Twice the Talbert

Kansas brothers more than just teammates

The term “brother” has multiple meanings.

There is the obvious reference of at least two men born of the same parents.

There are other meanings too.

A brother can be a close friend.

He can also be a teammate.

But sometimes, a brother can be all of the above.

Ezra and Josiah Talbert are forwards on the Flames men’s basketball team.

They are teammates, best friends and brothers.

Ezra, the eldest by two years, signed on to a Dale Layer-led Flames program in 2014 after decommitting from Creighton University, a school only three hours north of the Talberts’ hometown.

The forward intended to start his career with the Bluejays until an announcement made in March of 2013 gave him second thoughts.

“I committed to Creighton going into my junior year of high school,” Ezra said.

“That was when they were in the Missouri Valley Conference. Now they are in the Big East (conference). When they switched conferences, I felt like it really wasn’t the place for me anymore.”

The decision led to Ezra looking to begin his career elsewhere.

While presented with other options, a visit to Liberty University made his decision much easier.

“I loved (Liberty),” Ezra said.

“You get so many opportunities here. The campus is awesome. The coaching staff (at the time) was a great bunch of guys that I really enjoyed doing life with.”

And with that, he elected to sign on to Liberty’s 2014 recruiting class.

With optimism and hope, Ezra started his career with the Flames.

All was well, until one innocent nudge during a summer practice from a former teammate changed it all.

“Theo Johnson, who used to play here, drove (the basketball) on me during a preseason practice, and he kind of bumped into me funny,” Ezra said.

 

“I kind of felt something pop.”

This “pop” was the result of a disk herniation in his back, which sidelined him the majority of the year.

Sustaining such an injury was admittedly difficult for the freshman.

However, Ezra believes the injury led to his growth, not only as an athlete, but as a person as well.

“I started losing a lot of strength in my legs,” Ezra said.

“It was tough, but I think I learned a lot from it though. (I learned) about how to take care of your body, stuff you can do to help with your movement. … I learned from it. Looking back, it wasn’t the worst thing.”

After a short first campaign, his second season as a redshirt freshman was his first opportunity to display his talent in the Vines Center, tallying roughly six points per contest.

He anticipated his return to the court, but a conversation with current Head Coach Ritchie McKay presented Ezra with something that led to even more excitement.

“I remember when coach (McKay) asked me if it was alright if we recruit Josiah,” Ezra said.

Ezra still remembers when his younger brother committed, recalling how that moment brought him to tears.

 

The two played together at Olathe East High School, so being teammates was not a new concept to either.

But the opportunity to reunite as teammates was one that Ezra was happy to have again.

Josiah, however, said Ezra already being at Liberty did not affect his decision.

Rather, the Christian environment served to be the key selling point.

“I did talk to (Ezra) about (coming to Liberty) a little bit,” Josiah said.

“He told me he didn’t want to influence my decision. … He didn’t really have any major impact on my decision.”

Josiah claims he was not swayed by his brother’s presence during the recruiting process.

However, since enrolling, he has utilized it to his advantage.

“I’m from Kansas,” Josiah said.

“That’s a long ways away. So being so far from home, I get homesick. I miss my parents. I miss my friends and family there. Having him here is a little piece of Kansas for me. He’s my family and my best friend.”

The two brothers share a unique dynamic both on and off the court.

Josiah added that the two spend time together even when they are off
the hardwood.

However, junior forward A.C. Reid noticed an interesting interaction between the two during a practice.

An interaction he would not soon forget.

“I remember one time in practice, somebody wasn’t boxing out somebody and Ezra yelled at Josiah,” Reid said.

“We had never seen that before.”

Ezra, when recalling that moment, was not hesitant in explaining his willingness to confront his brother.

“I’m definitely more comfortable confronting him than I (am) other people because he’s my younger brother and I have been (comfortable confronting him) my whole life,” Ezra said.

While Ezra may be one of Josiah’s biggest critics, Ezra is also the first to sing the freshman forward’s praises.

“I get a lot more happy for him than I do for other people, but I also probably get more frustrated with him,” Ezra Talbert said.

“I show more emotions toward him and it’s really because I care about him.”

McKay had never coached a pair of siblings before in all 15 years of coaching, yet he does not view them as siblings.

He sees them as two individual athletes who contribute to the
team’s success.

“I don’t look at them as brothers,” McKay said. “I look at them as players that are vying for minutes. I think (I’d) be unwise to see them as the same. They’re different people. … That’s only fair to them and their pursuit of roles in our program.”

As brothers, the two have shared much.

But there is one thing that the two do not share: their belief as to who the better basketball player is.

When asked which was the better player, the two provided the exact same response.

“I am.”

The Talbert brothers and the rest of the Flames will take on the High Point Panthers Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Vines Center.

Haywood is the graduate assistant.