The RoundHouse | 11/10/2018 10:47:00 AM

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md. 

Wichita State's charter plane landed early Saturday morning at Yingling Aviation and coach Gregg Marshall took the microphone to thank everyone for flying Shocker Express. He told the team to take Saturday off and told the fans he hoped they witnessed a Shocker rebirth.
 
Remember when you were warned this season would be full of ups and downs? 
 
Friday's 83-80 win over Providence in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md., felt like a Navy Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet zooming toward the clouds after an opening loss to Louisiana Tech. The Shockers transformed themselves from an uncertain, disjointed bunch into a team that resembled the best of its predecessors on Friday at Alumni Hall.
 
"We showed our heart, we showed we can go out and play through adversity," Wichita State senior Samajae Haynes-Jones said.
 
Losing a home opener for the first time since 1995 qualifies as adversity, especially when so much is unknown about a roster loaded with newcomers. The Shockers said the right things after that 71-58 loss, admitting that they didn't play with the purpose or toughness that coaches and fans expect. 
 
Then they started to fix it in practice, tough practices that defined roles and reinforced lessons. Doing it one way didn't work in the loss to Louisiana Tech (and only marginally in the exhibition game), which opened minds to finding a better way.
 
One drill seemed to exemplify the change. 
 
Two teams line up across the court near the basket and when a shot is taken, coach Gregg Marshall yells the names of two defenders. They must run toward the basket while three teammates retreat and the offensive team rushes down court to simulate a two-man advantage fast-break. The drill teaches hustle, communication and coordination. The defensive team must deal with a numbers disadvantage, while teammates run to catch up, and then reshape their defense by talking and pointing to guard their men.
 
For about 35 minutes on Friday, the Shockers played out the lessons of that drill. After trailing 15-5, the Shockers made almost every important hustle play. Markis McDuffie kept rebounds alive with taps to a teammate and recorded two steals. Jamarius Burton and Jaime Echenique took charges in the second half. Ricky Torres hustled to grab an offensive rebound and score after a missed layup. WSU talked on defense, took charges and a 2-3 zone seemed to make the Friars hesitant in the half-court and limited their offense to a three-point attack.  
 
The Shockers shot well (12 of 22 from three-point range) and benefitted from Providence's miserable foul shooting (13 of 26). Seventeen turnovers say the Shockers weren't perfect, but the right framework showed up.
 
"I'm very pleased with the way my guys responded," Marshall said. "That group (Providence) probably has us two- to three-inches per man. Somehow, we win the boards by four. We got killed on the glass by Louisiana Tech. My guys responded to a tough day of practice."
 
Wichita State out-rebounded Providence 39-35 after watching Louisiana Tech beat them by 11 on the boards. The Shockers forced 17 turnovers by the Friars, eight coming on steals.
 
On Thursday, after touring the United States Naval Academy and talking with midshipmen, the Shockers said they heard lessons of trust and teamwork that could apply to them. On Friday, they looked like they really believed those words.
 
"They told us a lot of things that motivated us today on the basketball court," McDuffie said. "We were going to go out there and play as hard as we could." 
 
It's still a big if to see if the Shockers can maintain that consistency and it's a big ask to expect a team that played four freshmen 20 or more minutes to do so. But the Shockers showed it's there and they showed themselves that things work when executed properly and with effort. 
 
The Shockers largely cruised through November in past seasons, but there are similar road markers. The 2016-17 team lost to Louisville and Michigan State in the Bahamas and needed to recover. A win at Colorado State helped. Last season's win at then-No. 16 Baylor played a similar healing role after a crushing loss to Notre Dame in Maui. 
 
Perhaps the most fitting callback is to 2012-13, when a team light on experience won at VCU on Malcolm Armstead's last-second shot. That win helped transform a bit of a mystery into an NCAA at-large team that won (slow down here) 30 games and played in the Final Four.
 
"I feel like I have a Shocker team back," Marshall said. "Hopefully, we can build on this. Because this can give us the confidence now, when you beat a really good team . . ."
 
The Shockers are going as far as their seniors take them, at least early in the season. The seven newcomers who played Friday are capable, but they needed McDuffie and Haynes-Jones to take a lead role after their uneven performances in the exhibition and opener.
 
On Friday, both excelled. McDuffie scored a career-high 32 points and made 6 of 9 shots and set a great example by selling out for loose balls and rebounds. Haynes-Jones rescued the Shockers with his 11 first-half points, highlighted by back-to-back threes that cut a 10-point margin to four. He handed out four first-half assists, one of them a spectacular ankle-breaker that led to a dunk for Morris Udeze. 
 
McDuffie missed his first four shots and then made 12 of 15 over the game's final 32 minutes.
 
"My first four shots were in and out," he said. "I just had to stay confident. I didn't rush anything. I didn't take any bad shots. I had to stay poised and let my game do the talking."
 
Marshall said he told McDuffie that he took good shots early and keep at it.
 
"We're not going to be a very good team if my seniors don't perform," Marshall said. "I'm going to stand behind my guys. They're going to continue to work. They really care. (McDuffie's) got some pressure on him. But he doesn't have to score 32 for us to win every night. But he does have to score."
 
The Shockers often talk about winning AND learning as the preferred method of education. Friday's win made the trip a total success, but the meeting with President Trump and tours on Wednesday and Thursday's look at Naval Academy life made big impressions.
 
Regardless of the result, the Shockers seemed to appreciate the once-in-a-lifetime nature of the trip.
 
"I've learned so much since I've been here," Marshall said. "It's very life-altering for some of these young people to do those things and it's also a big deal for a 55-year-old coach. It's a special, special trip."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.