The RoundHouse | 11/22/2024 12:16:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wichita State's Joy Ighovodja departed his meeting with coach Paul Mills last spring with a clarity he appreciated.
 
"He knew what I needed to be a better player," Ighovodja said. "Coach Mills is not the kind of person who is going to be cutting corners. That's the best thing you can ever have as a coach – he tells what you need to do to get better. Then it's up to you whether you want to take it serious or not."
 
Ighovodja, a sophomore from Abeokuta, Nigeria, will get chances to show his improvement as the Shockers start a crucial stretch to their schedule. WSU (4-0) plays Saint Louis (2-1) at 9:30 p.m. Friday (tonight) in Kansas City in the Hall of Fame Classic. Next week, the Shockers meet Minnesota and either No. 21 Florida or Wake Forest in the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla.
 
The Shockers need new contributions and new lineups with forward Ronnie DeGray III sidelined four-to-six weeks with a fractured wrist. DeGray, a 6-foot-6 senior, averages 5.3 rebounds, second on the team, and leads the Shockers with 11 offensive rebounds. That is a significant loss for a team that Mills acknowledges need to improve its rebounding.

Monmouth grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, almost 30 percent of available, three more than the Shockers. Mills wants the Shockers to rebound missed shots at around 80 percent.
 
"Seventy percent rebound rate isn't going to kill Capone," Mills said. "We've got to be a lot better."
 
Ighovodja, a 6-foot-4 guard, can be part of the solution as defender and shooter who earns the Shockers rebounds and loose balls with hustle. He played a season-high seven minutes, after DeGray went to the bench, in Monday's win over Monmouth and grabbed two rebounds.
 
"He needs to be disruptive defensively," Mills said. "He's a great rebounder. We had a situation (against Monmouth) where just his ability to go get an offensive rebound required the other team to foul him, because his momentum was pretty good."
 
Ighovodja played in 13 games last season, highlighted by seven points and five rebounds in an 88-69 win over Saint Louis in the Myrtle Beach Invitational. This season, he wants to contribute when called upon. He worked to improve his three-point shooting, his understanding of WSU's spacing on offense and his defense over the off-season.
 
"I'm a competitor," he said. "When my name is called, I need to be ready."
 
Mills describes him as a potential "Three-and-D" player – a good defender who can make outside shots. Those roles tap into the energy Ighovodja is known for bringing to practices.
 
"I believe energy is contagious," Ighovodja said. "If you're out there hustling, you can make other guys on the floor do more, because they see you go hard. You help the other guys go if you're going so hard that they want to be the same."
 
To replace DeGray, who averages 7.3 points, Mills will add minutes for forward Corey Washington and center Matej Bosnjak. Center Quincy Ballard is expected to play against Saint Louis after missing Monday's game with a sprained ankle.
 
While he isn't as big or experienced as DeGray, Ighovodja possesses the height and length to help at several positions.
 
"He's a good athlete and he will provide great energy," Mills said. "He needs to do some of the things that Ronnie did. We need him to do a great job on the glass and knock down a good percentage of open threes."
 
Mills is eager to see how the Shockers perform over the next three games. The first four featured two teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament (at Western Kentucky and Montana State) and UNI, all picked first or second in their conference preseason polls. This stretch will offer more significant obstacles.
 
"We're going to emerge better no matter what happens," Mills said. "You have to play a challenging schedule and I'm excited to watch guys shoulder bigger loads and be able to take on more and be able to perform."
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.