Emerging leadership from Markis McDuffie, honoring 'Dave the Rave' and a tough challenge this weekend against a talented Baylor team -- Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall covered these topics and more Tuesday afternoon at his weekly press conference. Read on for the transcript.
 

---

HEAD COACH GREGG MARSHALL ON...

...A rare opportunity to face a Big 12 opponent at Charles Koch Arena.
"I think (Baylor head coach) Scott (Drew) is trying to play the best schedule he can, just as we're trying to play the best schedule we can. We enjoyed our trip (to Waco, Texas) last year. It's a very tough place to win. We were able to make just enough shots, just enough plays to come out with a victory. Their numbers are crazy. He (Drew) has done a wonderful job. He may have done one of the top rebuilding coaching jobs in the last 25 years -- taking on Baylor when he did and getting them to the point that he has. He's not afraid to play us, that's for sure. He's trying to get into the NCAA tournament. He's trying to get the best schedule he can. I'd love to continue the series, just as we've done with Oklahoma. We have Oklahoma State again starting next year. It's great. We love to play whoever -- that helps us...and wherever. Just two teams who agreed upon this series. We've scrimmaged them before. We drove to Oklahoma City one year to scrimmage them. Probably something we will discuss when we see each other."

...What sticks out about Baylor:
"We're just starting to get into them. (Coach Drew) has a young team, too -- or a new team. He's got some graduate transfers and whatnot. Lots of new faces. Some guys that we are very familiar with - - Clark, Vital and those guys last year. Good players. Good young players. He's got a couple of transfers eligible now and another becoming eligible for our game. We expect a lot of talented players in the darker colors of the visiting team."

...Shocker legend Dave Stallworth's new statue, which will be unveiled this Saturday:
"I think he was one of the original superstars of this program. I never was able to see him play at Wichita State, but I'm old enough to have seen him play with the New York Knicks. Didn't realize at the time, his tie with Wichita State. I just remember the Celtics and the Knicks back in the 70's. He and Cleo Littleton were probably the (Shockers') first two superstars. Dave was able to make it to the NBA and have a very good career. Super gentleman. I met him several times before he passed. It's a great honor. It'll be the first and the only statue around Charles Koch Arena, and rightly so. He was a pioneer, and he got this program going."

...Continued progress for freshman Dexter Dennis:
"The game is slowing down for Dexter, it seems, or maybe he's speeding up. He really was active and aggressive and used his athleticism in the second half of the Alabama game, then again the other night against Rice. He's, first of all, stayed on the court. The first several games he didn't know what a foul was at the college level. You live and learn. Keep touching that hot stove, it's going to burn you. He kept playing defense with his arms and his hands, as opposed to moving his feet. First of all, he's been given the opportunity by playing more minutes to put numbers up. He's always defended well. He's not a perfect player -- he's got a long, long way to go -- but that's the exciting part, because he is very talented."

...A big November for senior Markis McDuffie:
"Really having a tremendous start to the season. I told him last night, we were going back-and-forth, I said 'Listen - - I'm proud of the way you've started the season. You've got a lot on your shoulders. Other than the first game, you've handled it beautifully. You're scoring - - we need you to score -- but you are also doing everything else. He wasn't assisting until he figured out he didn't have any assists after five games, then all of a sudden he has five... He's going to have to do that. That's part of being a great offensive player, understanding that you're not always just going to score. You can affect winning as an offensive player by drawing a second defender and kicking it out, or kicking it under..."

...McDuffie's hot shooting start to the season:
"He's the same shooter. He hasn't changed his stroke. Maybe he's put a little more time in the gym - - I don't know. I do know this -- he's been making shots all fall, all summer. He just didn't make them and was rushing them in that Lousiana Tech game. That looked like last-year Markis McDuffie; not this year's Markis McDuffie. Once he stops rushing and taking great shots, he's going to shoot a good percentage because he can score in a variety of ways."

...McDuffie's verbal leadership in team huddle on Sunday:
"That surprised me, but it also excited me. And that's why I've told Markis, of late, how proud I am of him -- not just scoring points, but saying that. That's the first time he's ever said anything resembling that in any of our huddles in a little over three years now. He's taking on that leadership role. That's what I'm proud of. I'm seeing him grow into a man. I'm seeing him grow in responsibility... it's what college athletics is all about. He'll be a leader now in some capacity, once the ball stops bouncing for him, because he's had a little taste of it. Even though we're not 6-0, he's handling his part about as well as could be expected. He's really coming into a nice leadership role as a grown man, knowing what to say - - supporting the young guys when he needs to, but also letting them know there is more to give at the appropriate times, as well."

...When he will know this team has turned the corner:
"When we start consecutively beating people. You'll know by the scores, the outcomes. We're going to play some really, really good teams. If we don't play well, we are going to lose. When we are starting to win consecutive games ,as we've done in the past, that's when you'll know. The standards are pretty high. We want to win a lot of games here and go to the NCAA Tournament or the NIT and win championships. This year is no exception. It's just going to be harder. Our margin for error is minimal. We've got to play as well as we can. Guys have to continue to get better. That's my main thing - - to get individuals to get better and understand better and continue coaching the group. If the individuals improve, ultimately the group will be better."