The RoundHouse | 10/4/2023 1:37:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Antwain Scales wanted his young basketball players to see a big stage and understand what is possible with hard work. He brought those teams to Wichita State basketball games as often as possible.
 
Tre'Zure Jobe wanted those same things. She remembers watching the Shockers of around 2008 and soaking in the atmosphere. She celebrated a birthday at Koch Arena. She paid special attention to her favorite Shocker - Kyrie Kinder, who did her student teaching at Jobe's elementary school.
 

"I was just in awe the whole time, wanting to get autographs, get my T-shirt signed, get my little ball signed," Jobe said. "I got to take it to school the next day and show all my friends."
 
Starting soon, Jobe is that Shocker who young fans can watch at Koch Arena. That is also what she wants.
 
"I hope to set a good example that it's OK to recruit locally," she said. "Growing up here in this city, being able to play for my hometown, I hope the little girl who's in middle school and coming to the games has the same ambition as me to come play here."
 
Jobe, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, is a newcomer this season after earning honorable mention WBCA All-American honors in 2021 and 2023 for NCAA Division II Emporia State. She starred on two Class 6A championship teams for Scales at Wichita South High School.
 
Both Shocker basketball teams make their public debut with new coaches at Shocker Madness on Saturday (6 p.m.) at Koch Arena. Women's coach Terry Nooner expects fans will get at least a taste of Jobe's many skills in advance of a Nov. 1 exhibition game vs. Missouri Southern. The first item on display will likely be her ability to score in the lane, from medium distance and from behind the three-point line."
 
"She's an elite point guard," Nooner said. "She plays at her own pace. A complete offensive juggernaut, which is why I think so many people were vying to get her."
 
Jobe settled on Wichita State over Missouri for many reasons.
 
The lure of playing at home and setting an example intrigued her. She majored in business management at Emporia State and started her MBA. Transferring to Wichita State allowed her to finish that MBA this spring with an eye on working in human resources.
 
Playing for Scales and finishing her career with the coach who helped at the start seemed logical and comfortable. He started coaching Jobe as a 4-year-old playing on a 5-year-old team and quickly learned she took basketball seriously. He credits her parents with raising a student who set goals and helping her with basketball trainers.
 
"She was always the kid that stayed after and wanted to work on her game," Scales said. "She is very detail-oriented and driven. "She's one of those that is going to read the fine print. It might take her 10 minutes to read a document."
 
Nooner's personality and attentiveness completed the package.
 

Nooner, as an assistant at Kansas, watched Jobe in exhibitions and scrimmages against the Jayhawks. That helped him demonstrate his knowledge of her game and areas to improve.
 
"He always kept in touch, always checking in," she said. "Always reassuring me that I was a priority. That was a big thing for me. Getting to know who he was outside of the court, his family, and things like that."
 
Nooner wanted to sign Jobe first to emphasize the importance he places on Kansas recruits. She joins Kapaun Mount Carmel's Ella Anciaux, a junior center, on the roster.
 
"We want to make sure that we do the best job we can to try to keep the kids who want to stay home, stay home," Nooner said. "She's a local legend. They love her on the court. They love her off the court."

Nooner envisions Jobe playing with returner DJ McCarty to give the Shockers two strong ball-handlers at guard. She is working on extending the range on her jump shot, which Nooner feels is crucial to opening space for other Shockers. Over the summer, Nooner often finished practice by rebounding and passing to Jobe as she worked on shooting two or three steps behind the three-point line.
 
"There's going to be a game where she dribbles up and hits a deep three and wins a game for us," Nooner said.
 
That is the kind of moment a young girl watching from the stands will remember.
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.