The RoundHouse | 12/10/2020 10:47:00 AM

 
 
Trajata Colbert played in 15 games last season. The injuries that sidelined her for much of her sophomore season did not stop her from paying attention and improving.
 
"Coming back from an injury, you know what to do and what not to do," she said. 
 
As a junior, Colbert is showing she made good use of that time. In four games, averaging 16 minutes of playing time, she averages 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 62.1 percent from the field. She scored a career-high 21 points in Sunday's double-overtime loss to Northern Iowa. 
 
"The last two games she's really been a force," Wichita State coach Keitha Adams said. "She's played physical and is doing a really good job of posting hard."

Wichita State (3-1) meets South Dakota (1-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Koch Arena, its final non-conference game before American Athletic Conference play begins at Tulsa on Dec. 16. South Dakota, which went 30-2 last season, lost to No. 1 South Carolina (81-71) and No. 18 Gonzaga (54-50) before defeating Lipscomb 89-52.
 
Colbert considers her strong start this season a continuation of last season's progress. In her final four games, she averaged 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Colbert's role is to score in the lane, rebound and use her two-plus seasons of experience to help her teammates.
 
"This is my third year here, so I really understand what Coach Adams wants from me and how the team operates," she said. "As an experienced player, communicate what she wants. How she wants our defense to be played, how she wants our motion to be run."
 
Adams is happy with Colbert using that experience as a vocal leader.
 
"You can hear her on the bench and you can hear her on the floor," Adams said. "When she talks, there's always good purpose with it. When she speaks up and she's vocal our players tend to listen."
 
Colbert and newcomer Asia Strong are combining to give the Shockers a potent inside scoring combination. The Shockers are scoring 74.3 points a game on 47 percent shooting. Last season, they averaged 63.1 points on 39 percent shooting. Strong's addition – she averages 17 points on 47-percent shooting – and Colbert's presence make the Shockers harder to defend.
 
"That's something Coach Adams always wanted for us – our posts to look for each other," Colbert said. "We look for each other. Asia Strong is a good finisher around the basket. We work well together."
 
Against Northern Iowa, Colbert grabbed three offensive rebounds in the first quarter, each of which produced a basket. Grabbing rebounds isn't all about height and jumping. Research and smarts help and Colbert studies that part, as well.
 
"The principles of rebounding – knowing where the shot is coming from to know where the rebound is going to go," she said. 
 
Most rebounds, coaches say, study confirms and Colbert proves, come off the rim opposite from the shooter. That knowledge helps, but Colbert recognizes the simple truth that effort is necessary.
 
"Boxing out and just crashing," she said. "You go for a rebound and you're more likely to get one."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.