The RoundHouse | 10/27/2017 10:00:00 AM

 
By Paul Suellentrop

They played one-on-one in the practice gym, make-it, take-it, games to seven points.
 
Those late-night sessions first gave Wichita State's Markis McDuffie an indication of how newcomer Samajae Haynes-Jones could help the Shockers.
 
"Before I got hurt, me and him were in the gym playing one-on-one forever, all night," McDuffie said. "He's super-competitive."
 
Haynes-Jones, McDuffie will admit, is a tough cover, even for a top-notch defender. Haynes-Jones (6-0, 177 pounds) made up for the eight-inch height disadvantage with his feet.
 
"He won most of the games," McDuffie said. "He's so fast. It's hard to see what he's going to do. He can shoot it, too."
 
Haynes-Jones, a junior transfer from Hutchinson Community College, is Wichita State's most important newcomer. The Shockers need backcourt depth, especially while point guard Landry Shamet recovers from July surgery on his right foot to repair a stress fracture.
 
Haynes-Jones can help, when coaches get him to play at the proper speed. Everyone likes his aggressive style. They love it when properly channeled. He is the kind of player who can make practices better because of his spirit.
 
Hutchinson coach Steve Eck knows Haynes-Jones as a player who proved his toughness by not calling fouls in pickup games. If practice didn't end on the right note, he went to the outdoor courts at Hutchinson's Elland Hall for more shooting. When Hutchinson's arena was unavailable due to renovation, Haynes-Jones practiced at the nearby YMCA.
 
"I like having to tone him down a little bit, as opposed to rev him up," coach Gregg Marshall said.
 
Haynes-Jones leans on Shamet, often talking to him during and after practice for instruction. Learning point guard – and Haynes-Jones didn't practice with the Shockers over the summer – isn't easy. When he forgets a play or needs a refresher on positioning, Shamet helps.
 
"He's coachable and he listens," Shamet said. "That's the biggest indicator he is going to be all right here. If he messes up in practice, he is eager to find answers."
 
The adjustment starts with the speed of the game and the details of leading Wichita State's system.
 
 "It's kind of the same defensive-wise, but we didn't run a lot of plays at Hutch like we do here," Haynes-Jones said. "You've got to learn them, especially as a point guard. And you've got to be very, very vocal."
 
Haynes-Jones, a lefty, averaged 16.1 points last season at Hutchinson, which won the NJCAA title. He earned second-team NJCAA All-American honors.
 
"He's coming from a program where he had a ton of freedom, kind of got the ball and went and scored," Shamet said. "Now he's kind of got to slow down a little bit and adapt to more of a system approach. It's just a matter of time."
 
Haynes-Jones, who helped win the 2015 Class 5A title at Wichita East High, is also working to harness his emotions during practice. He can irritate his coach with a facial expression or hand gesture when things don't go his way.
 
"He gets a little too high strung, a little upset with himself sometimes," Marshall said. "He's getting better with that. He's very coachable – if you can get him to stop and look you in the eye."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.