time. You know, all those guys, Tatum, Osiris Eldridge, Tony Young, Daniel Ruffin, Somerville, Nath Funk, all those guys, man.
I would say the toughest cover probably was Marcus Thornton, LSU when we played them, I think that probably was the toughest cover because he was shifty, but he could shoot it. You know, the most of the other guys that he either had one or the two, they was either they could really shoot it, but they really wasn't shifty or they were really shifty but couldn't really shoot it. He was a lights out shooter and he had a good, good, really good handle on it.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: What's your favorite memory as a shocker? We talked about the Tennessee game. Is there another memory or anything?
[00:18:19] Speaker B: I had so many, man. Just my teammates, just my teammates was like the teammates in the city was probably like my biggest memory. Just the love of going into the arena 10,500 every night, like that was like the biggest, the biggest memory ever. And I tell kids more about that than I tell them about me personally. Games and stuff like that. I just. It was just such a special place to have that many people every night and watching you and you get to interact with them and stuff like that. I think that's the biggest memory was probably every night and then of course, playing against my brother.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: Yeah. And your brother played at Evansville, right?
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Yep, on senior night, so.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: Oh, that's right.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: Yep. That was one of the best times my whole family here, Senior night to see me and my brother play.
[00:19:22] 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] Bradshaw into Wingate. Wingate's gonna dribble it a couple of times and throws it in the hands of Kuznard. Threw it away. Kuznard to Ryan Martin for the dunk. The Shockers are going to the sweet 16.
It's all over. The shockers up 73 seconds 2. Jeopard by Smith is no good. Wichita State to the sweet 16.
