Basketball: Wynyard adjusting to US college culture

Tai Wynyard of the Tall Blacks competes against Ryan Broekhoff of the Boomers. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi basketball star Tai Wynyard has spoken about the culture shock he had arriving in the United States to play college ball with the University of Kentucky.

Wynyard has his first visit to the respected basketball university early last year and says from the moment he arrived he had local fans coming up and talking to him about his basketball.

"I was like, 'How do people know me already?' I didn't even know what UK was before I came there," Wynyard told the Kentucky Courier-Journal. "But over here, at UK, people just run up to you and are like, 'Ah, can I get your autograph?' and I'm like, 'Oh, wow, I'm eating my food.' It's just different, you know?"

The 6-10 forward is tipped for big things having already represented his country.

He comes from pretty handy sporting pedigree as well. Tai's father Jason Wynyard is a seven-time STIHL Timbersports world champion wood chopper while mother Kamryn is also a renowned international in the same sport.

Tai has some experience with the sport of wood-chopping as well.

"Basketball and wood chopping actually have things in common," he explains. "You have to be prepared to do the best you can be and always give it your all, and come in confident and just ready for anything."