Wichita State athletes to be featured on several new TV commercials
The tradition of Wichita State men’s basketball players appearing in a Carlos O’Kelly’s commercial is returning to local television screens.
Only this time, the Shocker athletes did not have to wait until their NCAA eligibility expired to argue over queso and earn a little money. Thanks to an interim policy that began in July, NCAA student-athletes can now profit from their name, image and likeness and maintain their eligibility.
Following in the footsteps of WSU seniors from 2016-19 — the coronavirus pandemic put the annual tradition on hold — junior center Morris Udeze and sophomore forward Monzy Jackson will be joined by a “surprise guest” in a Carlos O’Kelly’s commercial set to hit the airwaves.
“Our criteria was one, they had to be good players,” said Dave Phillips, director of restaurant marketing for Thrive Restaurant Group, which owns Carlos O’Kelly’s. “We knew people would want to see the athletes who excel on the floor. Two, they had to be strong character people and I don’t think you can do much better than Mo and Monzy. And three, we wanted someone charismatic and those guys did not disappoint.”
Filming their first commercial was a little nerve-wracking at first, but both players said it didn’t take long before their goofy sides came out and they started having fun with the scene.
“It was a great experience,” Udeze said. “Being on a set, doing the fake makeup, it was funny. They gave us some lines and it was just a great time.”
“It’s just me and Mo joking around,” Jackson said. “It’s a great commercial. I think acting might be my thing. Commercials might be my new thing.”
Once the new NIL rules came into play starting in July, Phillips said his boss, Jon Rolph, gave the green light to pursue commercial possibilities for more Wichita State student-athletes — not just men’s basketball players.
On top of a Carlos O’Kelly’s commercial, there will also be local commercials for Applebee’s and HomeGrown — both owned by Thrive, as well — that feature WSU softball and women’s basketball players. A WSU spokesperson confirmed that the softball athletes featured are Sydney McKinney, Addison Barnard and Zoe Jones (recent Texas Tech transfer) and the women’s basketball players featured are Asia Strong and Mariah McCully.
“We’re just delighted that we can tell these athletes how much we appreciate them and what they do for our community,” Phillips said. “Wichita State athletics have made our city a prominent one across the country, not just with the great coaches, but because of the spectacular young men and women who have excelled. It was so cool seeing how much the town was fired up this spring about WSU softball when they went on their run. We’re honored to be able to have those student-athletes in our restaurants, saying nice things about us and we’re more than happy to feed them.”
Once the commercials air, they are believed to be the first local commercials featuring WSU athletes since the new NIL rules were adopted.
Jackson and Udeze hope more are on the way.
“I’m blessed and grateful for this opportunity,” Jackson said. “I’m also looking forward to shooting more. This should have happened a long time ago. It’s only fair the student-athletes get to capitalize off their own name. So now we’re getting paid and making sure we have a little extra money to make sure we’re good.”
“Honestly, I’m just waiting for another opportunity now,” Udeze said. “(Basketball players) talk about that all the time, how to promote your brand and promote yourself. Closed mouths don’t get fed, so you have to put yourself out there. We’re ready for more.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
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