Men's Basketball | 3/6/2026 2:33:00 PM
Â
Â
Â
By
Paul Suellentrop
Â
Explaining
Kenyon Giles with numbers misses the point about how he helped revive Wichita State basketball.
The stats don't show his confidence, his audacious shot-making, his ball-handling skills and the vibe he sends to his teammates. They can't capture the moment of panic in a defender's mind when he realizes he gave Giles a split-second opening. It is difficult to assign a number to watching him battle a bigger player on defense before forcing a jump-ball or flicking away his dribble to create a turnover.
Numbers certainly fail to recreate his four-play at ECU, or his last-second jumper at ECU. Or - sorry, Pirates - the two free throws he made in the second overtime to wrap up a 92-89 win. The box score doesn't bring to life dagger three-pointers that put away UAB and Memphis.
The steal and layup that beat USF in overtime? Watch the highlights to appreciate that moment.
Numbers don't remind us how fans light up when Giles starts his shooting motion well beyond the three-point arc. Or document the people who went to work and said "Hey, that guy is really fun to watch." Or the kids who want to wear their own No. 1 jersey.
However, the numbers do tell us, start to finish, how Giles' skills help the Shockers win and how his season will be remembered.
The Shockers wrap up the regular season vs. FAU at 3 p.m., Saturday (ESPNU) and then head to post-season play.
Â
Giles by the numbers:
101 – WSU season-record for three-pointers made
Â
268 – WSU season-record for three-pointers attempted, sixth nationally this season
16 – Games of 20 or more points, fourth most by a Shocker
12 – 20-plus points in conference games, second behind Xavier McDaniel's 15
10 – 27 games scoring 10 or more points
6 – 20-plus points in six straight games, fifth-longest streak in Shocker history
35.5 – minutes per game, No. 35 nationally
7 – Games playing 40 or more minutes
3.40 – Threes made per game, 11
th nationally this season (WSU season mark is 2.95 by Tyson Etienne in 2020-21)
Â
8 – Threes made vs. UAB, one behind WSU's record of nine by Jason Perez in 2000
3 – Players in the nation with 100 threes, 40 assists and 40 steals
2 – 30-point games this season, most since Markis McDuffie also had two in 2018-19
14-14 – Free throws in the final five minutes and overtime of games with a final margin within 10 points
15-17 – Free throws made in 11 road games
Â
21.6 – Scoring average in American Conference games
20.8 – Scoring average in 16 home games
18.4 – Scoring average in 11 road games
Â
38.6 – Three-point percentage in road games
6 – Road games with 22 or more points
6 – Games with 18 or more points in the second half
7 – Games with three or more steals
7 – Games with three assists
Â
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Â
Â
