The RoundHouse | 11/18/2024 7:46:00 AM
Listen to a podcast with Wichita State's Matej Bosnjak
By Paul Suellentrop
Whether joking or not, Wichita State coaches and teammates got the message across to
Matej Bosnjak.
Shoot the basketball. And they meant it.
"Sometimes you can get in your own head, thinking about the game too much," Bosnjak said. "You need to play the game off skill and instinct. The entire team told me the same thing – they have confidence in me."
Bosnjak, a 6-foot-9 center from Croatia, listened. He scored nine points on 4-of-8 shooting in last week's win over Northern Iowa. In his first two games as a Shocker, he took five shots and scored five points.
Matej Bosnjak
"He had to take five shots in the first half, or he wasn't going to play in the second," coach
Paul Mills said after the win over the Panthers.
Bosnjak is an excellent passer. Mills praised his ability to attract defenders and hit open teammates with a well-placed pass after the wins over Western Kentucky and Montana State.
Bosnjak knew the Shockers needed him to score. If he hesitated as part of making the move to college basketball, his teammates reminded him.
"He's a real threat down there," guard
Justin Hill said. "He can pass really well, but we've been trying to tell him to look for your own shot first."
Wichita State (3-0) plays Monmouth (0-4) at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Monday) at Koch Arena.
Bosnjak wants to play with that balance – unselfish and a scorer. Against the Panthers, he scored on nifty post moves and bank shots. Mills wants him to remember his scoring will make him a better passer. He recorded three assists at Western Kentucky and one in each of the next two games.
"I'm most happy when everybody is touching the ball and everybody is getting their shots," he said. "If somebody double teams me, that's a sign of respect. To get those double teams and get the attention of the defense, you have to score."
Bosnjak is already showing solid aptitude in the rest of the game. He seems to be in the right place defensively and communicates well. Opponents who try to back him down in the post are met with a wall.
He shows off his smarts in other ways. Against the Panthers, he sprinted the court after a Shocker rebound while Hill dribbled. Bosnjak pinned a defender on his back in the lane, which helped clear a path for Hill to score.
"I've talked a lot with (assistant coach)
Quincy Acy the past couple of weeks and he always tells me I need to get a couple of easy buckets sometimes with a seal in transition, offensive rebounds, whatever," Bosnjak said. "That's what it's all about."
Bosnjak is in his first weeks of figuring out what basketball at Wichita State is all about. Adding scoring to his game is a development his coaches and teammates are confident will continue to pay off.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
