[00:00:14] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome back to our series. Introducing fans to the newcomers on the Wichita State men's basketball team. This is the big man portion of the podcast. We have Will Berg and Emmanuel Okorafor. Will is a 7 foot 2 center. He is from Sweden. He. He is transferring to Wichita State from Purdue. With two seasons of eligibility, Will played 36 games and started three for the Boilermakers during his time there. Emmanuel is a 6 foot 9 senior center. He spent last season at Seton Hall. And Emmanuel is from Nigeria.
Will, we'll start out by making you an NBA coach.
What current NBA player are you going to pick to start your franchise, start your team?
[00:00:56] Speaker B: Ooh, that's a tough question.
I have to go with my buddy Zach Eady just because I know him and he's a good player.
[00:01:06] Speaker A: Zach Eady from Purdue. Okay. Yeah, I'm sure people will be curious about that. He was. I think he was back to back college player of the year. What was it like practicing against Will or Zach Eady every day?
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Great experience.
Just picking is brilliant and being against such a good player every day makes you better.
Made huge strides on the court and learned a lot from him. So I'm thankful for that.
[00:01:32] Speaker A: Okay, Emmanuel, you're an NBA coach. Who's your first pick to start a team?
[00:01:36] Speaker C: I would say Giannis, because he's an everyday guy. He has a high motto and he just gets us eat every day. So Giannis will be my player.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: Okay. Everyday guy. That's a phrase we've heard around Wichita State basketball over the year.
Define that. What's it mean to be an everyday guy?
[00:01:54] Speaker C: I mean someone who just comes in the gym every day giving 100% effort, always want to win.
Competitive.
Yes. That's an everyday guy for me.
[00:02:06] Speaker A: Emmanuel, what's your favorite movie?
[00:02:09] Speaker C: I would say Creed.
Creed? Yeah, I think the boxing movie. You're talking about the boxing movie. Yeah, it's an inspiring movie. So yeah.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: Okay. Will, how about you?
[00:02:23] Speaker B: I have to say either Chef, it's like a feel good movie about. I have interest in cooking food and stuff too, so it hits that part. But it's very nice, wholesome movie.
Or probably some like a classic like Fight Club, something like that.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: Okay, chef, good movie. Tell us about your interest in food.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: No, it's been.
Food has been like a pretty big thing my whole life.
Dad has always cooked and I always saw how happy you could make people with it. So it's always been like, wow, that's something I want to do too.
And then I moved away from home when I was 16.
I went to high school away from where I lived basically. So I lived in a one bedroom apartment by myself, had to cook. So it kind of ignited a passion for cooking and stuff. So. Yeah.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: What's your best recipe? What's your favorite dish to make?
[00:03:21] Speaker B: I have my secret, secret recipe, but I would do a great mushroom pasta sauce.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: Mushroom pasta sauce. Okay. What's the secret or what makes it? I know you're going to try not to tell us what makes it, so give us at least a little hint what makes it so good.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: I just pour all my love into it. That's.
That's what I say.
[00:03:43] Speaker A: Okay. And is that a Swedish dish?
[00:03:46] Speaker B: I wouldn't necessarily say so. I definitely use like Swedish cooking elements in it, but it's not like particularly Swedish focused.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: Okay. And will you have the team over to cook them a meal one night?
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Yeah, that's for sure.
Both me, but also when my dad travels over here, he usually is planning on making Swedish meatballs for the whole team. So hopefully they enjoy that.
[00:04:13] Speaker A: Fabulous. That'll be a big hit.
Manuel, tell us about adjusting to life in the United States. What's been the biggest part of that adjustment?
[00:04:22] Speaker C: I would say food. The food. Because the food back home is really different from the food here in the US it took me time when I was a freshman. When I came here, I was starving myself and I was trying to get African food.
But at the end of the day, I realized in order for me to perform on the court, I have to eat and eat healthy.
