The RoundHouse | 1/13/2023 10:07:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Walk-ons know each other and there is, even when wearing enemy colors, a bond. Most of them are on the roster to practice hard and finish blowouts.
When one of them rises above that role, people notice.
"I get 'You're playing well,' and 'Dang, you're cold' from some walk-ons at the other schools," Wichita State
Melvion Flanagan said.
Flanagan, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, is impossible to miss in recent Wichita State basketball games.
The Shockers (8-8, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) play Tulsa (4-11, 0-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+) at Koch Arena.
He scored a season-high 16 points to help the Shockers win at USF 70-66 on Sunday. He scored 13 of those points in the second half while Wichita State rallied from a 14-point deficit. He made back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Shockers within 61-59 with 3:47 to play.
Flanagan averages 9.3 points in eight games and reached double figures the past three. He is 15 of 31 from three-point range and shooting 50 percent from the field. He made his first impression with 14 points in an 81-63 win over Longwood (Va.) in early December.
"As soon as he got out there, we picked up the tempo," teammate
Craig Porter Jr. said. "He got us going, whether it be getting baskets, getting steals. He just brought the energy."
That first impression – energy, fearless shooting, step-backs and hesitation moves – remains fresh.
"A big-time spark off the bench," coach
Isaac Brown said. "Every day in practice, no matter what team he's on, that team has a chance to win because of his energy and the way he can make shots."
Fans love the walk-on story and Shockers such as Lance Harris, Cameron Ledford, Zach Bush and J.R. Simon became important parts of the team fabric over the years. Flanagan is doing something different with his scoring and he knows fans love his enthusiasm and style.
"That's exciting, because I'm just a walk-on, and nobody thinks I can do this," he said. "It makes me feel like I'm helping the team get to where we need to be and where we want to go. A spark."
Flanagan's unique jump shot, which starts in front of his head, gathers, and features a prominent leg drive, adds to his appeal. He said he shot something closer to a set shot before his sophomore year at Peabody Magnet School in Alexandria, La.
"(My coach) told me I needed a jump shot," Flanagan said. "He told me I was so little. Now I shoot from the face, a front-face shot, and I kick my legs out. I got it from another former player at Peabody. He had a jump shot like that."
He honed it on the portable hoop on Shady Lane outside his house.
"I was always able to make shots," he said. "I did all my craft on my street. When you work on it so much it just becomes a habit."
Flanagan's shot-making habits are putting him in a role his fellow walk-ons envy.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
