‘I was smiling the whole time’: A familiar Shocker helped Wichita State win in return
Emotions were swirling inside, but Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler tried to play it cool when he received the news.
The fifth-year senior had missed the first two games of the Wichita State men’s basketball season waiting for the NCAA to approve his waiver as a two-time transfer and fully expected to miss a third game Thursday at Richmond.
Poor Bear-Chandler was at breakfast the morning of the game when WSU head coach Isaac Brown came over and nonchalantly said, “Hey, we’re going to need you tonight, big fella.”
It took a second for him to process what that meant, but once Brown confirmed the waiver had been approved and Poor Bear-Chandler would be eligible to play immediately, adrenaline rushed through the veins of the 6-foot-9 big man.
“I’m trying to be a vet, but man, it was exhilarating,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I was just smiling the whole time.”
It was hard for Poor Bear-Chandler not to feel nostalgic about his journey that led him back to Wichita State.
After playing a reserve role on WSU’s 2021 American Athletic Conference championship team, Poor Bear-Chandler opted to transfer closer to home with a chance to play more. But an ankle injury essentially ended his career at Omaha before it ever began.
Poor Bear-Chandler moved back to Wichita this past summer with no plans of continuing his basketball career. He was working at a lawn care service when he decided to text Brown out of the blue to see if it was possible to return to the WSU basketball team.
And after nearly 20 months, Poor Bear-Chandler pulled on a Wichita State uniform again on Thursday and suited up for the Shockers.
“When I put on that uniform, that’s when the nostalgia hit,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I felt like I was young again. It was so much fun.”
What made the return even more special was that Poor Bear-Chandler, who has returned to WSU in a walk-on role, actually played a role in the Shockers’ dramatic 56-53 win at Richmond.
Poor Bear-Chandler played eight minutes, the second-most of any bench player, and contributed four points and two rebounds. He drilled a 15-foot jumper on his first shot attempt in the first half, then grabbed an offensive rebound and made both free throws after being fouled in the second half.
Not a bad debut for a player who hadn’t played in a Div. 1 basketball game since Dec. 8, 2021.
“For not having played in a year, he came in there and got a couple boards and got us a bucket,” said WSU senior James Rojas. “He was playing great defense on (Richmond’s) seven-footer. For his first game of the year, I’d say that’s pretty dang good.”
It’s been clear in the way that Brown has talked about Poor Bear-Chandler, who has three full years of prior experience in WSU’s system, that he would play some kind of backup role for the Shockers this season.
Poor Bear-Chandler doesn’t know how much he will play going forward, as WSU plays in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas starting with Monday’s game against Grand Canyon, but for the first game back, he couldn’t have asked for a better night.
“As one of the vets on the team, I just want to try to help this team win because we’ve got a young squad with a lot of talent,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I’m just glad I got to help the team in a good way again.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
.jpg)