Wabash Immortalized in NBA 2K24
Oct 03, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Tim Parham met Jareem Dowling for the first time when they were 20 years old. Parham was a junior-college transfer at Maryland-Eastern Shore, and his coaches said that they were bringing in another talented player. Dowling showed up in a throwback Michael Jordan All-Star jersey and was ready to ball. Parham liked Dowling already.
"This was 2003," Parham says. "You didn't see too many college big men shooting the 3, running the floor, and being a dog on defense. The guys who did it were special. Jareem was a dude I was ready to go to war with."
They proved to be a deadly pair for three years. Parham, who was actually recruited by Kansas State, averaged 14.0 points and 10.3 rebounds at Maryland-Eastern Shore his senior season in 2004-05, earning All-MEAC honors to cap his college career before playing in the NBA Summer League with the Chicago Bulls. Dowling averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds his senior season and embarked upon a coaching career.
Dowling remembers this about Parham, who was eventually inducted into the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hall of Fame: There was more to Parham than hoops.
"If Tim wasn't in the gym, he was in his room blasting music to the loudest possible decibel, and he was always playing video games," Dowling says. "He whipped everybody's butt in the video games."
Fast-forward nearly two decades, and Parham and Dowling remain close, and each is enthralled by their passions. Dowling is in his second season as K-State assistant coach under head coach Jerome Tang; Parham is a star in his own right in the video games arena.
Once a member of the Chicago Bulls and a professional basketball player in Japan, a sprained left wrist while executing a vicious dunk sent Parham back home to Chicago. After landing internships with Visual Concepts as a game player and tester, and gaining experience as a motion-capture talent for the NBA 2K series over the years, Parham began serving as developer specializing in production and design for NBA 2K in January 2019 at the Novato, California, headquarters.
Parham has worked on nine NBA 2K games.
"Imagine if I didn't sprain my wrist," Parham says, chuckling.
The latest edition of one of the top video game series on the planet – NBA 2K24 – released on September 8, 2023. The state-of-the-art gameplay features immersive game modes to satisfy hoops culture on the virtual court.
The game features Kobe Bryant on the cover, dozens of NBA stars with their signature moves, and one particular dance that might appear familiar to K-State fans: The Wabash Cannonball.
The Wabash Cannonball is one of the most recognizable dances in college athletics.
The dance goes unnamed on NBA 2K24, but the motions for the Wabash are all there with a nod to Tang's subtle but unique take on the dance. (For video game enthusiasts, the dance is unlocked on Level 31, Emote Pack No. 3.).
"This is a special thing, an ode to Coach Tang, Jareem, and the entire university."
Parham gained a full appreciation for K-State and Tang fever when Dowling invited him to watch the Wildcats play at Cal on November 11, 2023 (a 63-54 K-State victory).
"Tim came to our game, and I introduced him to the staff," Dowling says. "Prior to that, Coach Tang let me go to the NBA 2K release party in L.A. with Tim. I wore my K-State gear. After our game, Tim said that he really liked our team. As the year went on, we texted. He bought into K-State. As Coach Tang started doing the Wabash and putting his own spin on it, Tim said, 'I'm going to try and get this into the game.'
"I never brought it up again. Then Tim said, 'I got it into the game.'"
Parham's production and design department handles the motion-capture aspect of development. Some NBA stars, particularly with signature moves and speaking roles, can require significant time and several shots. The actor in charge of bringing "the dance" to life needed just a couple takes.
"It's like shooting a movie," Parham says.
From there, the motion-capture video is processed.
There are an estimated 1.6 million people who play NBA 2K every day at an average of 90 minutes per day, according to the NBA.
"It's very fulfilling to see the finished product," Parham says. "It's just what we do here. We pay attention to detail. We have ears to the streets. We know what's relevant and put our best foot forward to make sure we're keeping up with culture. In this particular situation, we wanted to make sure the dance was honored."
It's all due to a longstanding friendship, or brotherhood, between Dowling and Parham.
"I'm grateful for the relationship Tim and I have, and I'm grateful to Coach Tang for allowing 'the dance' to happen," Dowling says. "I'm just happy the university gets to be seen on the video game in a tradition that's really important to this university and to the people and the fan base. Anytime I can help to help promote that through my friends or connections, I'm going to do it.
"It's all about Kansas Freaking State."
Tim Parham met Jareem Dowling for the first time when they were 20 years old. Parham was a junior-college transfer at Maryland-Eastern Shore, and his coaches said that they were bringing in another talented player. Dowling showed up in a throwback Michael Jordan All-Star jersey and was ready to ball. Parham liked Dowling already.
