The RoundHouse | 11/16/2019 5:23:00 PM

 
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall heard his team talk about family and brotherhood. He told them to show it on Saturday against UT Martin.
 
"This week, we talked about the definition of love and how love has no selfishness in it," freshman guard Noah Fernandes said. "We always talk about how we love each other. Coach (Marshall) was saying he didn't believe it because of how we were playing."
 
The Shockers looked like a team that gets along really, really well in Saturday's 103-62 win over UT Martin at Koch Arena. They replaced the sluggish, dribble-heavy, bad-shot offense of the past two games with moving, screening and passing to the tune of 29 assists on their 40 baskets. 
 
"You saw our guys share the basketball," Marshall said. "Less one-on-one, I'm going to play hero ball. The results were incredible."
 
Wichita State (3-0) made 40 of 71 shots (56.3 percent) and 15 of 28 three-pointers (53.6 percent). The 15 threes tied a school record matched four previous times, most recently in 2019 at Tulsa. The Shockers hit the 100-point mark for the first time since 2017 (a 112-66 win over Savannah State).
 
"We got some easy looks tonight and then it went from there," Fernandes said. "We wanted to emphasize getting great shots. Never mind a good shot, get a great shot."
 
That lesson took hold. Bad shots, Marshall warned, presented cause to sit on the bench.
 
"I was tired of watching that," he said.
 
In last week's win over Texas Southern, Wichita State totaled six assists and made 16 of 66 shots (24.2 percent). A week of practice, video study and talks pushed the offense in the right direction.
 
"We've also been talking a lot about trust," Fernandes said. "Trust your teammates. Trust the (coaching) staff. Trust the system. Tonight was a prime example of us trusting the system."
 
Guard Jamarius Burton returned after missing most of the opener and all of the Texas Southern game with an ankle injury to score 18 points. He made 4 of 5 three-pointers and also grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists. Freshman guard Tyson Etienne made 5 of 8 three-pointers and scored 21 points. 
 
Fernandes added six assists, as did fellow freshman guard Grant Sherfield.
 
"Twenty-nine assists – that's Shocker basketball," sophomore guard Erik Stevenson said.
 
Wichita State's big men did their part to make the offense click with screening, strong post-ups and hustle to set up good position. That helped the Shockers produce their best inside-out attacks of the young season.
 
"Coach always tells us to screens, flare screens, fade screens, dive, and doing that opens up the offense for the guards," sophomore center Morris Udeze said. 
 
Udeze scored a career-high 14 points, making 6 of 8 shots, in 18 minutes. He converted a three-point play for Wichita State's first points, off a pick-and-roll with Sherfield, to signal the improved execution. He posted up near the basket for a layup and an 11-2 lead. In the second half, after a Shocker rebound, he burst past several defenders to take a pass and dunk. 
 
"They've been doing it for the past few weeks," Fernandes said. "We weren't finding them. We tried to emphasize that. Once you give it to the big men a few times, the guards have to sink in, they have to make adjustments and it gets other guys open."
 
Center Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler added eight points, making all four of his shots. 
 
"We were able to throw it on the block a little bit," Marshall said. "Mo Udeze was tremendous with his energy and toughness."
 
Stevenson made his first three-pointer of the game, which he considered a fitting tribute to his grandfather. Retired Army Lt. Colonel Ron Wilson died on Monday. Fans observed a moment of silence before the game.
 
"His last text was, 'Keep throwing up the threes, they're going to fall,'" Stevenson said. "That one fell. It felt good."
 
Stevenson finished with 10 points.
 
"His grandpa was a special, special gentleman," Marshall said. "He was one of those guys. Great fisherman, a great golfer. He was a great sportsman. He was a military hero. It really tore Erik up. It was hard for him. I was glad to see him have a great night."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.