So I had no choice but to adapt. And also the weather too was a little bit different.
We don't get cold weather in Africa, so I mean, adjusting to the weather too was a little bit different for me.
[00:04:58] Speaker A: New Jersey is much colder than Wichita. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. We get some snow, but it doesn't hang on for forever here. So you'll like that.
What's your favorite dish in Nigeria? Give us some examples about what you like to eat.
[00:05:15] Speaker C: I love jello fries and chicken, and I also love egusi and fufu. I think you've had a fufu.
Yeah. These are my two favorite dish.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: Whenever I do stories about international students. And you know, we have a lot of them on the tennis team, some on the track team. They always say there's just too much fast food here in the, in the United States and you've really got to be disciplined to eat healthy. Has that been your experience also?
[00:05:39] Speaker C: I mean. Yeah, yeah.
You just gotta figure out what's good for you. Like because the food out here is like not really healthy. But I cook too. I cook also. I go to the African store and get some food stuff and I cook also.
So yeah.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: Will tell us about coming to the United States from a basketball standpoint. Why does a basketball player from Sweden make that decision?
[00:06:07] Speaker B: For me, it was always one of my goals, like get to a particular high school in Sweden and then be able to go get a college degree while also playing the sport.
It does help that the US has such a great basketball culture and also fantastic resources for student athletes to use.
And I just felt like taking that step, going over to college, getting great development and becoming a better basketball player, but also being able to get a degree on the side. It was something that was a smart move to do. Europe will always be there and someday I'll go back, but you never know. The US is another different experience and another perspective. You can add.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: Where does basketball rank among the most popular sports in Sweden?
[00:07:05] Speaker B: I'd say probably third or fourth. Something like that. It's growing a lot now. It's become very popular especially we had a couple of guys getting drafted the last few days, a few few years, which has made the sport blow up even more.
But it's when I play or when I play back home it was like a not small, but everybody knew everybody basically. And Sweden is a little bit smaller than the U.S. it's like size wise, I would say it's like a state.
So basically all the top teams knew each other and you knew the personnel and stuff. And it was cool coming to a place where you see different players every time you play someone and stuff like that.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: Is soccer number one?
[00:07:56] Speaker B: I'd say so soccer, hockey, field hockey as well, and then probably basketball. But it's up for discussion about field hockey. Either it's basketball or field hockey that takes that last spot.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: So Will you have been a Boilermaker now you're a shocker. Those are two of the more unique mascots in college athletics. Which one is easier to explain to someone who's not familiar with Purdue or Wichita State?
[00:08:22] Speaker B: I'd probably have to say neither. Both are very unique, as you say.
Shark Resolver.
I still have a little bit of a hard time understanding, but they're definitely more fun mascot. I'd say more unique in that sense, the way it looks and I think it's way more interesting.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: Well, you've got plenty of time to learn. I know Purdue has the big drum at football games. Do they bring that to basketball games too? Or is it just a football Thing.
[00:08:51] Speaker B: Just a football thing we had. He was called Purdue Pete. It was like the mascot that would show up.
But no big drum.
[00:09:00] Speaker A: No big drum. All right, Emmanuel, what music do you listen to to get prepared for a game?
[00:09:08] Speaker C: I listen to a variety of music.
It just depends on. Sometimes I listen to Christian music.
I got some couple of Christian music that I used to lock in just to have my faith going on in the game that I'm going to have a good game.
Sometimes I listen to Afrobeats just to clear my mind and not overthink too much and just go out there and have fun. And sometimes I listen to like R and B and rap music just to keep me going.
[00:09:34] Speaker A: Will, how about you? What's your preference before a game?
[00:09:38] Speaker B: I'm more of a like very calm music most of the time.
Kind of get me settled in and like, not show my nerves, but like cool down a little bit.
So a lot of slow beats and sometimes rapid, like slower songs that aren't too much up in your face.
