Speaker 1 00:00:01 Hello, this is Paul Soro of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Before we get rolling with Tyson Waterman and, and Shocker basketball, I wanted to direct you again to forward together the, uh, podcast that university president Dr. Rick Mema does this month. He has athletic director Kevin Salan, and they really get into name, image, and likeness, an issue that is, uh, on the minds of a lot of fans. So I would encourage you to check that out on the university's YouTube channel or wherever you subscribe to your podcast. It's, uh, very informative and I, it may answer a lot of your questions. Thank you.
Speaker 1 00:00:49 Hello, welcome to the Round House Podcast with Paul Soro of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thanks for listening. We always appreciate your time. Today's guest is Tyson Waterman. Tyson is in his fifth season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Wichita State Men's Basketball. Tyson played point guard at Winthrop University for former shockers coach Greg Marshall. He came to Wichita State in 2018, Done a lot of lot of things on and off the court and a lot of recruiting. Tyson at the end would be one of the guys that he brought in many more. Yes. So we're almost a basketball season. Shocker. Madness is Thursday. Shockers then play Newman University in an exhibition on November 2nd, and Wichita State opens the season on November 7th verse Central Arkansas. So, Tyson, let's start with, uh, I know the basketball program has done a lot of team building exercises Yes. Over the summer, as the new guys are coming in, you've got 12 newcomers. Tell us a little bit about that process and how that process is going to try to mold this bunch into a, into a unit.
Speaker 2 00:01:49 Well, you know, it's been great, you know, Coach Isaac Brown really wanted to, uh, put an emphasis on these kids, uh, bonding and, uh, getting a chance to spend some time with each other outside of the basketball arena. Um, we do a lot of things with, you know, as, as we try to make it feel like a family, give it a family feel so that these guys become comfortable with one another and, and then that way, hopefully that that type of chemistry carries on over to the floor in their play. Um, so, you know, we had a lot of great things that was going on in the community. A lot of the guys would come out to, uh, different, uh, um, programs and things that, dinners things such like that, that they would have, and we'd get together and, and just, just, just have family fun, good time with the guys. You know, It, it's been really, really good so far.
Speaker 1 00:02:34 It seems like you did things like, uh, you did some military training,
Speaker 2 00:02:37 Military style training. Yes. You did some bowling. Absolutely. Bowling. I mean, lots of fun, man. The military training was unbelievable. A lot of the guys, you know, for the first time, you know, went on a base and, um, they were excited about that. Um, it was a really, really good experience for the young men to see, uh, what the people do that actually protect us and protect this nation. And shout out to them, them, um, you know, they, they're unbelievable set up, you know, group of people and hell of them then. And I think there was a great opportunity for our young men and great experience for them to get a chance to meet people like that
Speaker 1 00:03:09 Who emerged as, as leaders during this, during the summer, Craig
Speaker 2 00:03:13 Porter, Craig Porter really accepted the role. Um, you know, we're so grateful for him and I hope the fans pay him his homage for number one being, uh, committed to, uh, to us, um, you know, staying loyal, uh, to Wichita State, you know, and, uh, seeing the bigger picture. And, and, you know, I, it's, you know, with the way things are today, uh, we give great kus to, uh, Craig Porter, love him as a point. God, I think you'll have a breakout year. And, uh, one of the things that he's done a great job of was, was leading these young men and trying to get them steered into the right direction and show them how to play the shock away.
Speaker 1 00:03:49 And even with the newcomers, you brought in some, some people with significant college experience, James Rojas. Yes, absolutely. Uh, Colby Rogers, Xavier Bell, all of them have several years of college basketball. Ha Has that been helpful having that kind of an experience
Speaker 2 00:04:02 On that? Yes, Yes. Rojas has done an unbelievable job. Um, and with his maturity, you know, he just knows how to play. He understands the game. Uh, he really tried to be a vocal leader a lot of times. You know, he, a lot of the guys look to him because of his experience. Uh, you know, uh, Kobe Rogers is a guy. He doesn't speak much, but he's, he's a heck of a player. Uh, got a lot of coaching. Uh, you can tell, um, experience, you know, nothing speeds him up. He plays at a great pace. He'll be a really, really special, uh, talent to get if we can make sure that that that goes through for this year. We're currently still waiting on the NCAA to give us all that approval as to whether or not he's able to step on the floor this year.
Speaker 1 00:04:43 So let's go back to Craig Porter, who will certainly be an important figure on the team this year. Uh, Taylor Eldridge with the Wichita Eagle did a really nice story about Craig over the, over the weekend. He leaned on you for part of that story cuz you're a point guard. You would have a lot of familiarity with that position. Yes. So tell us about Craig's progress. How has he continued to mature in that role and, and what will we see this season?
