The RoundHouse | 12/29/2019 5:28:00 PM
DeAntoni Gordon played a season-high 21 minutes on Sunday and he prepared for one of the rewards – post-game radio interview – confident he got the most out of every second.
That is his goal. He knows there are important eyes on his game. He doesn't want to rob his fans of enjoyment. He is an energy guy and that means all energy, all the time.
"Family – they're always watching and I want to put on a show for them," he said. "I've got a lot to be grateful for."
Gordon, a 6-foot-7 freshman, grabbed seven rebounds, four on offense, blocked a shot and scored three points in No. 25 Wichita State's 84-66 win over Abilene Christian on Sunday at Koch Arena. He nearly added a steal to that stat line and his work on a trap near the sideline forced a traveling violation.
Those are energy stats, which is what Wichita State (11-1) wants from Gordon.
"We did not have any offensive rebounds until he went in the game," Shockers coach
Gregg Marshall said. "He got his opportunity and I thought he really helped us."
With
Dexter Dennis out indefinitely for personal reasons and
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler sick, the Shockers needed Gordon to play power forward behind
Trey Wade. They might need more from him this season, which explains the extended minutes. Gordon got the early ones to see how he performed and earned the rest.
He grabbed one of those offensive rebounds during a crucial stretch. ACU had cut the lead to 22-21. The Shockers responded with a 10-0 run with Gordon contributing a rebound and foul shot.
"It was good for him, to keep his confidence up," guard
Erik Stevenson said. "For him to come in and get … offensive rebounds in (his) minutes is huge. That really changed the momentum of the game.
Gordon hadn't played in the two previous games and his previous high of 14 minutes came in mid-November against UT Martin.
"I'm always ready," he said. "I try to bring energy. I try to be the high-motor guy."
That is the Gordon his teammates see in practice. Bouncy. Hustling. Unselfish.
"He came in at the right time of the game, when we didn't have any offensive rebounds," center
Jaime Echenique said. "He's been showing in practice what he can do. He really goes tough to the glass and he plays hard."
Wichita State freshman guard Grant Sherfield lifted up a sloppy game with his second-half performance, after a short detour.
He scored 11 of his 15 points and grabbed nine of his 11 rebounds in 13 second-half minutes. For the game, Sherfield made all six of his shots, one from three-point range, and both of his foul shots. He also contributed three steals, two assists and a block.
Sherfield had to bounce back from a bad pass early in the second half, one of three that caused Marshall to pull the offenders. A few minutes on the bench changed Sherfield's direction.
"He didn't like sitting over there because he was sloppy with the ball," Marshall said. "He wasn't sloppy again. He is a tremendous talent. He looks so smooth out there. It looks effortless."
Wichita State freshman Tyson Etienne made 3 of 4 three-pointers and scored 13 points. He raised his season accuracy to 31 of 66 (47 percent) from behind the arc.
Twelve games in, it is time to put Etienne's shooting into a bit of historical perspective. While much of the season remains, he is doing noteworthy things from three-point range. (He is shooting threes from 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches. The previous distance was 20-9 since 2008. Before 2008, the line was at 19-9).
Joe Ragland holds Wichita State's mark for accuracy (50.4 percent) in 2011-12. Paul Guffrovich made 44.5 percent of his (36-81) in 1987-88, tops by a Shocker freshman.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
