Podcast with Wichita State men's assistant coach Kenton Paulino
By
Paul Suellentrop
Offensive improvement can come in many forms. Both Wichita State basketball teams plan to put basketballs in baskets with more frequency this season, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes with more good things happening before the shot.
Better shooters are always the first step, but offensive improvement can also happen with better defense, better passing and better rebounding. Preseason talk from coaches is usually focused on defense. And while Wichita State coaches
Paul Mills and
Terry Nooner emphasize stopping opponents, Thursday's media day featured frequent acknowledgments both Shocker teams need to improve on offense.
Mills mentions perimeter shooting as his men's team's top area of improvement over last season. The Shockers, who ranked ninth in the American Conference in scoring (74 points) and last in three-point shooting (30.5 percent), want to improve in several areas to make scoring easier. WSU went 19-15 last season and played in the NIT. It is picked fifth in the conference preseason poll.
Guards
Kenyon Giles, a member of the preseason all-conference team,
Michael Gray Jr., and
Brian Amuneke should help the shooting, as should other candidates. New Shocker big men
Will Berg and
Emmanuel Okorafor could boost the offense with their passing and size. Improved depth should help all of that and more.
"The focus every day is 'Are we doing the things that I believe are going to win basketball games?'" Mills said Thursday. "Rebounding the ball. Taking care of the ball. Sharing the ball. Doing that with people that are committed to doing the right things. I've seen that."
Wichita State's women's team is leaning on the new backcourt combination of
Abby Cater and
Jaila Harding to help an attack that ranked 11
th in the American in scoring (62.1 points) and 11
th in field goal percentage (37.7 percent) last season. The Shockers went 10-22 last season and are picked 12
th in the preseason poll in the 13-school conference.
"We wanted to bring in players who fit our core values," said Nooner, the Shocker women's coach. "Then you talked about the skill set. Outside shooting, rebounding, it was finishing in the paint."
Cater and Harding quickly saw how they worked together in the summer. Harding, who made 35.7 percent of her threes at New Mexico State last season, is a shooter who know how to find open spots. Cater made 52 percent of her two-point shots at Austin Peay and ranked second on the team in steals with 41. Together, Nooner sees them as a combo that turn opponents over and score in the lane or from the outside.
Taya Davis adds to the backcourt as a pass-first point.
"Two different types of guards that play off each other very well," Nooner said. "They don't take bad shots. They don't force things. Abby is somebody who can create and get in the passing lanes, get steals and go score. If she draws two defenders, you have Jaila spotted up and ready to knock down a shot."
Wichita State defeated Newman 96-49 in its exhibition game. While the opponents will improve significantly over the season, the pace and shooting displayed in that game are representative of how Nooner wants to play.
"We'll run the floor very well," Cater said. "Getting it off steals, fast breaks – I think that will be really good and really useful for us."
Cater and Harding developed a chemistry through practices.
"We got really close off the court, and I think that helps," Harding said. "She is very aggressive attacking the rim. She does a very good job of finding me when I'm open."
The men's team also has a new backcourt. Giles, Gray and Amuneke are counted on for shooting.
Dre Kindell, a transfer from Barton Community College, is the backcourt's speedy pest. He struggled in a scrimmage against Drake, his first competition against NCAA Division I talent. His decisions and pace against Santa Clara in a scrimmage a week later improved.
Giles said Kindell's improvement is a result of playing better defense. Mills tasked Kindell with applying full-court pressure on ballhandlers, starting with denying an easy pass to the point guard after a rebound to disrupt the offense.
"When he does that, his swag goes up," Giles said. "You can see his joy for the game. The Drake scrimmage was like 'OK, I'm here.' Santa Clara was 'I can do something.'"
Mills said Kindell's assist-to-turnover ratio rose since the Drake scrimmage.
"The game slowed down for me," Kindell said. "Each game I'm going to improve. I don't have to play as fast. I can play under control and still get off all things I need to. I can still play my game."
The Shockers surged late in the season as their defense and rebounding improved. They finished fourth in the American in defensive efficiency, second in offensive rebound percentage and first in defensive rebound percentage.
Berg and Okorafor are charged with helping to maintain those numbers, while giving the Shockers a new look on offense.
Quincy Ballard, who transferred to Mississippi State, excelled at dunks and blocked shots last season. He was not a threat to score in the post and his limited passing skills made it difficult for offense to run through him.
Berg and Okorafor may not supply as many highlights. Their skills can contribute to good offense that spreads the court and involves all five players.
"We have more of an interior presence, simply because there's more depth there," Mills said. "They can be pressure releases, whereas in previous years they couldn't be pressure releases. We couldn't just throw it to a (center) at the top of the key and then have other action behind, because that guy is allowed to be a decision-maker. We can play through Will. We can play through Emmanuel and that's different."
Both Shocker basketball teams look much different this season. Both coaches hope that extends to their look and performance on offense.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit
GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
