The RoundHouse | 12/18/2020 8:50:00 PM

 


The Shockers had fun, which most seasons isn't remarkable. This season is different from any other and everybody deserves some fun, especially a team that's endured what Wichita State did.
 
They had fun because they got to play basketball, no longer a given.  They played in front of around 1,000 fans. 
 
They had fun because they looked every bit a team that is learning and growing together as practice and roster stabilize. Wichita State handled Emporia State 73-57 and while that's what should happen against NCAA Division II schools, Kansas State provides witness that it's not always easy.
 
Interim coach Isaac Brown is doing the math and knows how to build a winning score. Against good teams, half-court points are hard to come by, so it takes grabbing baskets in transition, making foul shots and running plays that confound the defense. Offensive rebounds help.
 
Do those things – and play defense - and teams can thrive on a hot shooting night or survive a cold one.
 
The Shockers (3-2) played irritating, feisty defense, ran the court to chase loose balls. They forced 17 turnovers after spending considerable time working on pressing defense against the Hornets, who were playing their second game in two nights and play Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Wichita State scored 16 points off those turnovers and Alterique Gilbert added the highlight with a steal and pass off the glass to Ricky Council IV for a dunk.
 
Brown emphasized execution, which suffered during the lost practice time over the past months.  He wanted to get easy baskets on the break and sharpen Wichita State's timing, cutting and passing on its plays. 
 
In the first four games, much of Wichita State's offense came off the dribble with guards Gilbert and Tyson Etienne doing the work to set up shots or passes.
 
That is helpful, but it often has a limited shelf life against good teams. Brown wanted to see the Shockers use sets to produce good shots. While they didn't shoot well, Brown counted six successful possessions off sets. The Shockers finished with a season-high 14 assists.
 
Wichita State's first possession got Etienne an open three-pointer off an inbound play. On its next possession, Morris Udeze used a back-screen from Dexter Dennis to slip into an open lane and took a pass from the wing for a dunk.
 
"We wanted to run a set and get a guy wide-open jump shot," Brown said. "You've got to be able to execute."
 
The Shockers certainly executed in half-court situations when they pushed the ball into Udeze. He made all seven of his shots and scored a career-high 18 points. Running those sets crisply and using Friday's game to work on those skills will pay off, he said.
 
"It helps a lot – against good teams you're going to have execute plays, steal easy baskets," Udeze said.
 
Udeze did his part by working smartly against the defense. He stayed in the lane, passed the ball out of traps instead of turning it over and played to his strengths. That gave the Shockers the inside part of the inside-out offensive tempo they want to set.
 
"He didn't force anything and he wasn't standing on the perimeter," Brown said. "We need those bigs to be able to score inside. You've got to score the ball in the paint."

Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.