The RoundHouse | 1/2/2021 8:08:00 PM

 

 
Tyson Etienne stayed at Wichita State for moments like this. He enjoyed it after the game, slapping hands and high fives with his teammates, smiling and joking through his Zoom interview and giving a thumb's up at the end.
 
That's the kind of moment made more meaningful by the events of last off-season. Several of his teammates departed. Etienne stuck with Wichita State, a challenge that grew in the fall with a coaching change and COVID-19 disruptions.
 
On Saturday, Etienne carried the Shockers with a career-high 29 points in an 83-79 win at Mississippi. He made long three-pointers and drove past defenders – all with the defense locked in to stop him - and made foul shots. He scored 19 of those points in the second half by making 5 of 7 shots and 3 of 5 three-pointers.
 
"We knew we were going to win this game for each other," Etienne said. "We've got to be able to weather that storm. That's the same thing in life. You've got to be able to handle adversity. We did just that."
 
Ole Miss made 7 of 13 three-pointers in the first half to erase a deficit. The Shockers (6-2) trailed by seven points five times in the second half. They gave up 20 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds. They gave up 29 points off their 15 rebounds. 
 
Etienne never let them fade. He had help, notably from Alterique Gilbert and Trey Wade. Almost every time, it was Etienne who gave the Shockers the boost. 
 
"He thinks he can make every shot he takes," Wichita State interim coach Isaac Brown said. "It wouldn't surprise me if he had a bunch of 30-point games."
 
Brown said the Rebels (5-3) scouted many of Wichita State's plays to defend Etienne. Etienne was able to foil those plans because of his improvement creating on his own. He either shot from well behind the three-point line or dribbled past defenders to get to the basket.
 
"He works at it," Brown said. "Last year, he was more of a catch-and-shoot guy. This year, he can catch and shoot. He can also create off the bounce."
 
Teammates see this version of Etienne, who made 5 of 10 threes and 8 of 9 free throws, in practice. Gilbert expects Etienne to make longer threes in games, as he does in practice, soon this season.
 
"When he gets hot like that, we're not surprised," Gilbert said. "He makes everybody's job a lot easier. He's a lot to handle."
 
The Shockers wanted to send a message with a win at an SEC school. 
 
"We're a good team," Etienne said. "We can win games. The results will show."
 
Wichita State isn't seen as an NCAA Tournament team. The transfers and the coaching change caused most to lower expectations for the Shockers. That is not what the Shockers are used to and they think Saturday's win can grab attention. The Shockers, over the past 10 seasons, won a lot of games because of great guard play. Most nights, the best guard in the game wore their colors - stars such as Baker, VanVleet and Shamet. On Saturday, Etienne gave a performance that matches those names.
 
"Shocker basketball is still here," Brown said. "These guys came here for one reason – our proud tradition."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.