The RoundHouse | 11/4/2025 10:09:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wichita State coach Paul Mills mentioned the defensive risks of playing two small guards frequently on Tuesday. It concerned him so much he kept much of his plan vanilla in scrimmages against Drake and Santa Clara to avoid tipping opponents.
 
The Shockers handled the defensive test of playing 5-foot-10 Kenyon Giles and 5-foot-11 Dre Kindell satisfactorily in the 75-58 win over UNC Asheville at Koch Arena. On offense, they demonstrated conclusively why playing them together isn't much of a risk at all.
 
Giles scored 20 points, highlighted by the game-turning three-point play with 3:18 to play.
 
"You have to have players who can go get a quality shot," Mills said. "As much as you want your offensive schemes to work, they don't all work. You have to have players."
 
Kindell came off the bench to inject life into Wichita State's offense. He scored 11 points, making 4 of 6 shots, and handed out five assists with one turnover. The Shockers (1-0) ended the game on a 15-2 run during which Giles scored five points and recorded a steal and Kindell added four points, a steal and an assist.
 
 

He's a blur 💨@DreKindell | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/wZvYRs0HFq

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) November 5, 2025

 
 
"Dre was a sparkplug," Mills said. "His impact was instant. The ball started moving. I thought there was energy with the ball."
 
Giles, a transfer from UNC Greensboro, is at Wichita State to score.
 
He averaged 15.3 points last season and made 40.2 percent of his shots. He started the game by bailing the Shockers out of a dwindling shot clock with a three-pointer. He sealed the game with a twisting jumper, drawing a foul, against two bigger defenders off an inbound play. His three-point play pushed the lead to nine points with 3:18 to play and the Bulldogs got no closer.
 
"I make those," he said. "I expect it to go in."

He hit another guarded shot to build the lead to 13 points.

"That's why he's here," Mills said. "He can go get his own shot."

Kindell, a transfer from Barton Community College, is a blur and the Bulldogs (0-1) couldn't keep him from driving into the lane. For much of the first half, WSU's offense stagnated with too much dribbling. Kindell's speed opened things up and he made good decisions after breaking down the defense, highlighted by a bounce pass to Emmanuel Okorafor for a dunk. His steal led to a dunk for Karon Boyd and a 71-56 lead with 1:46 to play.

UNCA tried to create mismatches against Giles and Kindell without much success. The guards battled bigger players to make scoring difficult. The Shockers communicated and hustled through screens and switch suitably sized defenders to protect Giles and Kindell.

The Shockers muddled to a 34-30 halftime lead before their size and depth took over. The Bulldogs finished the game with five turnovers in the final 4:01. Toyaz Solomon, the preseason Big South Player of the Year, dented the Shockers for 10 first-half points and six rebounds. He finished with 14 and seven.

"We got punched in the mouth," Giles said. "We gave up too many rebounds in the first half. That's not who we are."

WSU out-rebounded UNCA 25-11 in the second half, grabbing 12 offensive boards to UNCA's three. The Bulldogs scored 13 second-chance points in the first half, four in the second.

"Energy and effort," Boyd said. "Rebounding wins championships. We came out (after halftime) to make sure it was our goal for no one to get punked on the glass."
 
 

Are you kidding me rn, KG 🤯@Kengocrzzy | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/ughZeygobd

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) November 5, 2025

 
 
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.