[00:09:58] Speaker A: Will, describe playing for coach Paul Mills.
[00:10:02] Speaker B: He's a passionate guy. Great, great coach.
These past few weeks, we're just getting started and he knows what he's talking about and has a great way of integrating stuff into practice and making us learn stuff. It's a new team, a lot of new guys, a lot of new people get to learn a lot of new things.
But I think he's doing a great job so far and it's going to be a fun, exciting year.
[00:10:30] Speaker A: Emmanuel, what's your early impression of coach Paul Mills?
[00:10:34] Speaker C: Just like we will say he's a passionate coach. This past four weeks with him, he's looking for guys and he's. What he wants in players is guys that want to get it every day.
This game can change your life. Like, he wants those guys that are ready to step on the court every day and just get at it.
So, yeah, he's a passionate coach.
[00:10:56] Speaker A: If you weren't playing basketball, Emmanuel, what sport would you be playing?
[00:11:01] Speaker C: I would say soccer. I started playing soccer before basketball.
[00:11:06] Speaker A: Okay, what position did you play?
[00:11:08] Speaker C: I was a goalie at first.
Then I moved to the striking position because I was scoring in a level my head, I was so tall. So I would say, yeah, that.
[00:11:19] Speaker A: Is soccer number one sport in Nigeria?
[00:11:21] Speaker C: Yeah, that's number one sport in Nigeria.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: Will, how about you? Is there another sport you might be playing?
[00:11:26] Speaker B: I actually also played soccer growing up and I also was a goalkeeper, so I sadly never got pushed up to striker.
That would have been fun, but goalkeeping was for US State. I probably would have still played that sport. Either that or like swimming, I think.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: Will, who wins a game of horse on this basketball team?
[00:11:50] Speaker B: I don't know. We haven't. That's a great question.
We have a lot of good shot makers, so it would for sure be a very interesting and good game. But I certainly can't give you an answer.
[00:12:03] Speaker A: Okay, I saved the tough question for last. Emmanuel, who wins a game of horse on this team?
[00:12:08] Speaker C: I don't really know. Now. We got a lot of talented players in the team. And shooters.
I don't want to guess though, but it's hard to say. It's hard to say for real. I don't really know now.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: Maybe like Mike.
[00:12:24] Speaker C: Michael Cagey.
[00:12:25] Speaker B: Yeah, Mike. Okay.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: Kenny Jills.
Kenya Giles.
[00:12:29] Speaker C: Kenya Giles. Brian Shooters, too.
[00:12:34] Speaker A: Okay. Well, I like the fact there are a lot of choices. I guess that's a good indication.
Will, let's say your high school invites you back and they want you to give a talk to the youngsters there about getting recruited, about college, life, athletically, academically.
What's your top advice to a person in that situation?
[00:12:58] Speaker B: I'll tell them, like, it's a hard process and everything.
Like, it doesn't get easier. College is hard. Just being a college student by itself is hard. But then having basketball practice and film sessions and lifting adds a ton. So you got to be prepared and disciplined with your daily routines, your mindset, your relationships, everything. Because it's a grind. But it's a fun grind. And as long as you're having fun with it, it's worth it. So, yeah, probably try to tell them to have as much fun as they can with the whole process.
[00:13:38] Speaker A: Do you have a time management tip that really works for you you would pass on to a young student?
[00:13:43] Speaker B: I'm still working on my own time management, so I'll have to come back to you with that one.
[00:13:48] Speaker A: Emmanuel, what's your advice? If you went back and talked to a group of youngsters, how do you navigate this whole thing?
[00:13:54] Speaker C: I would tell them it's not all you see on social media.
That's how college life is.
It's really, really different.
You gotta have to manage your time. It's like a sacrifice. You're gonna have to sacrifice a lot of stuff. Friends, family.
Because you're gonna be in the gym all day, you're gonna be in the classroom, you're gonna be in the weight room, you gotta have meetings.