"This was 2003," Parham says. "You didn't see too many college big men shooting the 3, running the floor, and being a dog on defense. The guys who did it were special. Jareem was a dude I was ready to go to war with."
They proved to be a deadly pair for three years. Parham, who was actually recruited by Kansas State, averaged 14.0 points and 10.3 rebounds at Maryland-Eastern Shore his senior season in 2004-05, earning All-MEAC honors to cap his college career before playing in the NBA Summer League with the Chicago Bulls. Dowling averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds his senior season and embarked upon a coaching career.
Dowling remembers this about Parham, who was eventually inducted into the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hall of Fame: There was more to Parham than hoops.
"If Tim wasn't in the gym, he was in his room blasting music to the loudest possible decibel, and he was always playing video games," Dowling says. "He whipped everybody's butt in the video games."
Fast-forward nearly two decades, and Parham and Dowling remain close, and each is enthralled by their passions. Dowling is in his second season as K-State assistant coach under head coach Jerome Tang; Parham is a star in his own right in the video games arena.
Once a member of the Chicago Bulls and a professional basketball player in Japan, a sprained left wrist while executing a vicious dunk sent Parham back home to Chicago. After landing internships with Visual Concepts as a game player and tester, and gaining experience as a motion-capture talent for the NBA 2K series over the years, Parham began serving as developer specializing in production and design for NBA 2K in January 2019 at the Novato, California, headquarters.
Parham has worked on nine NBA 2K games.
"Imagine if I didn't sprain my wrist," Parham says, chuckling.
The latest edition of one of the top video game series on the planet – NBA 2K24 – released on September 8, 2023. The state-of-the-art gameplay features immersive game modes to satisfy hoops culture on the virtual court.
The game features Kobe Bryant on the cover, dozens of NBA stars with their signature moves, and one particular dance that might appear familiar to K-State fans: The Wabash Cannonball.
The Wabash Cannonball is one of the most recognizable dances in college athletics.
The dance goes unnamed on NBA 2K24, but the motions for the Wabash are all there with a nod to Tang's subtle but unique take on the dance. (For video game enthusiasts, the dance is unlocked on Level 31, Emote Pack No. 3.).
"I'd seen the dance, but I'd never seen guys do it like Coach Tang," Parham says. "The way he does it is a little different. He adds his own little twist to it. He's about to throw his back out the way he does it. The students go crazy. To see that and to see what he did last year tells me a lot about how he carries himself. He's got the whole student section going. I've never seen that before from a head coach.Kansas Freaking State is #RealBlood Thank you bro @tpgotgame for getting the Wabash and @CoachJTang swing in @NBA2K with major help from @Mike_Mainzer & @dayeDolo You can unlock it by hitting Rep level 31 in Season 1. It unlocks emote pack #3
— Jareem Dowling 🇻🇮💯💜 (@Coachreem4ever) September 17, 2023
The emote is called "Runner" pic.twitter.com/MwZ3pnfNlJ
"This is a special thing, an ode to Coach Tang, Jareem, and the entire university."
Parham gained a full appreciation for K-State and Tang fever when Dowling invited him to watch the Wildcats play at Cal on November 11, 2023 (a 63-54 K-State victory).
"Tim came to our game, and I introduced him to the staff," Dowling says. "Prior to that, Coach Tang let me go to the NBA 2K release party in L.A. with Tim. I wore my K-State gear. After our game, Tim said that he really liked our team. As the year went on, we texted. He bought into K-State. As Coach Tang started doing the Wabash and putting his own spin on it, Tim said, 'I'm going to try and get this into the game.'
"I never brought it up again. Then Tim said, 'I got it into the game.'"
Parham's production and design department handles the motion-capture aspect of development. Some NBA stars, particularly with signature moves and speaking roles, can require significant time and several shots. The actor in charge of bringing "the dance" to life needed just a couple takes.
"It's like shooting a movie," Parham says.
From there, the motion-capture video is processed.
There are an estimated 1.6 million people who play NBA 2K every day at an average of 90 minutes per day, according to the NBA.
"It's very fulfilling to see the finished product," Parham says. "It's just what we do here. We pay attention to detail. We have ears to the streets. We know what's relevant and put our best foot forward to make sure we're keeping up with culture. In this particular situation, we wanted to make sure the dance was honored."
It's all due to a longstanding friendship, or brotherhood, between Dowling and Parham.
"I'm grateful for the relationship Tim and I have, and I'm grateful to Coach Tang for allowing 'the dance' to happen," Dowling says. "I'm just happy the university gets to be seen on the video game in a tradition that's really important to this university and to the people and the fan base. Anytime I can help to help promote that through my friends or connections, I'm going to do it.
"It's all about Kansas Freaking State."
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