Nov. 14, 2009
Georgia Latcham, Texas Media Relations
While other players might be getting pumped up with music on their iPods, Alexis Wangmene will probably be drinking coffee this Sunday before the Longhorns take on the UC Irvine Anteaters.
"I should have a coffee before every game," Wangmene said. "You're not supposed to, but I just love coffee. I try to cut it out as much as I can. I don't drink it in the morning anymore. I just love it. It gets me going."
The 6-foot-7 forward/center from Cameroon suffered an injury to his right knee last year that ended his season after playing in only four games.
"It was really tough," Wangmene said. "I'm a very competitive player, and when I see my teammates struggling, I have the feeling that I should be out there. I should bring some toughness."
Competitive and tough Wangmene certainly is. His freshman year he played in 37 of the team's 38 games and had 18 blocks, the third highest total on the team.
"From a coaching standpoint, I'm just not sure we realized how much we missed him a year ago," UT head coach Rick Barnes said. "It's just his intensity. Physical intensity is really what he brings."
Though he was missed on court, Wangmene felt he learned more about the game from the bench, especially from a coach's perspective.
"I was trying to see the game from a different view. [I saw] what the coach needed from us, and what he wanted us to do and to be, and what he was trying to teach us," Wangmene said. "So I just sat down and picked the little points that he wanted people to do and to execute. I kind of embraced that. I think I'm very willing to do it this year."
Sitting on the bench not only gave him a new point of view, it also helped drive his recovery process.
"It motivates you and reminds you of your goals and what you are trying to achieve as a basketball player," Wangmene explained. "The recovery process was tough, but I just took it one day at a time."
However hard his year might have been, it turned out to be a valuable time of reflection and discovery, even off the court for Wangmene.
"It has made me appreciate the gift that I have," Wangmene said. "It was something special that I had taken for granted. It kind of makes you sit down and think, `Okay, if I didn't have basketball, what would my life be like?' That is one of the points I had to learn. Basketball is not the only thing you can do. We can do so much more."
After sitting out a season, Wangmene has a re-evaluated outlook and a fresh perspective of the game, and is more than ready to play this Sunday. He almost feels he is starting anew.
"I have wanted to play for so long, it's like I'm a freshman again," Wangmene said. "You know, when a freshman just gets into school, he's so excited to play the first game. I think I am reliving that time again. I am very excited to be back and ready to put some work in."
According to Wangmene, everyone on the team is just as prepared to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
"The main thing we have right now in our minds is to get better every day," he said. "We go out and practice and learn something and get better. The thing we know is that starting from game one, we are playing for the national championship. We have to be serious from the tipoff of the first game to the last game. We have to go hard every day."
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As far as personal expectations go, Wangmene is itching to be a champion, but his goals extend far beyond the team.
"This year, I want to make my father proud and I want to make the coaches proud. I just want to do the right things and get better at the sport and get better as a man, too," he said. "I just want to be better at everything. I went through a tough time last year, but I think this is a new beginning for me. I want to learn from it."
And Wangmene also wants great support from the Texas fans. He wants the UT faithful to pack the Erwin Center for Sunday's season opener.
"I want to see people come out like it was the Kansas game," Wangmene said. "We want our fans to be there every game and to know that they are behind us, so we're not in this alone."