So it's just you have to have love for the game, and it's just you have to make up your mind, this is what I want to do and just take it one day at a time.
That's what really helped me. My career so far, my college career so far.
[00:14:35] Speaker A: That's a great topic. I should have come up with that. Social media is such a big deal. It can be really fun, it can be helpful, but it can also be a negative.
Emmanuel, how do you regulate that? How do you deal with social media? When to be on it and when not to.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: So when you're on social media, sometimes I be on there, but I don't try to compare my. My life with other people life out there on social media. It's just, it's you versus you.
Your journey is different from everyone's journey. So at first I had issues with that. But while growing and maturing and in my college career, I realize it's you versus you. You're different from everyone.
You just gotta take it one day at a time and let go. Do his thing and keep putting in the work.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: Will, how do you handle social media aspect of this life?
[00:15:29] Speaker B: No, like, like he says, it's.
You kind of have to lock in on yourself. Everybody's path is different and everybody goes through different things.
I've mostly like slimmed down my social media presence. Like I deleted Twitter.
There's not a lot of good stuff going around there. Turn off the comments on my Instagram posts and stuff like that. So even though you shouldn't read that stuff, it's hard when it pops up and people are typing stuff and stuff like that. So I just try to keep to myself and like E says, just not compare yourself to anybody because it's you versus you at the end of the day.
[00:16:12] Speaker A: Slimmed down your social media. That's a good way to. Good way to put it. Will Berg and Emmanuel Okorafor, thank you very much for your time.
[00:16:19] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:16:25] Speaker A: Hello. We're back with the last of our segments introducing you to the Shocker newcomers. Our guests today are Tyrus Rattan Mays and Pierre Cuznard. They put the freshmen in here together. Tyrus is a 6 foot 6.
He is from Ontario, Canada. He also played in Houston for shocker assistant coach P.J. cusnard at Legacy School of Sports Sciences.
He played last summer for the Canadian under 18 national team in a tournament in Argentina. They won the bronze medal there. Pierre cusnard is a 6 foot guard. He also played for shocker assistant coach PJ Cuznard at Legacy School of Sports Sciences. He is of course the son of P.J. cusnard. Tyrus. We're going to start by making you an NBA coach.
What current NBA player do you draft to start your team?
[00:17:14] Speaker D: I don't think there's any other answer than Cooper Flag.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: Cooper Flag. Okay. That's the first Cooper Flag I've gotten to that question. Why?
[00:17:21] Speaker D: Just because of his versatility. I mean, he's good on the offensive end and the defensive end, and I think that's what any coach looks for.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: Interesting answer. Pierre, what's your answer?
[00:17:31] Speaker E: Any NBA player. Right.
[00:17:33] Speaker A: Any current NBA player. Let's limit it to current.
[00:17:36] Speaker E: I'm going to have to go with LeBron LeBron James.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: Okay, I got that answered quite a bit.
[00:17:41] Speaker E: LeBron or Giannis.
[00:17:42] Speaker A: Okay, what do you like about LeBron's game?
[00:17:44] Speaker E: LeBron GOAT can do everything.
[00:17:48] Speaker D: Yeah, he was talking about from the draft.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Oh, okay. Okay. No, any current NBA player. Draft. That would. Cooper flag would have been the obvious answer. How about if we expand it to all current NBA players? Who's your choice then?
[00:18:01] Speaker D: I'm gonna go with Shea. I'm going to go with another Canadian. I'm going to go with Shai because he's the MVP right now. Best player in the world.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Shai Gilgis. Alexander, of course. Oklahoma City Thunder. What do you like about his game?
[00:18:13] Speaker D: Also, he plays on the offensive and defensive end, and he's a very talented scorer and he knows how to use.
People make fun of him for his foul calls all the time, but it's a skill to get to the line. Very often.
