Coming out of Stockholm, Sweden, with national-team experience, Will Berg had a great deal of confidence when he arrived at Purdue. Like most incoming freshmen, he expected to make an immediate impact, especially since he often towered over his competition at 7 feet, 2 inches.
However, standing between Berg and a starting center spot at Purdue was Zach Edey. Edey, 7-foot-4 and 285 pounds, would win back-to-back National Player of the Year awards.
Berg practiced daily against the intimidating Edey, which wasn’t an easy task. However, he said it made him a much stronger basketball player.
“It was difficult, especially coming here as a freshman and coming across the world. You kind of get thrown into the fire straight away,” Berg said. “I think every freshman comes to college thinking they’re going to be a major impact off the get-go. You get that state of mind in high school when you’re the best kid on the floor, and then coming here and being put up against a guy like Zach kind of threw me off and, yeah, hurt my confidence a bit.
“But after a while you see the development you make and you start believing in yourself again. It was mutually beneficial for both of us because I think I helped him too because he didn’t have a lot of 7-foot guys to play against. It definitely put my mindset in a unique place where nothing can break me.”
With his confidence on the rise, the Wichita State newcomer is expected to be a force inside for the Shockers, who open the season on Tuesday (tonight) at 6:30 p.m. against UNC Asheville in Koch Arena.
At times, Berg said he has struggled with confidence on the basketball court. The redshirt junior even has a tattoo that reads “you vs. you.”
“It’s most often myself that is my biggest enemy,” Berg said. “That’s just a quote that makes me more rounded and a little more easygoing on myself.”
Senior guard Kenyon Giles has seen Berg find more confidence in himself since arriving at WSU.
“When he was popping (off screens) in the beginning, he wasn’t shooting it confident,” Giles said. “Now, around this time, he’s shooting it with a lot more confidence.”
Berg, who played for Sweden’s under 16 and 18 national teams, believes that his main strength is his range on the court.
“I’m very versatile; shooting, scoring in the post, passing the ball,” Berg said. “I feel like if something is not clicking for me on one particular night I can always provide something somewhere else.”
Berg said that he needs to continue to work on his agility because of his tall stature.
“A guy my size obviously mobility is always something you have to take into consideration,” Berg said.
After limited playing time at Purdue, Berg entered the transfer portal, choosing WSU because he liked how intentional and straightforward the coaches were when they recruited him.
Berg hopes to repay the coaches’ confidence by working hard and stretching the floor, and by sharing another passion: cooking. When his father visits him in a couple weeks, they plan to make a nice meal for the coaching staff and players. He said he makes a “mean mushroom pasta sauce” and Swedish meatballs.
“When I cook for other people, I like seeing how happy they get,” Berg said. “I really like being able to spread happiness and joy through food.”
Berg has shown flashes that he could be an impact player at Wichita State. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year against High Point, he scored four points and secured four rebounds off the bench for the Boilermakers.
Furthermore, in his final season at Purdue, Berg recorded an 84.2 shooting percentage from the field — the eighth-highest percentage in NCAA history for players with at least 15 field goal attempts.
The Shockers are coming off a 19-15 record and NIT appearance, and Berg’s focus is how he can contribute to the team’s improvement.
“When my time is over,” Berg said, “I want to leave the program a better place than where I found it.”
