Shocker Men’s Program Builds Confidence and Trust

Written by Paige Feikert

It’s no doubt that Wichita State fans feel pretty good when Kenyon Giles gets the ball in three-point territory — Giles feels good too. By mid-February, the senior from Virginia averages just under 40 percent from three-point range and about 18 points per game. His grit and determination on the court — even though he’s just 5-foot-10 — and ability to make shots from the logo, is all fueled by him. 

“Kenyon is probably the most confident person when he walks in the room — it’s a tribute to him,” said Wichita State University men’s basketball coach Paul Mills. “He does not live under the darkness of doubt; as I reference sometimes to our players, he elevates an entire room with his confidence, and he always believes.”

Giles grew up playing basketball in Virginia with his three brothers. That’s where his confidence started — fueled by his family and his height, Kenyon always knew he had to believe in himself, or else, who would?

“My family gave me the utmost confidence, they told me at a young age that nobody is going to believe in you like you, so that’s where it started,” Giles said.

‘Whatever metric you want to look at, we’ve gotten better every single year, and progress is made in steps, not leaps.’ — Coach Paul Mills

T.J. Williams, a redshirt freshman from Wichita, said Giles has helped build his confidence, after Williams sat out last season with an injury. 

“I just look at those guys as leaders,” Williams said. “Learning from older guys, it’s always a blessing, especially to have a good guy like [Giles] around on and off the court.” 

The WSU men’s basketball team has had good success this season — spending time in the top half of the American Athletic Conference with big wins at South Florida in overtime and at home against Memphis. 

“Whatever metric you want to look at, we’ve gotten better every single year, and progress is made in steps, not leaps,” Mills said. “The truth is that we’re getting better and I’m well aware of Wichita’s support when you do well.” 

As a lifelong Shocker fan himself, Williams sees the fan support growing, and hopes to continue to help fuel that growth. 

“We’re trying to get back to that tradition, knowing that this place can get packed out,” Williams said. “For us to keep building trust in our fans, and our fans building trust in us, coming to our home games, supporting our Shockers, it just feels really good when we go out there and have a nice supporting cast.”

Abby Cater: Team Comedian and Record Breaker 

Abby Cater etched her name into the record books this season, when the senior scored 42 points against Memphis, setting a new school record for single-game points in the WSU women’s basketball program. The previous record was set by Kareema Williams in 1992.

“It was just a special moment for us,” said WSU women’s basketball coach Terry Nooner. “She provided us with a lot of energy — we were super pumped up.”

The team followed the Memphis win with a huge win on the road at East Carolina — a team that has spent most of the season in the top half of the conference. While Cater is a huge contributor on defense, and at the basket, she takes on another role on the team — comedian. 

‘(My mother) was a great person, she was my favorite person, so everything I do, I just do it for her, because I know if I’m doing it for her, I’ll do it to my full best potential.’ — Abby Cater

“She’s going to tell you, for one, she’s the team comedian, she’s the funniest person on the team, the players will tell you that too,” Nooner said. “She just kind of keeps the energy light, never up, never down, just always even-keeled.”

When Cater was only nine years old, she lost her mother. Today she dedicates everything she does to her mother’s memory. 

“She was a great person, she was my favorite person, so everything I do, I just do it for her, because I know if I’m doing it for her, I’ll do it to my full best potential,” Cater said. 

While the team has struggled this year, Cater is soaking up every minute left of her college basketball career. Her goal is to get into sports broadcasting, but only for a while. Eventually, she wants to become an interior designer. For now, she’s enjoying the rest of her college basketball career — something she’s been playing since she was only six years old. 

“I’m actually kind of scared to go to the real world, because basketball is all I know. So I know it will be a drastic change for me, but I think I’m ready to experience that,” Cater said.

