The RoundHouse | 6/8/2018 5:32:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Xavier McDaniel remembers a time when his feet didn't move quickly enough to play defense without fouling. He stayed after Wichita State practices to work with coaches on lateral movement and chased guard Aubrey Sherrod around the court.
 
"Aubrey would kill me every day, but I got better and better," McDaniel said. "Work on your weaknesses."
 
No. 2, No. 5 and No. 7 watched the current Shockers practice on Friday morning and coach Gregg Marshall asked them to share their collective wisdom with the youngsters. McDaniel ranks second on Wichita State's career scoring list with 2,152 points. Cheese Johnson (1,907) and Sherrod (1,765) joined him.
 
 

Old school meets new school. Xavier McDaniel, Cheese Johnson, and Aubrey Sherrod with the 2018-19 Shockers #watchus pic.twitter.com/Q0O0bW8unK

— Wichita State MBB (@GoShockersMBB) June 8, 2018

 
 
They talked about arriving to practice early and staying late to work on skills. They talked about grades and class and homework. They talked about practicing hard and McDaniel, of course, reminded them that rebounding is a sure way to stay on the court.
 
"Coach (Marshall) was stressing academics," Johnson said. "I was relating academics to becoming mature and taking care of business."
 
The Shockers, who must replace six of their top seven scorers, should soak up any knowledge they can get from the veterans. Several of the Shockers talked with the older men after practice. McDaniel realizes most aren't aware of his NBA fame and suspects they might check out his highlights on YouTube later.
 
Six of the newcomers practiced – Teddy Allen, Chance Moore, Morris Udeze, Jaime Echenique, Dexter Dennis and Tate Busse. Four more will arrive or return later this summer – Erik Stevenson, Ricky Torres, Jamarius Burton and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler. 
 
"From a basketball perspective, we talked about newcomers listening to the upperclassmen," Sherrod said. "Let those guys be leaders. They're going to be the key to season."
 
Johnson, from New York, grew up with many mentors in the gyms and playgrounds. He stays in touch with guard Nate Archibald, who led the NBA in scoring and assists in 1973 with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings and won the 1981 NBA title with Boston.
 
"That's one reason why I like LeBron James," Johnson said. "Every time he speaks on TV he always gives out shout-outs to guys who set the stage for him as a younger player. That's how you become better – all the way around."
 
McDaniel found a mentor in Wichita when he arrived as a freshman in 1981 from Columbia, S.C. He enjoys telling the story of playing pickup games at (then) Levitt Arena and wondering about an older man who played the game really, really well.
 
McDaniel asked his name and teammate Cliff Levingston pointed to Dave Stallworth's jersey hanging from the rafters. Stallworth, who played for the Shockers from 1961-65, scored 1,936 points and played eight NBA seasons. He lived in Wichita after his NBA career ended and became a friend to the Shockers of the early 1980s.
 
"I was like 'This old man is killing us, so somebody's got to pick it up," McDaniel said. "Dave always gave us courage. When we would go through bad stretches, he was always there."
 
The three Shocker stars watched from the sidelines as the current team scrimmaged and drilled. They watched Allen bull his way to the rim for baskets. They watched Dennis flash his athletic ability with a driving layup over a defender. They watched coaches instruct, asking for more movement, fewer turnovers and better shot selection. Their overall impression: the Shockers are athletic and young.
 
"Offensively, the way Coach Marshall runs his offense, it looks very good," Sherrod said. "Size-wise, I think you're probably going to see a difference with their length at the guard position."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.