‘It’s long overdue’: Exclusive inside look at Fred VanVleet’s return to Wichita State
There was a palpable buzz in the air at Koch Arena before the AfterShocks began their Wednesday night practice in preparation for The Basketball Tournament.
For the typical AfterShocks practice, less than 20 people are down on the court. On Wednesday, that number was more than doubled.
Isaac Brown, the Wichita State men’s basketball head coach, had taken a break from his summer recruiting schedule to be there. Almost every member of the WSU athletic department was there. Even a select few fans who were lucky enough to be tipped off had shown up.
It soon became apparent what the main attraction of the night was when Shocker legend Fred VanVleet strolled onto the floor.
Former teammates erupted in yells of “Freddy!” He dapped up and hugged former teammates like Markis McDuffie, Conner Frankamp and Rashard Kelly. He arrived with AfterShocks coaches Zach Bush and J.R. Simon. He immediately chopped it up with Ron Baker, his former All-American partner-in-crime who helped hang so many of the championship banners above their heads in the rafters.
“It’s probably long overdue,” VanVleet told The Eagle afterward. “I haven’t seen some of these guys in years. It’s good to be back somewhere I called home for a long time. A lot of familiar faces here.”
VanVleet had not stepped foot inside Koch Arena in more than three years. Since that day, he has won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors and signed an $84 million contract that qualified as the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player.
There was no better example of how much things had changed by how he arrived in Wichita: VanVleet flew a private jet from his home in Rockford, Ill.
There was also no better example of how much things have stayed the same with VanVleet when he demanded to wear the same hat as Simon, his former walk-on teammate, to help support and bring exposure to the new clothing line — Love Is Cool — that Simon has recently created.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” VanVleet said of his growing fame. “I try to stay humble and remind myself how blessed I am. I’m also enjoying it and not letting anybody make me feel bad about enjoying the fruits of the blood, sweat and tears that I put into this.
“This is just the way it happened for me. This is my story; everybody’s story is different. I’m just trying to enjoy every second of mine.”
From going undrafted to becoming a borderline All-Star, VanVleet is easily the most visible Shocker playing in the NBA right now. He’s coming off his best professional season yet where he averaged a career-high 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the Raptors.
While former teammates enjoyed seeing VanVleet, his presence was probably most beneficial to the current WSU players who trickled down onto the floor before practice to meet the NBA star who was in their position just five years ago.
WSU junior Dexter Dennis, who has previously gone through the NBA Draft process, was able to pick the brain of VanVleet. Brown, who was an assistant coach at WSU during his time with VanVleet, said conversations like that are what make the TBT experience so valuable for WSU.
“You’ve got to have guys like Fred back for reasons like that,” Brown said. “I’m just so proud of everything he has done in the NBA for himself and for his family. The kid is just a big-time winner. Anytime our student-athletes can see someone like that and talk to those guys, they can give them wisdom about how to carry yourself and how to get to the next level and how to keep their minds right.”
From VanVleet’s perspective, returning to Wichita was a must this year not only because it was the place he called home for four years that shaped his life, but also because he wanted to help the AfterShocks turn the TBT event into a family reunion of sorts for past Shockers. That was important to VanVleet after last year when the program went through momentary turmoil with the investigation into former coach Gregg Marshall that eventually led to his resignation.
“This place and the people here played a huge part in my story,” VanVleet said. “And with coach Marshall leaving, it’s just important for everybody to come back together and start to build that tradition back up. I think we all took a black eye with the way that things transpired. I think it’s important for us to build that camaraderie back up because we do have a great tradition. A lot of these guys built this place up to what it is and we’ve got to maintain it. It’s our job to maintain it.”
That process is easier since WSU promoted and ultimately hired Brown, who was Marshall’s top assistant and is well-liked by the former players, VanVleet said.
In a time of uncertainty, Brown was able to right the ship and lead the Shockers to their first American Athletic Conference title and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
It also helps that Brown operates in a way that VanVleet can appreciate. Even after earning the full-time job that quintupled his annual salary, Brown is rooted in his humble ways of working like an assistant coach still trying to catch his break. In many ways, the most famous Shocker and the current face of the program share similarities.
“IB is just a worker,” VanVleet said. “He doesn’t care about the (head coach) title. He just wants to get the job done. I can definitely see him having some trouble accepting that he’s the big boss around here because he’s never going to act like the big boss. He’s probably still running around getting his own food and coffee and doing all the little small stuff that sometimes head coaches don’t do. I’m sure he’ll turn into a big-time coach at some point, but it will probably take him a few years.”
When reminded of WSU winning the AAC title, VanVleet’s eyes immediately darted upward as he scanned the rafters for the yet-to-be-unveiled banner. That’s when you could tell memories of past Shocker glory were flashing in his mind.
The you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me shot he drilled as a true freshman to seal the win over Gonzaga en route to the 2013 Final Four. The perfect 34-0 regular season that included dual Missouri Valley Conference championships in 2014. The Sweet 16 run highlighted by the win over KU in 2015. The MVC Player of the Year season, the second of his career, as a senior in 2016.
“You start remembering,” VanVleet said. “There’s a lot of nostalgia here. You look up and there’s a lot of banners you helped put up. I even remember when the scoreboard was put in. Just a lot of memories here. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into building this place into what it is. It’s just cool to be able to come back and see everything all at once.”
VanVleet will be in Wichita through the weekend, but most notably he will make his first public appearance at Koch Arena in nearly five years on Friday when he attends the AfterShocks’ 8 p.m. game against the Ex-Pats.
Also of note, the FVV pop-up shop is also making the trip to Wichita with a truckload of gear, including exclusive Shocker-themed merchandise. The shop will be located inside Koch Arena (a ticket is required to reach the shop) from 12-8 p.m. on Friday.
The shop is another reminder of just how big VanVleet has become since his WSU days. Even his catch phrase — Bet On Yourself — has taken off in popularity.
“It’s mainstream now,” VanVleet said, laughing. “That’s been an adjustment to me to see the reach and see how many people can relate to my story and how many people it resonates with. I’m seeing it in commercials. I’m seeing it everywhere. I didn’t have it trademarked, but I think you can see the influence of my story and what it means.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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