Speaker 2 00:05:04 I think what you're gonna get in Porter, um, is a, is a young man that, that, that understands how to play. Now. Um, he, he, he understands pace, he understands tempo. He does a great job of leading, uh, you know, he's really under control now. Um, he's such a great leader on and off the floor. Uh, the kids, he's, he's a, he's a loving spirit, you know, so the guys really like him and it's important that the players like to play with their point guard. And I think that, uh, because of his mentality and his personality, it's going to help, uh, for us to feed into this ball being distributed. Everybody should be able to get a touch. It shouldn't be a ball dominant type of situation. And Craig is a past first point guard, believe it or not. Uh, we are, I have been challenging him, uh, to be a little more selfish sometime, cuz we may need that with his, with his experience and his, his scoring ability cuz he can really score the basketball. He's very athletic, he's sneaky athletic, Um, great timing on block shots. He's a big time rebounder. So overall, I just think you'll get a chance to see him play, uh, with a great feel. Uh, he's been tremendous in coming in extra every single day since the, uh, uh, fall began. He came in early in the morning and, you know, he's doing two workouts a day, so he's really focused, locked in. And I think that you'll get a chance to really see, uh, Craig Porter's best basketball this season.
Speaker 1 00:06:29 The other returner who played a, uh, a good amount last year is Kenny Poto, the Yes, sophomore big man. Tell us about Kenny's progress.
Speaker 2 00:06:37 Uh, Kenny, you know, Kenny is a very, very special player. He's unique in the fact that he could shoot the three so well, um, he's a guy that you wanna run gold screens for and he's picking pop as opposed to pick and roll. But to Kenny's credit, I could, you could see now where he's, uh, taking, he's gotten a little bigger and stronger. He's now, uh, embracing contact underneath the basket. So he's looking to score around the rim, not just on the perimeter now. And I think that's gonna make him a complete player and very, very special talent in this league.
Speaker 1 00:07:11 I hear a lot about an emphasis on defense, both from yes. Players when you talk to them or practice or when you hear IB speak. Tell us about practices and, and the, and the work on the defensive
Speaker 2 00:07:20 End. Yeah, we've been really, uh, putting a lot of emphasis on when you have a new team. You know, number one, culture number two, uh, the hardest thing is making sure these kids understand how hard you have to play, uh, every single second that you're on the floor and how hard you have to compete in order to be successful. And here at Wichita, you know, as you know, we, we, we, we try to play angry, we try to play aggressive and the one thing that we do is sit down and guard. And that's the thing that we've been really putting the emphasis on, uh, making sure these guys are guarding and closing out properly and communicating defensively and everybody's on the same page defensively based on what type of coverages we're in defensively. So we really put a lot of emphasis this year, this summer so far on working on our defense. You know, we're making sure that that's a, everyone understands that if you want to play, you have to defend, you know.
Speaker 1 00:08:16 So let's go to some of the 12 newcomers. And the person that I didn't mention that is real, I've really heard a lot of good things about is Gus oca four. Let's start with Gus, uh, six foot, six senior forward, transferred from southeastern Louisiana. Impressions of Gus so far?
Speaker 2 00:08:30 Uh, Gus is a great, great young man, very aggressive, you know, style of play, super athletic, strong bouncy, but he has so much finesse on the outside as well. Uh, the thing that makes him a real mismatch in, in my opinion, is the fact that he could step out and really shoot the three. And, uh, he's a, he could be, he could create problems from the outside, but he is still getting there and bang with you on the inside and rebound and try to go through you. Uh, so Gus has, has been a really, really good spark for us, and we look forward to having him as a, as an experienced guy as well. Uh, he's in his fifth year, so we, you know, that's a great gift for us as well. We think that he'll be able to help us and a lot of people get to know that name.
Speaker 1 00:09:12 And two newcomers that I kind of group together. I don't know if that's the best way to do it or not <laugh>, but John Pierre and Taquan Walton both seem to be similar in ways of really athletic, uh, and can really add a lot to this team as they figure out the system. All those kind of things. No doubt. Tell me about those two. Uh,
Speaker 2 00:09:31 Those two guys are high level talented kids. Man. They are so talented. They're very scary talent wise. Uh, the thing about them is we wanna make sure that they understand. Uh, one of the things that's so I imperative for a great player to be great is just embracing the process and staying in the moment. Uh, we wanna make sure we're challenging them in that way. Uh, but these two guys, I think that Chaka Nation is going to get a chance to see some excitement in them. Um, the things that they can do with the basketball on the offensive end is incredible. Um, I think Jaquan has a chance to play at any level as well as DuJuan Pierre. Those kids could play at the highest level if they continue to stay healthy, continue to keep working, embrace the process, and just continue to grow and fate and, uh, know that, you know, if they put in the work, you know, and they do what they supposed to do when they supposed to do it and do it the same way every time, they could play at the highest level. No, no question about it.
Speaker 1 00:10:29 Which other newcomers should shocker fans be paying attention to?
