What made Poor Bear-Chandler almost tear up in returning to Wichita State basketball
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler was finished playing basketball, or at least that’s what he thought last month.
After an injury derailed his one-year stint for Nebraska-Omaha this past season, the former Shocker moved back to Wichita this summer and was working for a lawn care service, resigned that his college basketball career was over.
“It took me a long time to figure out honestly what I wanted to do,” Poor Bear-Chandler told The Eagle. “Basketball wasn’t really on my mind at first.”
That changed when he found inspiration from remembering the wishes of a family member who had recently passed when their birthday rolled around.
Chase your passion in life, they used to tell Poor Bear-Chandler, and basketball, he decided, was still his passion. In an act that he felt like was more of a hail mary, he sent a text message to Isaac Brown, his former coach at Wichita State, asking if he could possibly return to the team and finish up his degree at WSU.
Brown didn’t hesitate giving Poor Bear-Chandler, who spent his first three years at WSU from 2018-21, an opportunity to finish his career and graduate as a preferred walk-on for the Shockers this season.
“I almost teared up, I’m not going to lie,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “It was probably one of the best days of my life.”
The decision to add a player with 72 games of experience as a Shocker, including a season when Poor Bear-Chandler served as a back-up center on WSU’s 2021 American Athletic Conference championship team, was an easy one for Brown. Poor Bear-Chandler, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound big man, also adds veteran depth to the frontcourt.
“We’re in the business of helping kids, so it was an easy decision for me,” Brown told The Eagle. “Poor Bear played on a team that won a championship and he’s a veteran guy who’s been through the wars of the AAC. He was a great kid when he was here. He never gave us any problems. And he understands our system, so it was an easy decision.”
Poor Bear-Chandler has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Shocker fans following his social media announcement on June 30 that he was returning to Wichita State.
“All of the love and support I’ve had since I got back here, it’s more than I could ever ask for,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I didn’t want to leave Wichita in the first place. I wish I didn’t leave, but at the same time, I had to go back home and be with family and figure out some stuff before I could work on who I am as a basketball player.”
In his announcement, Poor Bear-Chandler said he was looking forward to returning to a community that he described as his “chosen” family.
Despite playing for the Shockers as recently as 2021, Poor Bear-Chandler has only been a teammate with one current WSU player: Craig Porter. But he has plenty of familiarity with the team’s infrastructure that still features Brown, assistant coaches Tyson Waterman and Billy Kennedy, director of operations Dominic Okon, player development coach Nick Jones, video coordinator Jeff Chapman, special assistant Ryan Hillard, athletic trainer Todd Fagan and academic coordinator Gretchen Torline.
He’s been practicing with WSU since July 6 and it’s been a surreal experience for him being back in Koch Arena.
“It’s a lot of nostalgia, to be honest,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I don’t think I could ever forget (the memories of the AAC championship season). I’m reminded of that every time I walk in the locker room and there’s a big picture of all of us during that run and the celebration. I just remember how good it felt to put in all of that work and to taste success. I feel like that’s what we’re trying to do again this year.”
So how much has changed in a year?
The biggest difference, Poor Bear-Chandler said, is the confidence of Brown, who was an interim coach for most of the 2020-21 season but is now entering his second season as full-time head coach.
“I thought everything would feel different when I came back, but honestly the work ethic and the culture is still all there,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I can tell IB is more confident having multiple years of being a head coach now. I’m glad he’s still teaching and applying all of the same work and the core of what makes us the Shockers. It feels like I haven’t even left.”
Poor Bear-Chandler played in 18 games off the bench for WSU during the 2020-21 season, averaging 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game.
It’s unlikely he repeats those averages on the 2022-23 Shockers since he is returning as a walk-on player and WSU has restocked its center rotation with newcomers in 7-foot Florida State transfer Quincy Ballard and fifth-year Alabama transfer James Rojas to go along with budding sophomore star Kenny Pohto.
But no one is ruling out the possibility in the middle of July of Poor Bear-Chandler carving out a role for himself in his final season. At the very least, he wants to find a way to help the Shockers win games this season, even if that’s just being a veteran leader in the locker room and helping push a young talent like Pohto in practice.
“With everybody already here before I came here, I’m not trying to come in and claim that I have a role already,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “But I know I have a lot of knowledge and I know what I can do physically and mentally. Honestly, I feel like I have way more confidence than I’ve ever had. It’s a different feeling. I know I’ve already been here, but now I feel like I have something to prove.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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