Wichita State men's basketball coach Gregg Marshall addressed the media ahead of the Shockers' official opener against Omaha. The Shockers' head man talked about Wichita State's first opponent, how players responded to feedback and keys for Grant Sherfield to succeed. The full transcript is below. Fans can purchase tickets for tomorrow's opener at GoShockers.com/tickets or call (316) 978-3267.

COACH GREGG MARSHALL on …
 
… Omaha forward and Wichita native Matt Pile:
"I saw Matt Pile (in high school). I saw him and I when I saw him, I liked him. I was intrigued by him. I think I saw him at an AAU tournament in Kansas City. I'm not sure when that was. I'm not sure if anyone on our staff was as excited about recruiting Matt as I was. He pursues the basketball. He's got great pursuit of the ball and no fear. He's got our full and undivided attention."
 
... Omaha:
"This team is a good team. We've watched them from last year. They were one game away from the NCAA tournament. In the four years they've been eligible in Division I, they've made it to the Summit League title game twice, including last year. They're right there. Coach Hansen does a great job."
 
… if Grant Sherfield will start again:
"I don't put a whole lot of stock into who starts. Grant played very well against Northeastern State in the exhibition, but JB (Jamarius Burton) played well too. I think JB can play more positions. I saw somewhere on the internet that in terms of percentage of the game played at certain position, JB played 39 percent at point guard and 19 percent at the wing, so he played 58 percent of the game, but didn't start. For me, it's about who you have in at the end and who plays well. "
 
... if his players responded to feedback on the closed door scrimmage:
"Yes. I thought we were better in the second half against Northeastern State. I've got to make sure I don't lose sight of the fact we've got five freshmen and five sophomores. There's going to be ups and downs. Even with a veteran team, you have days that aren't great. These guys respond when you point things out to them. The problems we had against Nebraska weren't the same problems we had against Northeastern State."
 
… how to help Asbjørn Midtgaard catch the ball better:
"In the past, we've fired footballs at them and try to get them to catch it one handed. The problem with some of the foreign guys – we've got three right now with one from Denmark, one from Colombia and one from France – is that the primary sport in those countries isn't basketball or American football. Their primary sport is most likely soccer, and you don't use your hands. If we started to kick it around, they'd be pretty good at it. Asbjørn had a couple of looks at layups or dunks if he caught the ball. The guards are putting it on the money for the most part."
 
… on if the team is equipped to have a faster start to the season:
"You'd sure hope so. We have much more experience. Samajae (Haynes-Jones) was our second-most experienced player with 200 minutes. Now, all of those guys who were freshmen have played a year. These freshmen this year are a precocious group. They do a good job of picking everything up. I don't know why that is, but they're more in tuned with Basketball IQ things than last year's group was. They have more secondary leaders out there. That's a fact. It's been easier for this group, so I think they're ready."
 
… on keys for Grant Sherfield to see continued success:
"I spoke with him again about the four things he need to focus on when he hits the court tomorrow. Number one: he needs to take care of the basketball. If you turn it over five or six times, you've already minimized our chances to win. Number two: be an extension of the coaching staff on the floor. Be a leader. I don't care if you're a freshman. I don't care how old you are. If you're going to run the point for us, I want you to organize your group, know what we're running, make sure everyone else knows what we're running and be an extension of the coaching staff. Number three is play great defense. That goes without saying. You've got to defend your position and give it your all on every possession. Finally, number four is to score when the opportunity presents itself. That doesn't mean take a heat check with 24 seconds left on the shot clock and try to hit a stepback three because you can. You've got to make sure everyone's involved, and that the ball's being moved. In the end, if there's eight seconds on the shot clock, you're going to have to create something. You're going to get a chance to show off that stepback or the move you've been working on all summer. The bottom line is you've got to make sure everyone is getting involved as the quarterback."