Mike Kennedy: Voice of the Shockers

It’s a warm afternoon in New Orleans on Sunday, February 8, where the Wichita State men’s basketball team is playing Tulane for the first time this season. Shocker Radio listeners can almost hear the Mardi Gras celebrations nearby and feel the sun shining in through the windows of Tulane’s Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, because that’s just the kind of image Mike Kennedy is portraying at the beginning of the broadcast. It’s one of hundreds — maybe thousands — of scenes Mike Kennedy has set across his 46-year career as the Voice of the Shockers, and one of only a few dozen more before he retires later this year. 

“When you turn on a basketball game and Mike sits down and opens up the broadcast, I’m constantly amazed when I’m sitting next to him how he sets the scene,” said Bob Hull, Kennedy’s color analyst for WSU men’s basketball road games. “I think the listeners describe it as, when they listen to Mike Kennedy, they feel like they’re at the game.”

 Kennedy has undoubtedly put hours of preparation into this broadcast, but that’s not outright obvious. He’s smooth, he knows every player on the court and every player on the bench, he knows their statistics both today and all season-long, he can tell you what happened last time these two teams met, even though it was almost a full year ago. 

“I have enjoyed just being a part of and observing how thoughtful he is, and how he intellectually approaches the game,” said Dave Dahl, Kennedy’s long-time home game color analyst. “His research is incredible, he doesn’t overlook any facts, he prepares for every game as if it’s his first game.”

It All Started With a Tape Recorder

Kennedy started calling Shocker basketball games during the 1980–1981 season, when Wichita State reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament behind legends like Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr. It was the same year that Kennedy met Dahl, after Dahl was recommended to Kennedy as a color analyst. The two met at a WSU men’s basketball scrimmage and called the game into a tape recorder — they’ve been broadcasting home basketball games together ever since. 

“It was uncanny that right from the beginning he had a feel for when to get in and add something and when to get out, which is tough on radio,” Kennedy said. “We’ve always just clicked like that, it’s always been very comfortable and easy.” 

Hull joined Kennedy for road games a little less than two decades ago. 

Through his 46 years as the Voice of the Shockers, Kennedy has called men’s basketball, baseball, football and volleyball. He’s been with the basketball team through the 2013 Final Four season and the 2014 undefeated regular season. He’s been with baseball when Wichita State was a powerhouse in the 1980’s and 1990’s with seven College World Series appearances, including the 1989 national title. He’s been with WSU volleyball through 11 of their 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run in 2012. 

‘(Mike) is a very easy person to like. He is unassuming; he is modest; he never criticizes anybody; he is appreciative of the opportunities that he has been given in life, and he is thoughtful to just about everybody.’ — Dave Dahl 

Kennedy, himself, is a Shocker — growing up a Shocker fan as a Wichita native and eventually attending the university. Yet, through all of the seasons and all of the athletic accomplishments, the best part of the job, according to Kennedy, is building relationships. 

“You kind of hope over time that you’ve made an impact, and I’ve found that I was blessed to have that happen,” Kennedy said of building relationships with student athletes. “That’s meant a lot to me, to find out in my later life that they remember those times with fondness and value the time they’ve spent with me.”

Some of the most important relationships, according to Kennedy, are the ones he’s built with Dahl, Hull and many other people he’s worked with through the years. 

“He is a very easy person to like. He is unassuming; he is modest; he never criticizes anybody; he is appreciative of the opportunities that he has been given in life, and he is thoughtful to just about everybody,” Dahl said. “I am very lucky to have him as a friend.”

A Living Shocker Sports Encyclopedia

His knowledge of Shocker sports is unmatched, as is his professionalism. 

“He is a living, breathing encyclopedia of Shocker sports, not only the sports that he has broadcasted, but other sports that pre-date him as well,” Dahl said. “There will just never be anybody quite like him and we have all been part of history by listening to him.”

The games will certainly sound different next year and for the years to come. A Shocker legend, a college sports legend, and a legendary person, Kennedy will be missed on air, but he is etched into the hearts of Shocker fans, players, coaches and record books forever. 

“Wichita State has always been so special to me, so I really feel blessed to have had this opportunity to have this association,” Kennedy said. “I’m proud to have been able to represent them.”