Radio/TV analyst Bob Hull drops by to talk about the start of regular-season practices for Wichita State. Bob reveals his favorite city to visit in the American Athletic Conference and which arena offers the best atmosphere. We dig into the Shocker roster and how coach Isaac Brown might go about improving his team’s shooting. Bob discusses how newcomers such as Qua Grant and Joe Pleasant will fit in, why he thinks guard Craig Porter Jr., is improved and describes a Tyson Etienne moment in practice this week.
Mike O’Donnell, analyst for ESPN and CBS Sports, joins the podcast to talk about an interesting summer for the American Athletic Conference. He discusses why he thinks Wichita State’s Tyson Etienne is one of the nation’s top guards and his expectations for Dexter Dennis. He provides insight on newcomer Kenny Pohto and how he might help the Shockers with his I.Q. and shooting. O’Donnell also talks about Memphis’ big recruiting news, Houston’s consistent toughness and success and the additions that may boost SMU.
Wichita State coach Keitha Adams wraps up the summer with a look at the team’s six newcomers. She discusses how the Shockers devoted much of their summer to shooting and why she read through almost 800 pages of plays to keep her team unpredictable. Adams starts the podcast with anecdotes from her relationship with NCAA champion coach Don Haskins of UTEP. Why did Shockers DJ McCarty and Trajata Colbert finish last season strong? Adams hits that topic, as well.
Shocker coach Isaac Brown wraps up the summer with updates on his newcomers, Craig Porter’s strong workouts and how the NBA experience sets up the season for guard Tyson Etienne. He discusses Kenny Pohto’s summer with his national team, favorite restaurant and where he wants the Shockers to improve. Also, Twitter questions from fans.
AfterShocks coach Zach Bush joins the podcast to preview Saturday’s (11 a.m. on ESPN) game in The Basketball Tournament. He discusses Conner Frankamp’s joy, Markis McDuffie’s dance moves and Fred VanVleet’s coaching role from behind the bench. Bush also talks about roster moves entering the TBT quarterfinals, how his assistant coaches work together and a look at Florida TNT.
Clevin Hannah, Wichita State guard from 2008-10, joins the podcast in advance of Tuesday’s AfterShocks game (8 p.m.) in The Basketball Tournament. Hannah talks about his professional basketball career, the fans in Turkey that threw shoes at his team, and his adjustments to living away from family and friends early in his career. Hannah reminisces about his time as a Shocker and how his friendship with Ramon Clemente led him to Wichita State. Hannah describes how he become more responsible and more of a leader during that 2008-09 season. In his second season, he led the Shockers to a 25-win season and the NIT and he describes how the experience of that team led to success.
Andrew Zoldan is in his second year with the Inside TBT (@InsideTbt) podcast. He joins us to discuss the Wichita Regional, his interviews with AfterShocks GM Ron Baker and Wichita State coach Isaac Brown and the growth of The Basketball Tournament since its start in 2014. Zoldan breaks down some of the top teams in the Wichita Regional and players to watch from the AfterShocks, Team Arkansas, LA Cheaters and others in the field. We talk about the popularity of college alumni teams, such as those from Creighton, Kansas State and Oklahoma State that will also play in Koch Arena starting July 16. And, of course, we talk about the Elam Ending.
Jacob Herrs and Brycen Bush join the podcast to discuss their favorite moments from the past four seasons, how they got hooked on basketball and their outlook for the Shockers in 2021-22. We talk about the decision to join Wichita State as walk-ons, advice from their Shocker family members and why they think Wichita State coaches do a good job with scouting reports.
Wichita State basketball’s Morris Udeze and Monzy Jackson talk about their first impressions of each other and why Udeze wasn’t sure about Jackson after that pickup game at the YMCA. They talk about their lessons learned in college basketball, how they viewed the sudden end to the season in the NCAA Tournament and their hopes to play in front of big crowds in Koch Arena. Udeze discusses the transfer portal and what he thinks potential transfers might learn from the experience. Jackson details his plans to work on his game in the off-season.
Wichita State forward Ricky Council IV joins the podcast to talk about his strong debut season and what’s next during spring and summer workouts. Council, a 6-foot-6 forward from Durham, N.C., averaged 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Shockers with a high game of 23 points vs. Cincinnati. He earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference’s all-freshman team. Council reminisces about backyard basketball with his older brothers and describes his affection for Kevin Durant and what the Shockers can learn from their NCAA Tournament experience.