Speaker 2 00:10:33 You know, uh, I, what, what, what the big thing was taking in a guard late, you know, Shama Scott, who's a really, really impressive young man, great kid, uh, even keel spirited type of mindset, but he has a lot of great athleticism. He's, he's, he can push, he's very fast, he's elite speed guard that can push the ball. And you can look from sports and excitement there. And as well as, uh, you know, Quincy Ballard being a, something different than what we've always had. He's a huge body inside that can really make people alter shots, um, have to make them finish over length. Um, you know, we need that, especially if we go from the to the zone. Uh, he can really be an impactful guy as well. Um, as he learned his system and continue to get better and to develop offensively more, he'll be a really, really good force.
Speaker 2 00:11:25 He has three years here, so he excited about him as well. Um, um, and also when you're talking about guys that, that return, Isaac a Beatie who's super athletic, plays with a high, high motor as far as his bounce, his athleticism, um, really, really another good young man. Of course, Jalen Ricks is a person that can really shoot the three and can score the basketball. Um, definitely don't wanna forget about Xavier Bell, who's a local kid that I call him smooth sailing. I call him smooth sailing. I'm challenging him every day to continue to play at a high level defensively. Um, because he is very steady offensively. He could shoot it. He's a lefty, a beautiful young man that's right from here in the Wichita area. Um, and I think he's gonna have a, a great year as well. And so overall, you know, I think with, with all these guys when as this thing mesh, mesh and come together, um, you know, I think that we can have something special overall for this season.
Speaker 1 00:12:27 Let me run back and give people the backgrounds on some of these names we mentioned, just so we're not moving too fast. Okay. So Xavier Bell you mentioned, uh, transferred to Wichita State from Drexel. He went to Andover Central. Yes. And his father, Wayne Bell, played football here at, at Wichita State. Yep. Uh, and his good friends with, uh, some of the big basketball names from Yes. From back in that, back in that era. Yep. And then you mentioned the two, uh, shockers who were here last year and Redshirted, Isaac Bday and Jalen Ricks, Yes. Uh, Scott. So I'm interested in him. Uh, is he a and he's a transfer from Northwest Florida State College. So he would've played for Greg
Speaker 2 00:13:04 Hire? Yes. He played for Gold Hire, former National Champ Championship at, uh, uh, Northwest Florida.
Speaker 1 00:13:10 So he is a adds to the point guard depth. Am I
Speaker 2 00:13:14 Understanding that correctly? Yes. Yeah. Adds to the point guard depth, um, very fast. Slashy type of guard can really push and play, um, can really shoot the three. Uh, so he's gonna bring some excitement as far as open floor play and then being able to knock down some shots for us. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:13:29 So we've got Shak Madness coming up. Give us some, uh, some preview. Do you have a favorite, the slam dunk contest?
Speaker 2 00:13:36 Man, it's hard for me to pick. I love all my guys, man. They all, you know, But I'll tell you, we got some guys that got some tremendous athleticism. Um, I think it'll be definitely worth the people to come out, especially to get to know these young men. They've been working so hard and they're looking so much forward too, what Shaka Fan has to bring. And I just want people to really come out and support these young men because they put in the word, uh, they gave us their loyalty, that they, they did everything right. And we just want them to be able to enjoy themselves and hopefully get to know some of these new young men and see that they're super talented and they're theirs to, to, to watch and enjoy.
Speaker 1 00:14:12 I'm gonna make you pick who Uhuh at least give us, uh, give one or two favorites in the,
Speaker 2 00:14:17 If I had to pick one,
Speaker 1 00:14:19 You have to
Speaker 2 00:14:19 Pick. Yes. I may have to go with Isaac Aedi in this situation cuz he, you know, he won it last year, you know, and, and I gotta go back with the Rain and Champ. Okay. He's
Speaker 1 00:14:28 Got the, he's got the experience on his side.
Speaker 2 00:14:30 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:14:30 Yes. Uh, and how about the three point shooting contests? What should we look for there?
Speaker 2 00:14:34 Man, it's gonna be, that's gonna be a tough one too because, uh, sh I know Shama Scott can shoot it. Um, we're gonna have a couple of guys, Kobe Rogers that can really knock it down. Um, that's gonna be interesting, but if I had to pick one, I would say Kobe Rogers.
Speaker 3 00:15:00 Hi, this is Rick Neuma, 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.
Speaker 1 00:15:29 Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse Podcast. Courtesy of Wichita State University's strategic communications. We appreciate your time. We encourage you to rate reviews, subscribe wherever you get your podcast, such as on iTunes or Google Play. You can find more roundhouse
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Speaker 4 00:15:50 And they let him pass it up court and then he gets picked off along three by Pango. No good. One second. It's over. Its over. And W State has beaten the number one team in the nation to go to the go. Crazy. I know you.
