The RoundHouse | 1/14/2022 3:43:00 PM

 
The 2018-19 Shockers endured tough times before succeeding. Their path is one the current Wichita State basketball team will study.
 
The 2018-19 Shockers – recovering from the loss of two NBA players and six seniors – started 1-6 in American Athletic Conference play, part of a stretch in which its lost seven of eight games, five by 11 points or more.
 
Shockers coach Isaac Brown served as an assistant on that team.
 
"I tell them those stories, about how those guys never quit," Brown said after Wednesday's 68-67 loss to Tulane. "They kept battling. Those guys made it to the NIT Final Four. You've got to come to practice every day ready to get better."
 
While the comparison to the current Shockers isn't perfect, there are similarities. Wichita State (9-6 overall) is 0-3 in the American entering Sunday's game against Cincinnati (noon, ESPN) at Koch Arena. The Bearcats (12-5, 2-2) are in the first season under coach Wes Miller.
 
The 2018-19 Shockers turned their season around in ways that are relatable to the current team.  While the 2019 Shockers possessed less experience than the 2021 team, it did benefit from the experience of seniors Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones and the addition of center Jaime Echenique, who became the first Colombian-born person to play in the NBA earlier this season. With McDuffie and Haynes-Jones providing leadership, the Shockers kept improving on defense, simplified their offense and played more unselfishly over the season's final two months.
 
Helped by an easier schedule, they went 9-2 to finish the regular season before winning two games in the AAC Tournament. They went on the road to beat Furman, Clemson and Indiana before losing to Lipscomb in the NIT semifinal.
 
Cutting down on turnovers played a major role in that improvement. So did stronger defense over the season's final two months.
 
After averaging 14.5 turnovers – and twice hitting 20 or more – in the first seven AAC games, the Shockers averaged 9.4 over the remaining 14 games in conference play and the AAC Tournament. Wichita State slowed its pace and used ball screens to take advantage of rolling big men Echenique and Asbjorn Midtgaard. Point guard Jamarius Burton grew into that role as the season progressed.
 
According to Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency statistics, nine of Wichita State's top 11 defensive performances came in February and March.  
 
The current Shockers also got hit by a tough early schedule, facing Memphis and No. 12 Houston early, in addition to a red-hot Tulane team while missing starters Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze. Three of their next four opponents are in the Pomeroy top 100.
 
The 2018-19 team proved that a tough stretch isn't always doom. The conference season is long and most teams will go through ups and downs. In 2019, the Shockers kept working and finished strong. So did the 2009 Shockers, who started 0-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference before winning six of their next seven games.
 
Most of the issues for the current Shockers arise from turnovers and shooting woes that create scoring droughts and contributed to lost leads against Kansas State, North Texas and Tulane. That puts a lot of pressure on a defense that has generally been a bright spot.
 
"Teams that make it through these stretches, they clean up their mistakes," Brown said. "They stay together."
 
It won't be as easy as counting wins from previous seasons in the media guide, but the Shockers do know a season can change trajectory.
 
"I know the guys in our locker room, I know the guys in the office, we don't give up," guard Tyson Etienne said. "As long as everybody who comes to Charles Koch Arena every single day and goes to practice and works hard, as long as we believe, we're going to be all right. We have to believe in each other. That's it."
 
While the 2019 Shockers benefited from Burton and Haynes-Jones growing into the job at point, Craig Porter Jr., provides flashes of establishing himself as a scoring threat and leader of the offense. He scored a career-high 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds and four steals and handed out four assists against Tulane. In his past six games, he has 25 assists and seven turnovers.
 
"Craig did a tremendous job," Brown said. "He got to the rim. He got guys wide-open shots. He did a great job on defense."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.