The RoundHouse | 12/13/2022 12:25:00 PM
It is early in the work of the 200 Shot Club at Wichita State. If the club is a success, its members will want to remain in, even if they outgrow the urgency to fulfill its requirements.
About two weeks ago, Wichita State basketball coach
Isaac Brown advised some of his struggling shooters to shoot 200 shots of all type outside of practice. Shockers such as
Jaron Pierre Jr.,
Kenny Pohto,
James Rojas,
Xavier Bell and
Shammah Scott – players who want to shoot threes in games – need to improve to retain that privilege.
After a poor three-point shooting performance at Kansas State, Wichita State responded with its best accuracy of the season in Saturday's 81-63 win over Longwood. The Shockers made 13 of 31 three-pointers.
"Any time you're struggling to shoot the ball from the three-point line, you've got to put in more work," Brown said. "It's not going to change. The basketball gods aren't going to let it change. You've got to get in the gym."
To provide a bit more statistical backing, the Shockers are 29 of 80 – 36.2 percent – over their past three games. That has raised the season percentage to 30 percent from behind the arc. Two-point percentage is also improving – better than 50 percent in each of the past three games. Brown likes what he is seeing before and after practice and he likes the trend.
"Guys are putting in more and more time," he said. "We tell these guys every day in practice that you dictate the amount of minutes they play. If you're not playing the number of minutes you want to play, you need to have a good practice. Continue to work."
Wichita State (5-4) plays Mississippi Valley State (1-9) at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) on Tuesday at Koch Arena.
Pierre is the standout member of the club in its infancy. He scored a season-high 20 points against Longwood on 8-of-17 shooting 3 of 8 from three-point range.
Melvion Flanagan, who scored a season-high 14 points and made 4 of 7 threes vs. Longwood, isn't a member of the 200 club. He is a Shocker who Brown said he regularly notices putting in extra shooting.
"Coach Brown wants us to get our percentages up," Pierre said. "You shoot those 200 attempts every day and your (makes) will go up. We took pride in it, so every day after practice we're doing it."
Practice helps shooting. So does getting newcomers more comfortable in the offense. Against Longwood, the Shockers benefitted from defensive stops that turned into layups and other open shots. Flanagan's pressure on the ball and changing defenses disrupted Longwood after the Lancers built a 17-8 lead in the first half. The Shockers turned that around to lead 43-29 at halftime.
"For 10 minutes, we played really well, and it started with
Melvion Flanagan coming in, picking the ball up full court," Brown said. "(Then) everybody else getting up the line, creating turnovers, being able to get out in transition to get some easy baskets, and then guys stepping up making wide-open threes."
For a team that needs scoring, Pierre offers the potential to help in many ways. He can drive to the basket and handle the ball on the perimeter. His enthusiasm is also an asset, especially as his shot selection improves.
"We like to put him on the point guard because he's got good size at 6-foot-5," Brown said. "He can make shots, he has a lot of confidence, he's one of those guys that feels like he's the best player on the floor no matter who we're playing, and he's driving the basketball right now. He's just got to continue to take good shots, continue to make wide-open threes, and try to get out in transition to get easy baskets."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
