Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall spoke to the media Tuesday ahead of the Shockers' road trip to Tulsa on Saturday for a game against the conference-leading Golden Hurricane.  Marshall spoke about Tulsa's experience, Dexter Dennis' recent stretch of success and the passing of Kobe Bryant. Fans can purchase tickets Saturday's 5 p.m. tip at tulsahurricane.com.
 
GREGG MARSHALL on…
 
... the history between WSU and Tulsa:
"I just know that when I first came here, that was the school, other than the state schools, that people wanted to see us play. I'm on my third Tulsa coach, and we've been playing them ever since. Then we joined the league, but prior to that, we played one time. We opened the first game of INTRUST Bank Arena against them. It's a short drive. We have a lot of fans make the drive. They're in first place, so we've got to go down there and play well."
 
… what makes Tulsa a good team:
"They play good defense. They play a matchup zone, 3-2, man-to-man. They also have a lot of experience. They've got guys who have been in their program that have come together to play good basketball."
 
… Dexter Dennis' recent stretch of success:
"I would enjoy any of them playing that way, but him in particular because he was struggling physically and mentally. I'm not sure everything is behind us, but he's seeing the ball go through the basket. He's playing with a renewed fervor. He's attacking the rim, rebounding and defending. It was just a matter of time if he was physically and mentally ready to go. It's good to see because he puts in a lot of time and he's a great kid. He's a really hard worker and is very coachable. I love seeing that success."
 
… Jaime Echenique's leadership:
"Last year was his first year in the program as a JUCO transfer, so he kind of deferred to the seniors Markis (McDuffie) and Samajae (Haynes-Jones). This year, he's the only senior. When we discuss how good our team is and the potential to be really, really, really good, he always chimes in that he doesn't want to wait and that it's his last go-around. It's encouraging these young guys to grow up a little faster so we can have the type of season to end the season this year."
 
… ways to beat Tulsa's zone:
"It's like attacking most zones. You can't just play the perimeter. You have to attack it. You have to get behind it on the baseline and in the middle. Though they're playing a zone, we think we can throw it down to Jaime and the bigs. You've got to rebound well and you do have to make some shots."
 
… younger players becoming leaders:
"Well the two freshman that are playing the most (Tyson Etienne and Grant Sherfield). Tyson is a leader by example, but he's a chatterbox. He works as hard as anyone. He's doing extra workouts to keep his body right to keep his body sharp. He talks quite a bit in drills, nonstop really. Sherfield is a little more quiet, but he's still playing 25-27 minutes. He shows his leadership in his actions. He is very confident. He wants to have the ball in his hands at the end. He wants to be fouled and shoot free throws. Those two have the most opportunity to lead, and that's how they're doing it."
 
… Tyson Etienne's quickness:
"We need to get to the basket and shoot more foul shots. Tyson has a quick step, but he's got to work on his pull-up game. He's got to decide what he's going to do when he's driving if he can't get all the way to the rim. There have been times this year when he's been fearless in transition going to the rim, but he's got to understand that if he creates contact, he's not going to get the call even if it's like a car collision with two cars going 30 miles per hour. There's big time bodies banging, but you're not going to get the call if you initiate the contact. Experience helps. He's a born scorer. I think he's going to continue to get better."
 
… Kobe Bryant's death:
"I was just sad. Then to find out his daughter was with him and then nine people lost their lives. It's tragic for all of those folks. A lot of our players looked up to Kobe. I've coached long enough to have Michael Jordan be the idol. There was no comparison, maybe Scottie Pippen, but they were on the same team. I saw Kobe play in high school at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina. It was apparent he was going to be a dominant player. He had the "it" factor. It's amazing how his game was a lot like Michael's. He was dynamite in his career up until the last game when he scored 60 points. A lot of the young men that I coached emulated him and worshiped his game. They said 'I want to be Kobe.' When a lot of the older guys said 'I want to be Michael.' He meant a lot to folks in the basketball world. From what I've read, he was a tremendous father and husband in the end. He was a guy that many of our players looked up to."