The RoundHouse | 2/10/2018 9:56:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Landry Shamet knew coming in that Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall regards timeouts as precious assets.
 
Marshall talked about those timeouts – don't expect one every time the opposing teams makes a few baskets – during Shamet's recruiting visit.
 
"He said how he didn't call many timeouts and he liked his guys to play through it," Shamet said. "It fit perfectly with everything that was going on here – blue collar, chip-on-your-shoulder, tough, that kind of mind-set."
 
Marshall famously hoards his timeouts, sometimes to the consternation of Shocker fans. He prefers to keep plenty on the scoreboard for late-game situations and to teach his players to figure out problems. On Tuesday, he called one to stop a Memphis run (and substitute in Shamet and center Shaq Morris) midway through the second half. No. 22 Wichita State, after seeing the lead dwindle to five points, started a 10-3 run after the timeout on its way to an 85-65 road win.
 
The Shockers (18-5, 8-3 American Athletic Conference) play Connecticut (12-12, 5-6) at 5 p.m. Saturday at Koch Arena.
 
Marshall's timeout philosophy isn't unique – former North Carolina coach Dean Smith could make the final two minutes seem like an eternity, an opposing coach supposedly said. Current North Carolina coach Roy Williams felt compelled to explain his use of timeouts before the NCAA Tournament last season, saying "What my philosophy is is the same dadgum philosophy I've had for 29 years. I call them when I want to. And I don't care what the blankety-blank-blank anybody says."
 
Each team gets three 30-second timeouts, one which must be used in the first half or it disappears. Each team gets one 60-second timeout a game. Depending on when those timeouts are used, media timeouts are scheduled for four-minute intervals.
 
Marshall doesn't point to any particular influence from mentors or any particular incident that shaped his use of timeouts. It is a long-term play, an attempt to develop a team that can handle adversity. It is a statement that the Shockers work in practice so game situations don't fluster them.
 
"I have a belief and faith in my guys that through all the training and all the adversity we put them through in practice, that they will be able to overcome it," Marshall said. "That's what I prefer."
 
As Shamet points out, it is also a recognition that a media timeout is usually coming soon.
 
"He sees it as showing weakness, when things aren't going well you call timeout," Shamet said. "My job in that aspect is to stay even-keeled, calm guys down, make sure we get something good."
 
In 2016-17, Marshall called 37 timeouts in 36 games, according to Wichita State media relations. This season, he called 21 in 23. It is, of course, an inexact science. One three-pointer or one steal and dunk can change the course of game dramatically, regardless of what a coach says in a timeout. So can a well-executed play or a smart substitution coming out of a timeout.
 
"Sometimes, I probably wait too long," he said. "Other times, having them come out of it on their own does probably build more confidence and assuredness in their ability to do it themselves."
 
Managing timeouts in this way is part of the program, an unspoken standard that doesn't need explaining.
 
"It's a mind-set-type thing," Shocker guard Austin Reaves said. "It's a thing that makes you mentally strong. Fight through the tough situations."
 
As with most things, it starts with practice. If practices are demanding and productive and scouting reports complete, timeouts are best saved for crucial times.
 
"He feels that we've been coached enough in game situations like that in practice where we can make decisions on the fly," Shamet said. "I take a lot of pride in that, being a point guard. Trying to think what he's thinking, what's going through his head and what he wants."
 
The payoff for a few uncomfortable moments early in the game can come in the final minutes, when the value of a timeout seems to increase. In those moments, a timeout can stave off a possible turnover, allow an adjustment and help communication when an arena is loud.
 
The Shockers led UConn by six points with 32 seconds to play in the first meeting. The Huskies swarmed Shamet and he called timeout. The Shockers scored after the timeout and won by 10 points.
 
"I got in a bad spot," Shamet said. "I probably could have found a way out of it, thrown it to somebody or dribbled out. But the safe way was to call a timeout. If their pressure is really cooked up, it's a tight game, you don't feel like you have to over-exert yourself and be too aggressive."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.