Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall looked back on the Shockers American debut at UConn and ahead to Thursday's conference home opener against Houston at his weekly press conference.
 

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MARSHALL ON...

....the Houston Cougars:
"First of all, they are very talented. They've got a lot of good players. They have a guy that was all-conference last year and led the league in scoring, Rob Gray. They've got other players. Devin Davis makes every shot, and their point guard really pushes it and makes everyone [better]. We will have our hands full; plus they are very well-coached, obviously. They are tough. They don't beat themselves. Good team."

....last Saturday's game at UConn:
"Honestly, I have been doing this for 20 years as a head coach; 33 as a coach. It's just another road trip. I have been to UConn before and sat on the visitor's bench. [As a College of Charleston assistant] we actually played against UConn way early in Coach (Jim) Calhoun's tenure... I knew it was going to be cold, and I knew they had talent. I knew Kevin was going to try and get his team to play as well as they could. We were going to have to play well to win."

...his team's defense against UConn:
"I think we defended very well. I thought our numbers indicate that we held them down below 40 (percent from the field) and below 20 (percent) from three. They only scored 62 points. Thought Conner (Frankamp) played some of his best defense. I thought Austin Reaves was tremendous. [Zach] Brown always get a tough defensive assignment. I thought the big guys did a good job. It was a good all-around, very good defensive performance."

....Rashard Kelly's double-double day:
"I thought he was as close to the way he played in Maui; the game against Marquette and even before that (California) and after that (Notre Dame). He had another game like that against UConn. He was all over the place. Double-double; 12 rebounds, 11 points... [His] pursuit of the basketball is incredible. He was all over the place. He had a little minute spurt there where he got a couple of baskets and blocked a shot and got a fast break started. He's really doing everything that he can to help us win."

...his toughness rubbing off on other players:
"Other guys play really, really hard, as well. I mean Austin Reaves gives everything he's got while he is out there and gets the most out of his athletic ability. There are several guys like that, but Kelly has been through it; he's older, he's a senior. He prepped a year at Hargrave. He just wants to win."

....three-guard lineups being effective against zone:
"I would prefer to have five point guards, if I could. Five ball handlers out on the court any given time. One of them would have to be about 6'8-6'9 that could guard the five. The other one would have to be about 6'6-6-7-6'8 that could get some rebounds and defend a four-man. But anytime you can have guys that can handle the basketball,  pass the basketball, take care of the basketball, and make others get open shots with their ability to penetrate and kick or push a break and spray the ball up the court to a wide open shooter -- that's beneficial. You can never have enough guys on the court like that. [But] there are other facets of the game. Otherwise, people would play five point guards."

....readjusting his rotation to find minutes for McDuffie:
"Having a player the caliber of Markis McDuffie and now trying to find minutes for him... is a good problem. It is a problem, nonetheless, because those minutes have to be subtracted from other guys that have been playing all year long. We are just trying to figure out a way through it. All I do is, again, try to win the game. I try to get the five best players that are playing the best and giving us the best chance to win at any given time on the court. It's not perfect, there are obviously mistakes made every time you make a substitution. 'You could have gone with this guy and he could have given you this, or you could go with this guy and maybe he could give you that. ' You just try to play the percentages and go with your gut."

...a whole new set of opponents coming into Charles Koch Arena this year:
"I just hope we play well enough to keep winning. I know Houston is going come in here and then after that it's USF. Then we go on the road for two. It's all new, these teams coming here and us playing them and going to their places. We're excited about the challenge and we'll continue to work hard every day to try to put the best product on the floor. "

...Markis' road to recovery:
"He's nowhere near where he can be. He's obviously a very talented player. He didn't make a basket until he got the two breakaways at the end of the game against UConn. I think he was 0-for-5 at half. He can score the ball. We know that. He can rebound the ball. He had a nice blocked shot in the UConn game. He's just getting his feet wet right now. He hasn't played basketball for 12-to-14 weeks. He's got to get himself in shape and just acclimate himself back into the system."

....Austin Reaves' ability:
"For a young man who doesn't have the greatest strength, and the bad shoulders and doesn't have the fastest feet or the best vertical leap -- he gets a lot done out there. He really, really works hard. He's a very heady player. He's got no issues with confidence whatsoever. In fact, sometimes he's a little too confident. Trying to make things happen, make a real fine pass, or whatever, that is a little bit too fine, and it gets deflected or stolen. He's got a lot of confidence in himself. He can knock those jumpers down, plays great defense. He frustrates guys with his ability to move his feet and take charges. He's a very good player. Hopefully he can continue to improve."