by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
“My goal every day is to be great,” said Bansi King.
The confidence is overflowing of an incoming freshman to the NCAA DII Lincoln University in Missouri Blue Tigers men’s basketball team. Bansi King is a 6-3 shooting guard with one year under his belt as a redshirt at NCAA DI University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Bansi shared his first year experience at UWGB: “Coming in as a freshman, I redshirted at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. A year to develop and get used to the division 1 collegiate level. While sitting out, I learned a lot such as work ethic. Being around my teammates everyday, and sort of ‘taking notes’ taught me that you get what you put in while trusting the process. It is not all about the end, if you prepared yourself long before the season even begins.”
Bansi also has experience playing at the ‘big dance’ in Kansas State High School Basketball Tournaments. These high school highlights lead him on his journey making college basketball highlights.
“Chasing greatness means to work your hardest each and every day. Being a great teammate, aside from myself, being unselfish and making the people around me better. One of my strengths on the court is that I can shoot the ball, off the catch or dribble, from the three or midrange. I tend to work off down screens and utilize the open space to either score or create a better shot for a teammate. I believe I have a good feel for the game and enjoy playing with swagger.”
“Leading my teams to the state tournament three out of the four years of high school helped me gain confidence to play on the ‘big stage’. Playing in some of the most nationally well-known college arenas, including Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas), Bramlage Coliseum (Kansas State), and Charles Koch (Wichita State), allowed me to play under the ‘bright lights’ and experience the pressure,” added Bansi.
“We are very excited that Bansi joined our program,” said John Moseley, Lincoln University Director of Athletics/Head Men’s Basketball Coach. “He brings with him the ability to really shoot the basketball which will help keep defenses honest and allow us to space the floor. I have been very impressed with his IQ for the game and he has adjusted well to the system we have in place. Bansi will be a great asset to our basketball program and to our Lincoln University.”
Bansi is from Lawrence, KS via his tribal people in Oneida (Wisconsin), Ho-Chunk (Wisconsin), and Prairie-Band Potawatomi (Kansas). Jodi Webster is his mother who is Ho-Chunk and Prairie-Band Potawatomi, and his father is Pete King III who is Oneida.
“His full Potawatomi Indian name is Waubaunsee which is ‘First Light’, and is named after the great leader Chief Waubaunsee from the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe,” said Dad Pete II. “We have been able to see Bansi mature both on and off the court. He worked last year at the Boys and Girls Club in Lawrence, KS as a summer recreation specialist. The first month, he got an award for being the ‘MVP employee’ who went above and beyond. We were proud because we know those children look up to him and he does not take that lightly. It’s important for him to represent his family, but more importantly he represents Indian Country. For a young man to have that understanding and willingness to take on that responsibility, we couldn’t be prouder of him.”
“Bansi has always been an amazing ambassador and mentor to the youth,” said Elwood Ott, Director of Organizational Development, Boys and Girls Club of America-Native Services Division. “A true example of love for the game as he has always had a b-ball in his hand. He has always agreed to help anyone that he can and has helped giving back to the community. He worked at the local Boys and Girls Club and he was the club kids favorite staff member. Bansi has set out goals and has worked hard towards accomplishing the goals. He has become a statistic in the category of natives that has been able to play collegiate basketball.”
“Respect is a huge value to life in general on and off the court, that is necessary to grow and learn,” said Bansi. “I have always grown up hearing the saying, ‘Respect your elders’ and honoring who and what came before your time. Whether that is respecting your teachers, parents, coach’s, just going back to the ‘golden rule’ of respect. Everything in life has a purpose, and I am thankful for every day. Representing more than just yourself, and there are people and family members in my life that have helped me get to where I am today. I want to make them proud, so I carry myself with class and character and continue to work hard in the classroom and on the court. Young kids look up to us in everything we do, so to be a role model or to impact one’s life through example is something I take pride in and truly value.”
“I believe being a student-athlete helps me manage my time with studying, workouts, practices, etc. Getting into a regimen, although using the value of time can make or break you at times, but learning to form a balance between everything will help in the long run. I think in the future I see myself always being around basketball, whether that is play professionally, training others, or even exploring coaching,” added Bansi.
“To chase your greatness and dreams and believing in yourself no matter what anybody else thinks or says,” says Bansi. “There are times where nobody is going to believe in you, against all odds, and it is up to you prove yourself. A quote from one of my favorite NBA players is ‘Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.’ Stay in that gym working on your craft and get better each and every day. There is always somebody out there working on their craft while you took a day off or were sleeping. Lastly, showing up early to everything whether it is a meeting with a teacher, or practice. This shows how meaningful you value your sport, and willing to come prepared.”
Elite athletes find ways to get better and most have personal trainers to assist along the way. “What actually prepared me for being a college athlete was working out with my trainer, Travis Washington,” said Bansi. “As a sophomore in high school we started training at 6 am nearly every day before school. We would have ‘two-a-days’, which meant we would lift in the morning then workouts on court after school, or workouts on court before school then lift after. Since I learned that in high school, when I got to college and we would have workouts early in the mornings, it felt normal.”
Travis Washington is a certified Ganon Baker Basketball Skill Development Coach. He is also credentialed as a strength and conditioning coach with a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology. “I started training Bansi four years ago,” said Travis. “Bansi has always had a great work ethic and attitude which is half the battle to become a high level athlete. Each and every year working with him, I have seen improvement. He has always had a good skill set, which has been enhanced throughout the years. Physically, he was a late bloomer, currently he has matured and his body has caught up to his skill. He comes from a great family that continues to support him along his basketball journey. I feel very blessed to have contributed to his success on and off the court. One skill that sticks out to me about Bansi is his resilience. He continues to work hard and bounce back. This will serve him well throughout his playing career and in life when that ball stops bouncing.”
Waubaunseen King is on his college basketball journey with the Lincoln University Blue Tigers and it’s game time. Follow him this season at: https://lubluetigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2019-20
Photo Credit: Keena Lynch, Asst. AD for Creative Content, Lincoln University in MO
