WICHITA, Kan. - Gregg Marshall reflects on the three seniors that have spent their college careers at WSU, analyzes the difference between the UNI and Illinois State losses and the recent blowout victories, and Wednesday's opponent Loyola. Evan Wessel, Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet all joined and answered a variety of questions together as Senior Day looms. Read below for the transcript.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
GREGG MARSHALL ON...
 
…The mood of the locker room with this being the seniors' last home game
"I haven't noticed honestly. Yesterday was a day off, [so] I wasn't in the locker room…it was a good mood coming back from Indiana State. The guys seemed pretty happy with how they performed. We haven't broached the topic of Senior Day, Senior Week, whatever this is."
 
…Fred VanVleet's success in Chicago, where they'll be playing on Wednesday, and his home state of Illinois
"Let's not jinx him, he's been good at Loyola. From the free throw line, from the field; it's astonishing the numbers he's put up. We need him to do it one more time."
 
...Ron Baker's background, and its effect on him and the team
"I think having both parents be coaches is a huge strength for him. He's very coachable, yet tough-minded. He's been told the truth before…his parents told him the truth, corrected him, pushed him…he's got a streak to him: he doesn't want to lose.
 
From day one, he was very [coachable]. Not too high, not too low.
 
Beyond the coaching, I've never been to [Scott City]. He's strong; I call him 'country strong.' He has big shoulders, big hips, big hands that aren't soft; they've got callouses. It doesn't surprise me that he's our leading rebounder at 6'4. He's tremendous defensively. I think he might be the best defensive player in the league, he may win Defensive Player of the Year."
 
…Loyola, who has changed up their lineups since WSU last played them
"It seemed to work, they're playing much better. [Head coach Porter Moser] has a lot of firepower off the bench. Those guys accepted their roles and have flourished in them. They're playing more like the team that everyone expected them to be in the fall."
 
…The big difference(s) between the two Valley losses and the recent blowout wins
"I'm not really sure. I think you could point a little bit to both [mental preparation and execution]. Our mental approach has been steadfast and focused; angry, if you will. We've executed very well. We've gotten some great looks and our defense has created easy baskets for us. And the ball has been falling in the basket for us too."
 
...If this Senior Night will be different for him than ones in the past
"They're all pretty emotional, but this one could be the most emotional because of what these young men have meant to me personally, to this program, to their teammates, the university, the city of Wichita, the state of Kansas, and for that matter, college basketball over the last four years. They're icons. They're bigger than south-central Kansas. They're college basketball icons. They've helped put this program on the map and remained relevant for quite a long while. We owe them a debt of gratitude not just because of what they've done, but how they've done it. They've done it in a tremendous, first-class way. They've been nothing but a joy to coach and be around. I think we have all benefitted from their decision to come to school here." RON BAKER, EVAN WESSEL AND FRED VANVLEET ON...
 
...How much they've thought about this week as a whole
Ron: "For me, it's a little overwhelming. It seems to be the only thing everyone is talking about. Everyone's emotions are pretty high around campus, especially for the people that have been here all five years that we have. For me, I'm just trying to focus the best I can on the next game…we're not getting any of the time back that has already passed. I'll just enjoy these last couple days of the conference schedule."
 
Fred: "I think everybody's talking about it. It seems like it's the only thing they want to talk about. So it's definitely been on our minds. Obviously it'll be a more enjoyable week if we win these ball games and take care of business."
 
Evan: "It's one of those things that you know is coming, but you don't want it to. We want to embrace it and enjoy these last two games of the regular season. We've got games we still have to win, we've got bigger goals we're focusing on. We're still locked in and ready to go. I'm sure once Saturday gets here it'll be a different story, but we still have goals ahead of us.
 
…Which athletes they looked up to when they were kids
Evan: "Growing up, old tapes of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan when I was little…I remember watching the Duke-North Carolina rivalry; the passion between the schools, the rivalry, showing stuff like that. The atmosphere here and growing up in a sports family also led to [me wanting to play sports]."
 
Fred: "Kobe Bryant. We didn't have any [broadcasts] locally where I was from. Basketball is all I ever watched, and one of my first memories of watching basketball were those 2000-2001 Lakers teams with him and Shaq and those guys. It's always been Kobe for me."
 
