Tyson Etienne of Wichita State and his pursuit of excellence – The Athletic

WICHITA, Kan. – A few weeks ago, Tyson Etienne went to the Wichita State dressing room with beets, and he ate them. Raw beetroot.

Etienne drinks cherry juice because it’s the best recovery drink out there. He was the second nutritionist at the university. Not the group to be recruited. Her name is Marie Spano. She’s in Atlanta and has worked with the Hawks, Falcons, and Braves. He found her doing his own research to find the best nutritionist available. She maps out his meals weekly.

Jeff Chapman, the Wichita State video coordinator, gets more requests from Etienne than any other Shocker. That will one day be his shot efforts from games against Memphis and Houston. Lately, it’s been clips of every play in the books. The 6-foot-2-tall young guard memorized them all from each position on the floor.

“He eats, breathes and sleeps trying to get to the next level,” Chapman said.

Etienne exercises an average of 4-5 times a day. He used to try to get to the gym before sunrise, but now he sleeps until 6am because he realizes the importance of sleep for optimal performance.

Etienne doesn’t drink and never goes to bars. “I don’t get the point,” he said.

He also doesn’t play video games, although he modified that rule of life during the quarantine in 2020 when he started playing. NBA 2K to help him read and roll, identify tag wearers and gaps where he can pass the ball.

At a recent practice session, Etienne did basic steering and kept his dribble alive under the basket in front of the crowd. He tried to find the kicker in the corner, but the pass went wide of the post. He empowered assistant coach Tyson Waterman and asked if that was the correct playstyle.