The RoundHouse | 12/30/2022 11:12:00 AM
Shamaryah Duncan played 15 minutes a game last season for Wichita State, which put her in the mood to prove people wrong.
When she says "people," she means her coaches. By proving them "wrong," she means doing the work to earn more playing time.
"I wanted to prove that they recruited me for a reason, and I wanted to show them what I could do on the court, produce like I'm supposed to," Duncan said.
Duncan, a 5-foot-11 forward, is in the process of doing that and her minutes show the progression. She started all 10 games in which she has played for the Shockers (10-3) and averages 27.8 minutes a game.
Wichita State opens American Athletic Conference play against Cincinnati (7-6) at on Friday (6 p.m. ESPN+) at Koch Arena.
"She had a great summer – worked out all summer," Wichita State coach
Keitha Adams said. "She was really consistent. That set things up for her to have a good year."
The summer consisted of weights, conditioning, and skills work.
Colin Corcoran, associate head strength and conditioning coach, challenged Duncan to win every sprint. Cone drills and footwork practice on the track helped. One-legged jumps boosted her strength. Corcoran varied the workouts to hold off boredom. She shot 500 times a day six or seven days a week. After those workouts, she put in more time with a personal trainer.
"Consistency is key – I kept doing that the whole summer and it shows," she said. "My first step is quicker. I feel like I can jump higher. I just feel really good all-around, thanks to Colin."
Perhaps most important, Duncan believed the work would pay off. She saw a path to more playing time and went full speed in that pursuit. While she worked out in previous summers – she is in her third season at WSU – this one felt different.
"I was more of like 'I can't do this,' doubting myself, and 'I don't know if I'm even going to play,'" she said. "I didn't let this bother me this summer. That's the difference."
The result of that work is Duncan growing in a player that Adams wants on the court because she produces on both ends.
Duncan, a sophomore from Waco, Texas, often guards the opposing top scorer. She averages 8.6 points and 2.3 rebounds a game and is shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range.
"She's risen to the occasion," teammate
DJ McCarty said. "She's probably our top defender, locking down the best player. She's very talkative and very goofy, so that picks up the energy in practice when we're down a little bit."
Duncan gets her attention to defense from her Toronal Duncan, her father. He coached her as a youngster and emphasized the importance of contributing without scoring.
"That's the first thing he taught me," she said. "I learned defense before I even learned offense, and it shows. I really like that challenge. I know how important it is to stop their top scorer."
Duncan also gets her dance skills from her father and Adams calls her the best dancer on the team.
"I'm always dancing," she said. "If I'm not dancing, then something is wrong with me. I'm sad or mad or something. It's just naturally in me, something I got from my dad."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
