The RoundHouse | 11/20/2017 11:18:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop

Wichita State's Rauno Nurger grew up watching German NBA star Dirk Nowitzki shoot, so this is basketball played the way he's always known the game.
 
Big men shoot three-pointers.  That's been going on for 25 or more years, as the influence of the three-point arc and Europeans altered expectations for centers.
 
"I feel like I really haven't changed anything," Nurger said. "I'm still doing the same things."
 
What is different for the Shockers is a roster possessing three big men with, at least early in the season, three-point range. Nurger, from Estonia, is 2 of 4 from three-point range in two regular-season games. Senior Shaq Morris is 4 of 6 and senior Darral Willis is 3 of 6.
 
That is accurate enough for coach Gregg Marshall to want to see more.
 
Marshall likes centers who can shoot and encourages them to develop that range. J.T. Durley made 36.8 percent of his threes as a junior in 2010. Garrett Stutz earned the freedom to shoot open threes. Morris dabbled in the skill last season and appears ready, after two exhibitions and two regular-season games, to make it a bigger part of his game. And Wichita State's offense clicked with smaller players at power forward who shot well from three-point range – Ben Smith, Cleanthony Early and Markis McDuffie.
 
The depth of shooting big men is creating this season's buzz. When Morris, Willis and Nurger combined to make 5 of 7 threes in the first half against UMKC, it almost seemed unfair. This version of the three-headed and three-point shooting monsters is different from past position groups. This combination is Wichita State's deepest group of skilled big men, all capable of scoring inside and out.
 
"That's skill development," Marshall said. "That's working on their games. Those guys have really put in the time."
 
Willis and Nurger are big enough to play the post and skilled enough to play power forward. They pull defenders away from the lane and put them in unfamiliar roles. Morris and Nurger excel at trailing on fast breaks to set up from three-point range at the top of the arc for open shots. Their defenders are usually trained to protect the basket.
 
"All of the threes I've shot are part of our transition offense," Morris said after last week's win over College of Charleston.
 
Most centers aren't used to defending the three-point arc and it can result in fouls, open shots and open spaces that wreck a defense.
 
The sixth-ranked Shockers (2-0) play California (2-1) on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational. Cal forward Marcus Lee is experienced guarding outside the lane. Center Kingsley Okoroh is learning, which could give the Shocker big men opportunities to shoot over him or play him off the court if he can't defend those shots.
 
"Kingsley prefers to play the inside and he's going to have to stretch out a little bit," Cal coach Wyking Jones said. "Be mindful that their bigs can shoot it. For Marcus … he's very comfortable defending the perimeter. For Kingsley, he's going to have to step out a little bit more than what he's comfortable with, but I think he's going to be ready for it."
 
Scoring in the lane remains critical, both for efficiency and to draw fouls.
 
"The big kid from Cal, Okoroh, . . . doesn't shoot threes and he's a pretty effective player," Marshall said. "It's just another skill you can add to your arsenal."
 
The shooting touch shown by the Shocker bigs isn't a total surprise. Nurger made 13 of 28 threes (46.4 percent) last season. Morris and Willis, while not prolific from three last season, proved accurate on mid-range shots. Both needed to extend their range a few feet and that comes from work.
 
"It's pretty much just late nights in the gym," Willis said.
 
The bigger picture is this: Modern big men know shooting range is their best bet to play more minutes, in college and professionally.
 
The NBA values "stretch" forwards who are big enough to rebound and defend around the rim and can also spread defenses by making three-pointers. Players such as Golden State's Draymond Green and Cleveland's Kevin Love thrive with perimeter skills. Knicks 7-foot center Kristaps Porzingis shoots 41.8 percent from three-point range. The Orlando Magic are one of the NBA's surprise teams, in part because forward Aaron Gordon is exceeding his career norms from behind the arc.
 
"It's the influx of the European big guys," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "The power forward is extinct. Not many people are playing two big guys inside the arc. You're playing a center, maybe, inside the arc. And then your four-man is a stretch four who can step out."
 
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski also pointed to the European style of basketball with shaping the American game.
 
"You've broken the traditional norms of – if you have size you play with your back to the basket," he said. "Now if you have size, you're expected to do everything. Back to the basket. Handle the ball. Make decisions. And be able to shoot and keep people honest with perimeter shots."

As usual, the trends at the top of the game trickle down to lower levels.  Big men notice. There are more job openings for sizable people who can help the offense with the three-pointers.
 
"At the next level, that we all strive for, big guys have range and they can shoot it," Morris said. "The three-pointers we shoot are mid-range shots in the NBA. It's definitely a must going into a senior year, us senior big guys being able to hit shots and be consistent."
 
The Shockers will continue to use Morris, Willis and Nurger in the lane for efficient scoring. The Shockers will continue to start their offense with passes into the lane and build to open outside shots. And when it's a big man that takes and makes those outside shots, the offense looks even more dangerous.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.