Men's Basketball | 2/26/2025 8:01:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
January is mostly forgotten around Wichita State basketball because the Shockers are unbeaten in February.
That miserable first month of 2025 is also faded because coach
Paul Mills treated it like just another 31 days to get better at basketball. The Shockers went 1-7 in January, and nobody remembers the coach doing anything notable other than what he always does.
"It's an everyday thing," guard
Bijan Cortes said. "Every single day we had something to look forward to in the film room, something to get better at. His believing helped us a lot."
The Shockers are 6-0 in February with three road wins and a home win over then-No. 14 Memphis. Wichita State (17-10, 7-7 American Athletic Conference) meets UAB (18-9, 11-3) at 8 p.m. Thursday (ESPNU) at Koch Arena.
That's not to say Mills didn't raise his voice in practice, reduce playing time or deliver hard truths in video sessions. He probably hit his frustration peak during a Jan. 6 home loss to USF, during which he broke two clipboards in the huddle early in the game.
In general, his mood stayed steady. He focused on solutions, the daily grind of drills and practice and scouting reports. Frustration and anger, he will say, are wastes of time.
"The only thing I kept telling the players was 'Keep the faith,'" Mills said. "These are one- and two-possession games. Let's find a way."
Ask that question to people around the program and they use words such as "even-keeled," and "positive" to describe his manner. They don't remember much other than the usual routine.
Finding that way meant focusing on defense, especially at the three-point line, and rebounding. Five January opponents shot 40 percent or better on three-pointers. In February, WSU held four of the six opponents under 25 percent.
"That month of January was very tough for us," guard
Xavier Bell said. "He's a solutions guy, identify problems and address them. We had a lot of very tough, connected, team conversations. We needed those moments."
The Shockers slowed the tempo on offense and Mills calls more plays from the bench to exploit matchups and utilize skills.
Those are the solutions the Shockers worked out through the difficult January.
"What moron can't point out problems?" Mills said. "We're not here to whine and cry about whatever it is that's going on. It's a different caliber of person who can find solutions."
Play harder. Get to shooters before they get comfortable in their shooting motion. Lean into strengths such as drawing fouls, offensive rebounds and pressuring the basket on offense.
As those things worked, players bought in more and more. Mills and his coaches gave them a plan. As the plan succeeded, the Shockers committed more and more to those strategies.
"He just gave us confidence that 'We're going through a losing streak, but we believe we have the players in the locker room to get it done,'" forward
Ronnie DeGray III said. "He always believed."
Wichita State started to turn its season around with a 66-58 win at Charlotte on Feb. 4. They held the 49ers to 25-percent three-point shooting and outrebounded them by 10. They avenged the home loss to USF with a 75-70 win in which they outscored the Bulls 24-2 in second-chance points.
Throughout the losing streak, Bell said, Mills emphasized the process of working in practice and video sessions. The Shockers started to see it pay off on that road trip.
"A very calm, process-driven individual," Bell said, "The big thing he kept stressing is keep showing up, keep doing the little things."
The Shockers gritted out a win over UTSA. Then they bought a bunch of credibility with an 84-79 win over then-No. 14 Memphis. They trailed by eight in the second half, by four with 38 seconds to play in regulation and by four early in overtime. Wichita State finished overtime on a 13-5 run, keyed by Cortes' three-pointer for a 78-77 lead.
Wins over FAU and Tulane followed. Mills resolutely refused to call any of the wins a big one or a season-changer.
"I'm so robotic after the game – I know exactly what I'm doing and I know how long it's going to take," he said. "You don't think much of it, win or lose. You approach it. You do it."
That would disrupt the process. There is always another solution needed for the next game.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
