AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Read our AI Policy.
- Cheese Johnson told Wichita State players to focus on effort, grades and life after hoops.
- Johnson connected program history to goals, urging Shockers to build on 3‑game streak.
- Coach Paul Mills cited Johnson’s visit as reinforcement of culture and community service.
Lynbert “Cheese” Johnson didn’t walk into Wichita State’s practice Thursday to diagram basketball plays or deliver a rah-rah speech about beating Tulsa.
That wasn’t the point.
Instead, the Shocker legend stood on the floor at Koch Arena and talked about life, about focus, responsibility, effort and what comes after the ball stops bouncing. For WSU head coach Paul Mills, that message is exactly why voices like Johnson’s still matter inside the program nearly five decades after his playing days ended.
“It’s good anytime that you can hear from former players who have sat in these seats and worn this uniform and who understand the pride,” Mills said. “And Cheese loves Wichita State. He is brimming with pride.”
Johnson, a WSU star from 1975-79, was invited by Mills to speak to the team ahead of Sunday’s 1 p.m. road game at Tulsa. A three-time all-conference selection and a member of the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame, Johnson helped lead WSU to the 1976 NCAA Tournament. His 1,907 career points still rank fifth all-time in school history, while his 1,027 rebounds are third.
But Johnson’s message Thursday had little to do with the game of basketball.
“We talked a little about basketball, but also about life and how they’re connected,” Johnson said. “Whatever you put out in life, that’s what you get back. It’s the same way in sports. Whatever you put out, that’s what you get back.”
Johnson emphasized to the players that basketball careers are finite. Some may finish when college ends. Others might play professionally for a few years, or if they’re lucky, even longer. But eventually, he told them, the ball stops bouncing for everyone — and it usually comes sooner than they think.
He urged them to keep their grades up, which hasn’t been an issue for a team that recorded a team-wide 3.43 grade-point average in the fall, second-highest in program history. It’s a lesson shaped by his own path, as Johnson has found purpose beyond the court in running UJUMP Academy.
The junior mentoring program that serves Wichita and Andover works with fourth- through seventh-grade students who are overlooked. The program focuses on social skills, behavior, academics, self-esteem and self-advocacy.
“It’s great to have Cheese around and all that he’s done in order to elevate the Wichita community,” Mills said. “I just love people who serve. People who can give away their gift. Gifts are meant to be given. If you’re not giving away your gift, you’re wasting days and I’m not here to waste days. So I just appreciate people that give their gift away and he’s done so much for Wichita.”
In true Johnson fashion, he cracked some jokes along the way, including a few about Tulsa — a nod to the days of the bitter Missouri Valley Conference rivalry.
“I had to tell them about Tulsa and how they had the wildest fans in the whole Valley,” Johnson said with a laugh. “But I also told them about how much I liked going to other people’s arenas and playing good. You know you can play good at home with your own crowd behind you. That’s easy. But when you go to other arenas and beat teams on their home floor, there’s no better feeling.”
He also spoke directly about where the Shockers are right now, riding a three-game winning streak and trying to build momentum.
“Doesn’t it feel good when you win three games in a row?” Johnson told the players. “Now you’ve got to build off that winning streak. Remember what it took to start winning. Now you want to make it four games and five games and six games. Don’t look ahead. Take it game by game and keep learning.”
Mills believes those messages resonate differently when they come from someone who once wore the same uniform. That institutional memory helps reinforce what the current staff is trying to build, a perspective already strengthened by the return of former program great P.J. Couisnard, now in his first season as an assistant coach.
“Cheese’s message was 100% spot on,” Mills said. “At the end of the day, you have to play hard. None of this stuff matters stylistically if you don’t know how to play hard. I think you’ve seen us develop a style and we know who we are offensively and we know what we’re doing defensively.”
The timing of Johnson’s visit comes as WSU prepares for arguably its toughest test on the remaining schedule. Tulsa enters Sunday’s game with an 18-3 record and tied for first place in the American Conference standings after a five-game winning streak under head coach Eric Konkol. T
he Golden Hurricane boast a top-25 offense, according to KenPom, rank second nationally by hitting 40.8% of their 3s and third nationally at the free-throw line at 80.2% against Division I competition. In their six conference wins, Tulsa is averaging 89 points per game.
Meanwhile, WSU (13-8, 5-3 American) is coming off back-to-back home wins in which the Shockers held opponents to an average of 59.5 points.
“They’re a really potent offensive team and really solid defensively as well,” Mills said. “We’re in for quite the fight on Sunday.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 11:50 AM.
Related Stories from Wichita Eagle
Taylor Eldridge
The Wichita Eagle
Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.
