Former Shocker PJ Couisnard enjoys ‘full circle’ moment with son on WSU visit

Since building his high school and AAU teams in Houston into powerhouse programs, P.J. Couisnard is used to joining his players on visits to college basketball programs all over the country.

But the visit he took to Wichita State on Thursday stands out from the rest.

Not only because Cousinard, one of the program’s greats, was back in his former home at Koch Arena, but also because he was accompanied by his oldest son, Pierre, a class of 2025 player who has hopes of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a Shocker.

“Man, it’s the greatest story ever,” Couisnard told The Eagle. “It don’t get no better than this. It’s an unbelievable feeling as a dad. Definitely one of the best feelings doing all of this and we’ve been doing this for a long time.”

It was a full-circle moment for Couisnard, who was a senior in college when Pierre was born.

So much about WSU’s basketball program has changed since he graduated in 2008, which made him appreciate a constant like academic advisor Gretchen Torline. He can still distinctly remember his son, just 1-year-old at the time, dribbling a basketball in Torline’s office while the two talked about his academics.

When it came time for the visit’s photoshoot, an activity Couisnard always allows the parents of the player to partake in, he enjoyed the special moment to join his son. This time, he was the parent.

And just like his father did 16 years ago, Pierre donned the No. 2 jersey in black and yellow.

“It was a surreal feeling, for sure,” Couisnard said. “All of the females in the family got emotional when they saw the pictures. It felt like everything had come full circle. It was a very special moment not only for me and him, but for our whole family, his mom, my mom and everybody who has been a part of this whole process to get him to this point.”

But Couisnard’s special family moment was only part of Thursday’s unofficial visit to WSU, as the coach also brought two of his top 2025 recruits on Cooz Elite, Ian Inman and Tyrus Rathan-Mayes, both of whom WSU head coach Paul Mills offered in May.

Inman, a three-star prospect, is a 6-foot-5 wing who is seeing his recruitment pick up in the midst of a strong summer. Rathan-Mayes is also a 6-foot-5 wing who is rated as a top-150 player by 247Sports.

Since Mills won the recruiting battle for Houston native Zion Pipkin, a highly rated incoming freshman who played for Couisnard in high school, Couisnard has been impressed with the new WSU coaching staff.

“This staff is doing a great job at connecting with former players and basically trying to build that pipeline,” Couisnard said. “They’re building a winning culture here and they did a great job recruiting Zion and (Houston native) Justin (Hill). Their attention to detail is really, really good. They’re on top of everything and they’re out there making things happen and getting stuff done.”

As part of the unofficial visit on Thursday, Couisnard and his three players were able to watch the Shockers practice at Koch Arena.

After keeping tabs on Pipkin and Hill and then seeing the staff work with his own eyes on Thursday, Couisnard is encouraged about the direction his alumni program is heading.

“Without a doubt, they’re building something here and they have a chance to be really successful,” Couisnard said. “It takes time to build something, unless you’re throwing around millions of dollars in NIL. You’ve got to take the time to build it, and I think this staff is invested in building it and they’re bringing in the guys to help. They’re doing it the right way.”