The RoundHouse | 12/30/2017 2:31:00 PM

HARTFORD, Conn.
 
Rashard Kelly chased down another rebound, another loose ball, another 50-50 ball that is 90-10 when he is on the court. A few rows behind the Wichita State bench, a former Shocker watched and grew entranced by Kelly's hustle.
 
Ramon Clemente played at Wichita State early in coach Gregg Marshall's tenure and he was the Kelly of his day. Hustle and fight on the backboards. Not as big as many of the player he battled, but often quicker and more dedicated to the chase.
 
When Clemente talked to Marshall seconds after the buzzer, he first mentioned Kelly. No. 8 Wichita State defeated Connecticut 72-62 at the XL Center and Kelly hustled his way into a leading role in the scouting report of every team in the American Athletic Conference.
 
"When guys were watching, he was ball-hunting," Clemente said. "He's amazing."
 
Kelly earned the Clemente approval with 12 rebounds, six on offense, 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, a block and an assist in 30 minutes. He recorded his fourth double-digit rebounding game of the season and upped his team-leading total to 51 for the season, 13 off his 35-game total from last season.
 
"You can't ask for a better teammate," Shocker guard Austin Reaves said. "He doesn't care about the shine. He's just going to do the little things to help our team win."
 
There is plenty of shine for Kelly when he rebounds this way. He came to Wichita State known for his hustle and rebounding. After three seasons performing well in that role, he is excelling as a senior. He ranks third nationally, according to Ken Pomeroy's statistics, by grabbing 19.2 percent of available offensive rebounds. Last season, he ranked 90^th at 12.1.
 
The upgrade is mental.
 
"I go more than I usually did," Kelly said. "That's it. Instead of just waiting around and watching, I'm anticipating the shot. That's the key to rebounding."
 
Clemente and Kelly agree.
 
"It's nothing special," Kelly said. "You've just got to go."
 
The offensive rebounds give the Shockers another opportunity to shoot, get into the legs of defenders and deflate opponents. It's a mental edge in addition to a stats boost.
 
"He's got that aggressive mind-set where he attacks every ball in sight," teammate Shaq Morris said. "His role is a huge key to us being as good as we are. You get that team to guard for another 30 seconds. It does deflate them a little bit."
On Saturday, Kelly did his best version of the dirty work at the home of the four-time NCAA champions. Clemente noticed and so did everyone else who appreciates the chase.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.