‘Low-key’ guard says his job to push scholarship players
OK, so Brad Witherspoon knows he’s not the big man on campus. It’s just that he’s a little bigger now than he was a year ago. “I’m not recognized like Sasha Kaun,” said Witherspoon, Kansas University’s senior walk-on basketball player. “I don’t stick out like that. I try to stay pretty low-key.”
That’s tough for any hoopster to do in Lawrence, whether it’s All-Big 12 forward Brandon Rush, the 6-foot-11 mop-top Kaun or even Witherspoon, a regular guy from Humboldt who can play a little ball and never, ever stops working hard. So, yeah, Witherspoon has noticed the people checking out the Big 12 championship ring he occasionally wears, or the fellow students who ask what’s up based on who he is rather than who he knows. “I went to the KU-K-State (football) game in Manhattan,” Witherspoon said. “People were yelling ‘Spoon!’ and stuff like that. It’s a little different, but I try to stay humble. I’m a pretty low-key guy.”
He’s reminded every day of his role, which isn’t to be the town’s rock star by any stretch. His locker usually is crammed into the corner on road trips. His No. 1 job is to keep the front-line players on their toes, something that’s done in the privacy of the practice court. It is, by all means, a humbling role.
Witherspoon joined the team last year after trying three times through KU’s open tryouts. Making the team through that route is rare, especially for a 6-1 guy who has comparable height to many of his peers next to him during the tryouts. “Just the fact that he tried out for so many years is a testament to his work ethic,” fellow walk-on Matt Kleinmann said. “Those workouts weren’t easy. I saw first-hand a couple of times. Those guys work really hard.”
Kleinmann, Brennan Bechard, Conner Teahan and Chase Buford all got their walk-on spots by invitation. Witherspoon had to earn his, but doing so immediately initiated him into the non-scholarship “road dogs” clique. “We’ve all got to stick together,” Witherspoon said, “and push these (scholarship) guys.”
With that come the small perks of being part of the team, such as recognition in public. Even if Witherspoon can be a bit uncomfortable with it, it’s never a bad thing to be recognized for a talent. “He’s as humble as they come,” Kleinmann said. “I think he really feels like part of the team. … He works his butt off and does such an amazing job. “I can understand him trying to get a little big-time, but he’s a down-to-earth guy.”