MIES (Switzerland) - In the build up for the Final 8 in Nizhny Novgorod, our own writers have taken a step back and gave the keyboard over to the players. The next one in line: SIG Strasbourg's Ishmail Wainright.

Sic 'em! Meaning, "to attack." Here it is, used in a sentence: "We are the Baylor Bears, and Bears attack everyone that gets in their way."

To me personally, Sic 'em means something very special. These two words are what all the Baylor Alumni have in common - you can be anywhere in the world and have anything Baylor, a shirt, a hat, or even a bumper sticker, you just tell that person: "Sic 'em Bears!" They respond back with a "Sic 'em Bears!" and boom! You instantly have a connection.

Anywhere in the world. I know it. Because it happened to me back in my first year in Germany, all the way in Nuremberg, where I was playing for the Falcons in the 2. Bundesliga ProA.

Maybe you guys have a hard time figuring out why some of us from the States playing overseas are still so attached to our colleges. Okay, I wouldn't say that about everyone, but I know us Baylor Alumni are close and very attached to Baylor. For some of us, Baylor University is our second home. Coach Scott Drew and his staff made it like that from the beginning of his time at the helm of our team. I've received so much love being apart of the Baylor Family. And I know I'm not the only one. I follow just about all the sporting teams and still keep in touch with a lot of classmates.

So, when I saw the 2020-21 basketball team go all the way this season, when I watched them win the National Championship, I felt like I already knew it was going to happen. I told the team it was going to happen. Man, I told many people it was going to happen two years ago, when they reached the NCAA Tournament Second Round. I'm extremely proud of those fellas who won it now, and most of all, of the fellas that started this all.

Now it's our turn to play a big tournament with SIG Strasbourg, but I don't have to lead the charge and insert the Sic 'em mentality into Bonzie, DeAndre, Brandon, Leo, Ike, Jaromir, Jean-Baptiste, Yannis and others. Sic 'em is already implanted in their mindset.

So with a collective effort and grind mindset, we will fight until that final buzzer sounds.

And then, may the best team stay healthy and win!

Ish Wainright