Kansas State University Athletics
SE: K-State's Amaad Wainright Continues Family's Basketball Lineage, Adapting to New Role
Jan 09, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
For K-State junior Amaad Wainright, basketball is more than a sport. It's his past, present and future — a way of life that runs through his veins.
Before Wainright was alive, his grandfather, Maurice King, became the first African-American starter at Kansas in the 1954 season. King played four seasons under legendary Jayhawk coach Phog Allen, was a teammate and fraternity brother of Wilt Chamberlain's, and went on to win an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics in 1960.
This family tie to the Jayhawks, who K-State plays on Saturday in Lawrence, made for a compromise of support when Wainright chose to become a Wildcat from Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.
"My grandfather's side, his kids are real KU fans. They come to the games and they can't wear K-State stuff because they're diehard KU fans from their father," Wainright said, adding with a smile. "I get a hard time."
His father, Calvin Wainright, played at Lincoln University in Missouri and later paired his basketball mind with his desire to help troubled youth through coaching in the Kansas City area. He had his sons dribbling a basketball before they could ride a bike.
"My dad started us playing at around three years old. He really played a huge part in our basketball life," Amaad Wainright said, as K-State hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday at 7 p.m., on ESPNews. "Life really revolved around basketball."
Basketball was never easy for Wainright growing up, however. As the younger and smaller brother to 6-foot-5 Ishmail Wainright, who played four seasons at Baylor (2013-17), one-on-one games rarely ended without a brotherly scrap.
"We're real close. We always battled playing one-on-one. One-on-one turned into fights and our parents getting mad at us. We'd get punishment for fighting. It was tough," Amaad Wainright, listed at 6-foot-2, said. "I figure it helped us, though, to become stronger about basketball and make us have more heart about basketball."
Even more, the native of Kansas City, Missouri, said he first became interested in playing at K-State from watching his older brother face the Wildcats in 2015. The Wildcats topped the Bears, ranked No. 22 at the time, by two in Bramlage Coliseum, and Wainright liked what he saw.
"That's when I really started looking at K-State and thinking, 'I like how they play. I like how Coach (Bruce) Weber coaches.' He lets the guards and his players play. He pushes them on defense. So I started looking at that, like, 'I want to be a part of that,'" Wainright said. "Eventually I ended up being a part of it."
Wainright, who started 29 of 31 games and averaged 14.2 points last season for Trinity Valley, has taken on a different role at K-State. He's played in all 15 games this season for the Wildcats but averaged only 15.1 minutes of action, challenging him to make the most of his short spurts on the floor to provide a spark off the bench. "I've embraced it," Wainright said. "I love my role."
Physically and athletically, Wainright is built to do more than his height alone would suggest. His broad shoulders look closer to that of a post, as does his 6-foot-8 wingspan. His vertical, which he estimates at around 44 inches, makes it look effortless when he glides above the rim to grab rebounds, block shots or throw down dunks.
"It's crazy. I've never seen somebody so strong. He's athletic, fast, strong. He's everything you want in a basketball player," junior forward Dean Wade said of Wainright. "He hasn't quite got it yet but when he gets it, understands our whole system, he's going to be huge for us, coming off the bench with huge energy. Steals, blocked shots, put back dunks, rebounds, scoring… he can do it all."
Wainright has shown flashes of all it.
He scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds vs. Arizona State. Against SE Missouri State, he contributed seven points, pulled in nine rebounds and dished out three assists in 24 minutes. In K-State's win at Iowa State to open Big 12 play, Wainright played a season-high 27 minutes. He scored only two points on one shot attempt against the Cyclones, but added three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal.
"He can make a huge impact. He can be a great role guy for us, a great glue guy. He comes in the game and gets rebounds," junior guard Barry Brown said of Wainright. "He's very active, does a lot of things that fill the stat sheet as well, and he can be a very key, important piece to our program here if he can keep it going."
"I think he's starting to feel a little more comfortable," Weber added. "He can give us, not just the rebounding, but the energy. He can make some plays and shots, but if he can give us that other stuff then obviously it really complements us. He's starting to figure out a little bit of a niche and understanding what we want and what he can give our team. I think he's making some progress."
Wainright agreed with his coach that his comfort level has improved. Still, he's learned from the brawling one-on-one battles with his brother, from the lessons passed down by his father and from experiences with his new K-State family, never to relax.
"I just have to get better in certain ways so I can come in the game and really put that spark in to bump the lead up or get us back in the game or build the energy up. That starts at practice by pushing them every day and pushing each other every day," he said. "Every day you get better in practice, so practice makes me better and makes me more confident in my game.
"The returners have been helping me out, bringing me along, putting me on their back. Even though I might be a little older, they're still teaching me the game and I'm still learning."
For K-State junior Amaad Wainright, basketball is more than a sport. It's his past, present and future — a way of life that runs through his veins.