[00:18:24] Speaker A: Getting to the line is important. Okay. If you pay any attention at all to basketball, you know how many Canadian basketball players are just really doing big things, college level, NBA level.
Why? What's behind the rise of basketball in Canada?
[00:18:39] Speaker D: Oh, man, it's just starting to get bigger throughout the country.
We had some pioneers go through it.
My brother was with some of the first ones. RJ Barrett's dad, Roland Barrett is just starting to build in our country, and we love the sport.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: Okay, very good. Jordan or LeBron? Pierre, who's your pick there?
[00:19:00] Speaker E: LeBron.
[00:19:00] Speaker A: LeBron. Okay, Tyrus, I'm gonna go.
[00:19:03] Speaker D: Jordan.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: Jordan. Okay. Why Jordan?
[00:19:07] Speaker D: I just feel like basketball is about winning, and he just perfected that. And I think all around, LeBron is probably a better player, which is just in terms of winning the basketball game and having the willpower to do it, I would say.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: Should Kobe Bryant enter this discussion, how's that work with people of your age?
[00:19:28] Speaker D: Yeah, I got. Mine is Mike, Kobe, and then Brian.
[00:19:32] Speaker A: That's your top three. Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James. Pierre, would you like to disagree with that at all?
[00:19:37] Speaker E: Yeah, I disagree.
I got. I have LeBron, Jordan, then Kobe.
[00:19:43] Speaker A: Okay, those are your top three. Very good. Pierre, what music do you listen to to get prepared for a game?
[00:19:50] Speaker E: Oh, I like to listen to artists like no Cap and YoungBoy. NBA YoungBoy to get me hyped before a game or chill vibes.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: Tyrus, what's your choice of music?
[00:20:03] Speaker D: I think all my teammates know already. No matter what time of day it is, no matter before a game, I'm playing Drake.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: Drake.
[00:20:09] Speaker D: That's just how it goes.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: And he's also from Canada. Am I understanding? Am I remembering that right?
[00:20:14] Speaker D: Yes, sir.
[00:20:14] Speaker A: Okay. What do you like about his music?
[00:20:16] Speaker D: He's also versatile. He raps, he sings.
He just has a bunch of different music for your different moods at the time.
[00:20:24] Speaker A: Okay. Some of the players that have been in here, they listen to music that calms them down before a game. Some of them want to get hyped up before a game. Tyrus, what's the purpose of your music?
[00:20:38] Speaker D: It just depends on my mood. Sometimes it's calm and then sometimes it's more hype music. But I have more of a calm personality, so that's more of what I listen to before the game, just to get focused.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Pierre, favorite movie?
[00:20:52] Speaker E: My favorite movie is Real Steel. It's kind of an old movie, but it's one of my favorites.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: Tyrus, how about you? What's your recommendation?
[00:21:00] Speaker D: That's a really good question.
I really like Divergent.
It's an old movie, but it was very interesting to me, just about technology and that type of stuff.
[00:21:11] Speaker A: Pierre, so your father, P.J. kuznard, played at Wichita State. What was it like playing in high school for him?
[00:21:18] Speaker E: It was fun. It was.
I got to learn a lot from him, and him coaching has just helped me be a better player.
[00:21:25] Speaker A: How many times did he mention the game he played against Tennessee in the NCAA tournament. Have you ever heard that before?
[00:21:31] Speaker E: I've heard the story before. Yeah. I heard he was cooking, but he mentioned it about, like, once or twice. He don't really mention it often. He chill. He don't really like to.
What's the word?
[00:21:43] Speaker D: He's humble.
[00:21:44] Speaker E: Yeah, he's humble.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: That was quite the game. It would be worthwhile bringing up once or twice. No doubt. Tyrus, you also played for Pijnar. Pj what was that experience like? How do you describe him as a coach?
[00:21:56] Speaker D: It was great, man.
Me and Lil P. Here have been playing together since we were 10 and Coach P been challenging us ever since to make us get better. He saw potential in us, and we just did everything to prove him right.
