Women's Basketball | 8/13/2020 4:40:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
After a silent summer, Koch Arena sounds like a basketball arena. Bouncing balls, shoes squeaking and coaches talking with the Shockers echo around the arena and concourse.
 
"I was missing the court so much, and right now it's like paradise for me," said Seraphine Bastin, a junior guard on Wichita State women's basketball team. "Just having the ball in my hand, shooting the ball, having time with my teammates and the coaches."
 
Both the Shocker men's and women's team are taking cautious steps over the past two weeks into an uncertain season. Almost every conversation ends with "I hope we play" and a shrug.
 
Until then, the Shockers can prepare as well as possible for whatever form the schedule takes this winter.
 
"It's just really exciting and fun to have guys who want to get in the gym and learn," men's coach Gregg Marshall said. 
 
Before the gym gets busy, pandemic prep rules, from wellness checks to social distancing to elbow bumps for greetings.
 
The Shockers practice mostly in small groups, wear masks for interviews and when not in workouts. Coaches wear masks during practice. They are watching college football's drama to see how that might affect their sport. When scheduled to come in contact with team members, staff members fill out a COVID questionnaire each day that includes a temperature check. 
 
Marshall will divide the team into two groups to help social distancing when he invites them to his house for a team dinner. Women's coach Keitha Adams is considering watching video on the arena floor to limit her team's time in the smaller video room.
 
"I just hope we can play," Marshall said. 
 
That is the reality of sports in a pandemic. For an hour of practice, basketball seems almost like it did in early March, when the men's team wanted to finish strong for an NCAA Tournament berth and the women's team secured a winning season with a win the opener of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
On Thursday, the women practiced in the morning and the men came in later for their sessions.
 
"It's just felt great to be with them and to be down on the basketball court," Adams said.
 
Most of the work is focused on individual skills – dribbling, passing, shooting, footwork. During the men's workout, big men Morris Udeze and Isaiah Poor Bear Chandler practiced post moves and jump shots. Guards and wings took the other end of the court. During the women's time, Bastin and new teammate Asia Strong passed to each other during a three-point shooting drill.
 
"It's been good to get everybody on the court," Shocker men's guard Tyson Etienne said. "When we're allowed to be in the gym, we're making the most of that time. We're building the camaraderie."
 
The Shocker men went 23-8 before the season ended prematurely. Marshall restocked with seven scholarship newcomers, including guard Alterique Gilbert, a senior transfer from UConn. He spent most of the summer in Atlanta before coming to Wichita. In a time with many changes, he is leaning on returners such as Etienne, Dexter Dennis, Trey Wade and Morris Udeze.
 
"It feels great to be in the gym," Gilbert said. "Any questions I have, I ask. Those guys have been very helpful. Even from move-in day to now, they've helped me every day."
 
Bastin finished up a two-person workout with Strong, a junior transfer from Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College, before praising the newcomers for fitting in well.
 
"She's a three-point shooter and she can do everything," Bastin said. "We already have a chemistry. The newcomers are good, they're strong and they're ready."
 
The women's team, 16-15 last season, has six newcomers to combine with returners such as Bastin. Adams is excited about her blend of experience – she mentioned junior forward Trajata Colbert's strong week of practice - and the recruits creating a deeper team.
 
"The class that we brought in, they're going to help us," she said. "We've been in a building mode for a while. It's nice when you've got that experience coming back."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.