Ron: "My two favorite athletes growing up were Terrell Davis for the [Denver] Broncos and Kirk Hinrich from Kansas…I went to a couple barnstorming events that [Heinrich] was at, got his and Nick Collison's autograph…To me, it was like  once-in-a-lifetime to meet two college basketball stars. And now I'm in the shoes of them, and that's why I try to treat young kids with respect when they're in awe and seeing me in person."
 
…Any memorable things said to them as Senior Night gets closer
Ron: "I've had a couple mentors around campus start tearing up and giving me hugs, and it's only Tuesday. You can imagine what it's going to be like Saturday with how emotions are today."
 
Fred: "Lot of tears from people that have been here. With the type of environment around here, [we're] pretty personal with people, whether it's in the academic office or around the [arena]. It feels like you've shared so much throughout these years…it's not the end of our season, we've got other things after the regular season to take care of, like Evan said."
 
Evan: "The biggest thing is when you run into someone and they're more in shock than you are. Us three don't show much emotion…so it's like they're worried about it than we are. We're still in the season; we're focused on the next game. Come Saturday, hopefully we'll get the win and then enjoy it after."
 
…The difference between the recent two Valley losses and the blowout wins
Fred: "I was flat against UNI, speaking for myself…Losing those games wakes you up and puts your back up against the wall. There's no more room for error. I think as a group, we've been more urgent."
 
…Fred's success in Chicago, and his home state of Illinois
Fred: "I don't know what it is. Obviously it's always good to see your family, and luckily Loyola's gym has been pretty nice to me the last two years. Everyone keeps talking about it, so now I'm sure it'll change tomorrow night."
 
Evan: "Whatever he's been doing up there, just keep doing that. You guys can quit talking about it so it doesn't change! He has the same focus that he has any other game."
 
Ron: "I see a little more excitement in him…you can definitely tell he's comfortable being in Illinois, just like any of us would be if we were an hour away from home playing in front of 20-30 people that we're really close with."
 
…Recalling special moments/memories from playing together
Fred: "A lot of wins obviously. For me, the coolest moment was watching these two last year against Kansas. Obviously I'm not from here, but from the outside looking in, the joy and the fun and the passion that went into that game. I tried to visualize it as if it were myself, playing against Illinois in the tournament. That was a lot of fun to go through that with them and share that moment with them.
 
Evan: "The Final Four year, watching these two break out in the tournament. For me as a teammate, you want to see a couple of your best friends do well. They definitely stepped up and shined. Also, any championships we've won, like the Cancun tournament or when we won the Valley tournament. Any NCAA [tournament] game you win feels like a championship of its own. Any time you're winning is a special moment."
Ron: "All the wins, all the special moments you had together, those are things I'll remember the most. Just being with these two in the locker room, people don't understand the relationships we have with one another. Tightly bonded, loyal to one another, trustworthy, those types of things go a long way when you see each other 10 hours a day for 500 days in a row."
 
...Ron's background coming from a small town having an effect on teammates
Fred: "I think I rubbed off on him a little bit. I used to talk about him all the time when he walked around with no socks or shoes on a lot. [He'd be] barefoot around the gym and the locker room. I think I talked about him enough that I haven't seen him do it much any more."
 
Evan: "Once we got rid of that perm, we got the country out of him a little bit."
 
…The one impression they want to leave at Wichita State
Ron: "For me, I feel like I want to be the start of a legacy. Hopefully us three leave something, like wisdom and confidence behind with these younger guys that they can carry on with the success and with all the good things that we brought coming up. Hopefully they can continue to do that."
 
Fred: "I just want to be remembered for playing as hard as I can, obviously winning, and the interactions and relationships with the fans and community. That has the most meaning in terms of things I'll remember, and I feel like the fans will too. I think we'll leave a pretty good mark.
 
I hope that next year, expectations are realistic for these younger guys. Not that the team will drop off, but individually, don't try to make them the next Evan, Ron, or Fred. Let them be their own their own players. The talent is still coming in, so they'll be just fine."
 
Evan: "I just wanted to leave Wichita State better than I found it. Be hard working, give my best everyday, and obviously win. That's always been my ultimate goal, to win. We've been fortunate to leave a great legacy and bring light to the city of Wichita and Shocker nation…it's not going to stop here, we have a great team and it'll keep going."