[00:22:08] Speaker A: Playing on the Canadian national team, how does that help your game develop?
[00:22:14] Speaker D: Really, it's another side of basketball. Playing FIBA basketball is completely different from any American basketball.
It's a lot more physical, a lot more swinging the ball, just trying to use your teammates more.
It's just a completely different brand of basketball. Playing overseas.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Pierre, you had to come back from serious knee injury, four surgeries. You counted up, long recovery process.
Taylor Eldredge of the Wichita Eagle did a really nice story, and I would direct you to that for all of the details. But I'll ask you, how do you look back on that part of your life and how that shaped you and got you to where you are going through that?
[00:22:55] Speaker E: I look back on it as motivation. It just motivates me to keep going. I see where I was at a point where I was low and now we here, so just got to keep going. I use it as motivation.
[00:23:08] Speaker A: Tyrus, describe playing for Paul Mills.
[00:23:14] Speaker D: He's a tough dude. He expects you to do what you're asked to do. And he's little. He's big on detail. So any little detail he wants corrected, it could be something as simple as running wide or anything like that. You just got to follow what he says.
[00:23:30] Speaker A: Pierre, how about you? What's your impression of playing for Paul Mills?
[00:23:32] Speaker E: I like it. I like the way he likes to hustle, and I love that. I love the grit he wants us to play with and the aggression.
[00:23:41] Speaker A: So you've been here about three weeks or so practicing, playing pickup games. Tyrus, give the fans a little insight. Who's a teammate, who's.
Who's really made a good impression on you.
[00:23:53] Speaker D: I would say they're Mike or kg. They're one of our older guards. And from me playing the guard, it's cool to watch them and just see how their game is different and what I can look forward to getting to in a couple years.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: Michael Gray Jr. And Kenyon Giles are who you're talking about. So, yeah, you're watching them. What kind of tips are you trying to pick up? How can it be helpful to play against experienced guys like that?
[00:24:19] Speaker D: Honestly, we're completely different players because they're smaller guards. I'm on the bigger guard. But just their consistency in their jump shot, that's something that I've been working on all summer, just making sure I have a very consistent jump shot because I feel if I can do that, I can put myself out there.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: Pierre, give us a teammate or two who's really made a good impression on you.
[00:24:41] Speaker E: The teammates that had a good impression on me are Kenyon Giles and Keandre Kennel.
They taught me a lot, especially at the guard position. Different things, they teach me different tips and tricks, and competing with them in practice just is only making me better. I love it.
[00:25:00] Speaker A: So let's say Legacy School of Sports Sciences invites both of you back to talk to youngsters about getting recruited about college life.
What's your advice? Tyrus, what would you tell a youngster?
[00:25:16] Speaker D: I would say just don't get too caught up in it. At the end of the day, you're playing a sport that you're supposed to love and enjoy playing.
So just focus on the basics. Just something as simple as being really great at something could get you an opportunity to play everywhere. You don't have to be great at every single thing. Just make sure you focus on something and be good at it.
[00:25:37] Speaker A: Pierre, what's your advice?
[00:25:38] Speaker E: My advice would be to just stay motivated and have a reason that'll help you throughout college.
Yeah.
[00:25:49] Speaker A: Pierre Cusnard, Tyrus Rattan Mays, thank you very much for your time.
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] Mike.
[00:26:23] Speaker F: Jones inbounds to Tony Martin. Kansas staying back in its 23 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 ste. Steele couldn't get it. Martin left wing to Mike Jones. Eight seconds left. Smithson out to Mike Jones. 25 footer. Good. He got it. With three seconds left, Mike Jones from about 25ft out, hit another long jumper. Two seconds showing on the clock. That may not be official. The wichita State lead 66, 65.
Timeout Kansas. Two seconds to go. Wichita State 66, Kansas 65.
