The RoundHouse | 3/2/2023 9:10:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Perhaps the remainder of the season will enhance the legacy of
Craig Porter Jr. at Wichita State. It's March, and wins are remembered fondly as the season winds down.
The outcome of those games won't change the substance of Porter's contribution over the past three seasons.
"He really stood up," teammate
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler said.
Porter helped the Shockers through a series of difficult tests and showcased the value of versatility as a shot-blocking terror at point guard. Porter, a senior from Terre Haute, Ind., grew from a newcomer who rarely shot in 2020-21 to the team's most veteran presence and well-rounded performer.
"It's not necessarily the prettiest, I may not have the best scoring abilities, but I just want (fans) to know that this place is like home to me," he said. "I tried to lay everything out there for the fans and for my team."
Poor Bear-Chandler compares Porter's leadership to what he watched in 2019 as a freshman. Senior Markis McDuffie helped a team with eight newcomers survive ups and downs and finish the season in the NIT Final Four.
"Craig sets the standard every practice," Poor-Bear Chandler said. "I've never seen him not play as harder than anybody."
The Shockers (15-13, 8-8 American Athletic Conference) play at No. 1 Houston (27-2, 15-1) at 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2).
Craig Porter Jr.
Porter is the guiding presence and solid, often spectacular, leader on a team with 11 newcomers. As teammates from 2021 AAC champions departed, Porter remained. He spent the summer preparing to take on more leadership by using his voice, holding teammates accountable for effort and technique. He worked on his shooting and is excellent in the mid-range, good around the basket and an improved threat behind the arc. He can overwhelm smaller defenders with his post moves.
Wichita State's rise in scoring is a tribute to Porter's ability to run the break, often featuring him rebounding and passing the ball up court for easy shots.
"He's the heart and soul of our team," coach
Isaac Brown said. "For him to come back when everybody put their names in the portal, and just to trust the process, to believe in our team, has made it an unbelievable season with him running the show."
Porter is familiar with the Shockers 1980's slogan "Mental Toughness Xtra Effort" from the throwback uniforms wore in recent seasons and feels that fits his style.
"I'm one of those players who's going to go out there every day and work hard," he said. "MTXE – that's what I try to represent."
Porter is coming off his first "triple-double" with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Sunday's win at Tulane, the 12
th in Shocker history and first since Fred VanVleet in 2015.
Porter averages 12.9 points and leads the team with averages of 6.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals.
"He stepped it up," Brown said. "He had to be the captain of his team, and he's done a really great job of running this basketball team through some tough times, some tough losses, bringing these guys together, fighting back, and being able to go on the road and get some hard-fought wins."
Porter learned to contribute without scoring in high school and embraced that role. A growth spurt helped shape his career.
"Going into my freshman year, I was, I think about 5-0, 5-1, if I'm being generous," he said in 2021.
As a senior, Porter led Terre Haute South in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals on his way to a spot on the 15-man Indiana Basketball Coaches Association's Senior All-State Team.
While he also averaged 15 points, he ceded the team's scoring lead to a a teammate. Porter led the team by taking on all the other duties.
"He's just such a coachable kid," Terre Haute South coach Maynard Lewis said in 2021. "He listens. He just wanted to fill in those gaps."
Porter's versatility puts him in a strong statistical company for his variety of accomplishments.
- Since assists became a common statistic in the 1960's, Dave Stallworth (1965), Warren Armstrong (1966-68) and Jason Perez (1999-2000) led the Shockers in rebounds and assists.
- P.J. Cousinard (2006) is the lone Shocker to lead the team in blocks (a stat kept since 1971), assists and steals.
- Porter is the first Shocker to record at least six assists in six straight games.
- He is on track to become the fifth NCAA Division I player in the past 30 years to average more than 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals.
- He joins a list with Gene Wiley (1961-62), Stallworth (1965), Armstrong (1965-1968), Terry Benton (1972) and VanVleet (2015) with triple-doubles as a Shocker.
For a guard who takes so much pride in blocking shots, rebounding and defending, the triple-double is a fitting addition to his legacy.
"My first few years of college, I wasn't always the guy who was going to go out there and give you 30 points," he said. "But I will give you a bunch of rebounds. I'll play defense the whole game. Play point guard."
Porter will do all that and more. His place in Shocker history as a do-it-all guard who can match highlights with the big names is secure.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
