The 2014-15 Wichita State basketball team hosted ESPN’s College GameDay, won the MVC title and advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Indiana and Kansas. Mike Kennedy and Bob Hull join the podcast to reminisce 10 years later. We discuss a rout of Memphis that set the tone for the early schedule, a dramatic win over Hawaii and a close loss at Utah. We also talk about the rivalry with Northern Iowa, contributions of freshmen Zach Brown and Rashard Kelly and how coach Gregg Marshall and a crew of top-notch assistant coaches led this era. We describe the Evan Wessel game in Omaha, the Zach Brown hustle play and how the feelings between KU and Wichita State differed from the 1981 NCAA meeting.
Former Shocker Toure Murry joins the podcast with an update on his NBA journey. Murry is a player development coach with the Philadelphia 76ers and he describes his job, what makes Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey special and how he is helping former Shocker Ricky Council IV build a career. We also talk about working with Sixers coach Nick Nurse, Murry’s appreciation for Fred VanVleet, and the veterans who helped him as a player. Then we reminisce about his days as a Shocker from 2008-12, highlighted by a turning point after a tough loss, facing Klay Thompson in the NIT and Joe Ragland’s big night against UNLV.
Get set for the week with the Roundhouse Rundown podcast, the fastest five minutes in collegiate promotions. The Shocker men’s basketball team plays at home on Wednesday (Alcorn State) and Saturday (East Tennessee State). Shocker volleyball plays at SMU in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. All that, plus promotions, ticket specials, Shocker trivia and Shocker history.
Get set for the week with the Roundhouse Rundown podcast, the fastest five minutes in collegiate promotions. The Shocker basketball teams are in Florida this week. Shocker volleyball learns its NCAA destination on Dec. 1 after its AAC Championship on Sunday. All that, plus promotions, ticket specials, Shocker trivia and Shocker history.
On the anniversary of one of that season’s memorable wins, we look back on the 2014 Wichita State basketball season. The Shockers won 35 straight games and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mike Kennedy and Bob Lutz discuss the NBA talent on that team, the team’s historical importance and the rally at Missouri State on Jan. 11, 2014. We talk about the joys of the regular season, why Tekele Cotton was one of the stars on this team and why Bob predicted an unbeaten season before anyone else. We break down the strength of schedule, the Saint Louis game that sparked a kerfuffle with Doug Gottlieb and hand out plenty of trivia questions.
Radio voice Mike Kennedy and former Wichita Eagle columnist Bob Lutz join us to reminisce about the 2012-13 Shockers basketball season, culminating at the Final Four. We talk about Cleanthony Early’s star turn on that team and his place in Shocker history, the importance of depth and the wacky win at Illinois State. We discuss the significance of the win over No. 1 Gonzaga, torment Bob with trivia questions and reveal some of our favorite moments. Many of those Shockers are in town this week for the alumni reunion at Friday’s AfterShocks game and dinner at Mark Arts on July 22.
Bob Powers and Robert Litan are the co-authors of a new book about Wichita State All-American basketball player Dave Stallworth. Powers was a teammate of Stallworth’s with the Shockers and a member of the 1965 Final Four team. Litan grew up in McPherson and Wichita as a Shocker fan watching the great teams of the early 1960s. All royalties from the book will be donated to the WSU Foundation for the David Stallworth Memorial Scholarship.
Wichita State softball’s dinner and auction is Saturday and the Shockers open their fall schedule with a scrimmage on Sunday. Associate head coach Elizabeth Economon is here to update fans on newcomers making a good impression this fall, how the program’s success changes recruiting and how the coaches challenge returners such as Addison Barnard and Sydney McKinney. We also discuss the opening at first base, Jessica Garcia’s career arc and the new batting cages built next to Wilkins Stadium. We wrap up by breaking down the accuracy of the “Coach E impressions” video directed by McKinney and featuring her teammates, sunglasses and a bucket hat.
P.J. Couisnard, a member of Wichita State’s 2006 NCAA Sweet 16 basketball team, talks about the docuseries “A Cooz Story.” The film is about Couisnard’s work in Houston’s Third Ward helping children through sports and academics at Cooz Elite Sports. We talk about the influence of his parents and how their ministry shaped his life, how his own academic struggles played a role and why he returned to Houston to do this work. We wrap up by indulging in 2006 reminiscing about a big game against Bradley and the NCAA Tournament win over Tennessee that sent the Shockers to the Sweet 16.
Brent Kemnitz is one of the inductees into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame. We talk about his 38-year career as pitching coach, starting with a detailed response from Gene Stephenson that directed him away from a career teaching history and driver’s education in high school to college baseball. Kemnitz details his “Brain” and “Flow” meetings, two essential parts of his work with pitchers. He talks about best wins, toughest defeats and chooses one Shocker to get a crucial strikeout. He discusses selling Shocker football tickets for former AD Ted Bredehoft, low-maintenance pitchers such as Kennie Steenstra, Jordan Cooper and Aaron Shafer and the highest of all high-maintenance pitching stars of the 1989 NCAA champions.
