The RoundHouse | 3/10/2021 7:46:00 AM
Tyson Etienne name-checked his predecessors often enough it told us where he belonged.
He considered himself underrated as a high school recruit, similar to Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker. He studied video of former Shockers such as Baker and Landry Shamet.
After Wednesday, Etienne no longer needs to call out those greats as aspirational figures. He is one of them.
Etienne, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, was named co-Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference (sharing with Houston guard Quentin Grimes) on Wednesday in a vote by coaches. He is the fifth Shocker to win a conference's top individual honor and the first in Wichita State's four seasons in the American. He is the second to do so as a sophomore, joining VanVleet in 2013-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The list of Shocker sophomores to earn a first-team all-conference spot is also exclusive, populated by names such as Cleo Littleton, Dave Stallworth, Warren Jabali and Xavier McDaniel.
Etienne enters the AAC Championships averaging 17.1 points and 2.6 assists. He shoots 40 percent from three-point range and plays 33.8 minutes a game, fourth in the conference.
"He's a weapon," coach
Isaac Brown said in February. "He just put the work in this summer. The kid is always the first guy in the gym and the last guy to leave. He is constantly working on his ball-handling. He is constantly working on his body."
His off-court influence is also striking.
Etienne embraced the challenge of returning to Wichita State during a tumultuous off-season. When things got more tumultuous in the fall, he embraced his role as leader and told everyone to ignore the turmoil and take the Shockers seriously.
"You're going to get what Shocker fans expect to get from their teams, despite everything that's going on," Etienne said early in the season. "None of us have lost our talent, our athleticism, or our intelligence. So, we'll go out there and play and as everything starts to get underway, we'll be ready to produce."
Conference player of the year
| F Antoine Carr (Sr.) |
1982-83 |
MVC |
| F Xavier McDaniel (Jr.) |
1983-84 |
MVC |
| F Xavier McDaniel (Sr.) |
1984-85 |
MVC |
| C Paul Miller (Sr.) |
2005-06 |
MVC |
| G Fred VanVleet (Soph.) |
2013-14 |
MVC |
| G Fred VanVleet (Sr.) |
2015-16 |
MVC |
| G Tyson Etienne (Soph.) |
2020-21 |
AAC (co-POY) |
Etienne, from Englewood, N.J., put himself on this track long ago with his serious approach to basketball and his conditioning, strength and diet. In a program where work outside of practice is largely a norm, he stood out for morning workouts and a desire to shoot in an empty gym.
"I want to play a lot of years in this game, so I'm trying to take of my body as much as possible, however I have to do that," he said early in his freshman season. "I'm always asking questions. I've met good people along my journey. I put together a routine from that. It's nothing elaborate, just what I need at this point."
He made an immediate impression on teammate
Dexter Dennis, who was used to freshmen fatigue easily during their first college workouts.
"Most freshmen come in and they're out of shape," Dennis said in February. "He had one of the best first workouts I've ever seen. It was incredible to watch."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