Before Wainright was alive, his grandfather, Maurice King, became the first African-American starter at Kansas in the 1954 season. King played four seasons under legendary Jayhawk coach Phog Allen, was a teammate and fraternity brother of Wilt Chamberlain's, and went on to win an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics in 1960.
This family tie to the Jayhawks, who K-State plays on Saturday in Lawrence, made for a compromise of support when Wainright chose to become a Wildcat from Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.
"My grandfather's side, his kids are real KU fans. They come to the games and they can't wear K-State stuff because they're diehard KU fans from their father," Wainright said, adding with a smile. "I get a hard time."
His father, Calvin Wainright, played at Lincoln University in Missouri and later paired his basketball mind with his desire to help troubled youth through coaching in the Kansas City area. He had his sons dribbling a basketball before they could ride a bike.
"My dad started us playing at around three years old. He really played a huge part in our basketball life," Amaad Wainright said, as K-State hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday at 7 p.m., on ESPNews. "Life really revolved around basketball."
Basketball was never easy for Wainright growing up, however. As the younger and smaller brother to 6-foot-5 Ishmail Wainright, who played four seasons at Baylor (2013-17), one-on-one games rarely ended without a brotherly scrap.
"We're real close. We always battled playing one-on-one. One-on-one turned into fights and our parents getting mad at us. We'd get punishment for fighting. It was tough," Amaad Wainright, listed at 6-foot-2, said. "I figure it helped us, though, to become stronger about basketball and make us have more heart about basketball."
Even more, the native of Kansas City, Missouri, said he first became interested in playing at K-State from watching his older brother face the Wildcats in 2015. The Wildcats topped the Bears, ranked No. 22 at the time, by two in Bramlage Coliseum, and Wainright liked what he saw.
"That's when I really started looking at K-State and thinking, 'I like how they play. I like how Coach (Bruce) Weber coaches.' He lets the guards and his players play. He pushes them on defense. So I started looking at that, like, 'I want to be a part of that,'" Wainright said. "Eventually I ended up being a part of it."
"I like to compete. I hate losing. I'll do whatever it takes for us to win." #KStateMBB's Amaad Wainright pic.twitter.com/Cly0kl3D1V
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) November 17, 2017
Wainright, who started 29 of 31 games and averaged 14.2 points last season for Trinity Valley, has taken on a different role at K-State. He's played in all 15 games this season for the Wildcats but averaged only 15.1 minutes of action, challenging him to make the most of his short spurts on the floor to provide a spark off the bench. "I've embraced it," Wainright said. "I love my role."
Physically and athletically, Wainright is built to do more than his height alone would suggest. His broad shoulders look closer to that of a post, as does his 6-foot-8 wingspan. His vertical, which he estimates at around 44 inches, makes it look effortless when he glides above the rim to grab rebounds, block shots or throw down dunks.
"It's crazy. I've never seen somebody so strong. He's athletic, fast, strong. He's everything you want in a basketball player," junior forward Dean Wade said of Wainright. "He hasn't quite got it yet but when he gets it, understands our whole system, he's going to be huge for us, coming off the bench with huge energy. Steals, blocked shots, put back dunks, rebounds, scoring… he can do it all."
Watch the best plays from the past week of college sports! #NCAATop10 pic.twitter.com/gTh7US55X0
— NCAA (@NCAA) November 6, 2017
Wainright has shown flashes of all it.
He scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds vs. Arizona State. Against SE Missouri State, he contributed seven points, pulled in nine rebounds and dished out three assists in 24 minutes. In K-State's win at Iowa State to open Big 12 play, Wainright played a season-high 27 minutes. He scored only two points on one shot attempt against the Cyclones, but added three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal.
"He can make a huge impact. He can be a great role guy for us, a great glue guy. He comes in the game and gets rebounds," junior guard Barry Brown said of Wainright. "He's very active, does a lot of things that fill the stat sheet as well, and he can be a very key, important piece to our program here if he can keep it going."
"I think he's starting to feel a little more comfortable," Weber added. "He can give us, not just the rebounding, but the energy. He can make some plays and shots, but if he can give us that other stuff then obviously it really complements us. He's starting to figure out a little bit of a niche and understanding what we want and what he can give our team. I think he's making some progress."
Wainright agreed with his coach that his comfort level has improved. Still, he's learned from the brawling one-on-one battles with his brother, from the lessons passed down by his father and from experiences with his new K-State family, never to relax.
"I just have to get better in certain ways so I can come in the game and really put that spark in to bump the lead up or get us back in the game or build the energy up. That starts at practice by pushing them every day and pushing each other every day," he said. "Every day you get better in practice, so practice makes me better and makes me more confident in my game.
"The returners have been helping me out, bringing me along, putting me on their back. Even though I might be a little older, they're still teaching me the game and I'm still learning."
Players Mentioned
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