Wichita State Athletics

Final Career Summary:
Fundamentally sound big man from Colombia who combined size, skill and an impeccable sense of timing… Second team All-AAC pick as a senior… Averaged 10.1 points and 6.4 rebounds over his two seasons (2018-20)… Junior college transfer from Trinity Valley (Texas), finished his career tied for ninth on WSU’s all-time blocks list (94), despite playing in only 64 games… First Shocker since Antoine Carr (37 years prior) to record at least 40 blocks in consecutive seasons... Helped lead a young Shocker team to the NIT semifinals as a junior… Lone senior on WSU’s 2019-20 team, which rose to No. 16 in the national polls after a 15-1 start but missed out on postseason play after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the AAC and NCAA tournaments… Graduated in May, 2020 with a degree in General Studies – Sociology.

Individual Honors:
2020 -- Second Team All-Conference (AAC)
2020 -- NABC Second Team All-District 24
2x – AAC Weekly Honor Roll (12/17/18, 12/23/19)
2020 -- NABC Honors Court
2020 -- AAC All-Academic Team
2x -- Xavier McDaniel Rebounding Award (2019, 2020)*
2020 -- Ralph Miller Captains Award*
2020 -- Wichita Eagle Team MVP*
2020 -- Shocker Radio Most-Outstanding Defensive Player*
2x – WSU varsity letterman
*=WSU postseason banquet honor

Team Success:
1x – NIT Semifinalist (2019)
 

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2019-20 (Senior):
Second team all-conference pick… NABC second team all-district… WSU’s leading scorer (11.3), rebounder (7.1) and shot-blocker (1.59)… Missed the first four games to a hand injury but returned to play in the final 27 games with 24 starts while clocking an average of 23.4 minutes… Ranked fourth in the AAC and No. 72 nationally in blocks-per-game… On a per-40-minute basis, averaged 19.3 points and 12.1 rebounds… Led the team in plus-minus (+13.8-per-40-minutes)… Key cog in a WSU defense that rated 10^th nationally in defensive efficiency per KenPom’s advanced stats… Individually ranked No. 64 nationally on KenPom’s defensive rebound percentage list (24.6) and 59^th in block percentage (7.67)… Knocked down 80 free throws on 78.4 percent accuracy… Tallied six double-doubles and 28 dunks… Three-time winner of Gregg Marshall’s “Junk Yard Dog” award… Named to the NABC Honors Court (upperclassmen with a cumulative GPA over 3.20)… Voted Team MVP, Most-Outstanding Defensive Player and Most-Improved and also earned WSU’s Ralph Miller Captains Award and the Xavier McDaniel Rebounding Award….Named to the NABC Honors Court (upperclassmen with a 3.20+ cumulative GPA)... AAC All-Academic Team qualifier (3.00+ GPA in 2019-20).
 
Notable Performances:

• Celebrated senior day with 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four steals in a 22-point win over first-place Tulsa (Mar. 8), then knelt to kiss the WuShock logo at center court before exiting for the last time.
• Tied his career-high with 13 rebounds to go with seven points and four blocks as WSU rallied from a 24-point deficit in the final 14 minutes to win at SMU (Mar. 2).
• Scored 14 points and matched his personal-best with 13 rebounds to key a win over Temple (Feb. 27)... Logged his fifth double-double with 10 points, 12 boards and three blocks at Cincinnati (Feb. 23).
• Totaled 20 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals to key a 65-55 win over USF (Feb. 20).
• Logged his third double-double at Tulsa (Feb. 1) with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
• Scored eight points, including a timely dunk with 2:17 to go, to help put away No. 21 Memphis (Jan. 9).
• Dunked three times in the first half and finished with 12 points and six rebounds against Abilene Christian (Dec. 29).
• Shared the team-lead with 14-points to go with six rebounds and three blocks in the win over (rv/25) VCU on Dec. 21.
• Finished with eight points and eight rebounds to key a win over Oklahoma at INTRUST Bank Arena (Dec. 14).
• Battled foul trouble but finished with 13 points in just 10 minutes in a win at (rv/25) Oklahoma State (Dec. 8).
• Season-high 13 points in just 14 minutes against Central Arkansas (Dec. 5).
• Played a career-high 29 minutes and finished with a double-double (11 pts, 11 reb) in the Cancun Challenge championship vs. West Virginia (Nov. 27).
• Missed the first four games due to injury but returned Nov. 23 against Oral Roberts. He dunked twice and tallied five points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks in 11 minutes.
• Missed exactly four weeks after fracturing his left hand during the team’s closed door scrimmage against Nebraska on Oct. 26. 

2018-19 (Junior):

• WSU’s leading rebounder (6.0) and shot-blocker (51) and third-leading scorer (9.2).
• Played in all 37 games with 34 starts and averaged 17.9 minutes.
• Shot 54.3 percent from the field including 38.7 percent from deep (12-of-31).
• Seven double-digit rebound games; four double-doubles.
• Ranked fifth on AAC leaderboard in field goal percentage (.543); fourth in blocks (1.4) and 16^th in rebounding (6.0).
• Lead the team in plus-minus (+5.05 per-40-minutes).
• Had the conference’s best defensive rebound rate, per KenPom (26.0).
• Team-high 16 dunks.
• Blocked 32 shots in 18 conference games – one short of the league-lead.
• Averaged 20.4 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per-40-minutes.

Notable Performances:

• WSU’s second-leading scorer (11.8 ppg) and top rebounder (7.8) in the run to the NIT semifinals. Also totaled seven steals, five blocks and shot 69 percent from the field (20-of-29) over the four games.
• Grabbed 11 rebounds in 17 minutes in NIT quarterfinal win at Indiana (Mar. 26).
• Team-high 18 points in NIT second round win at Clemson (Mar. 24).
• Collected his fourth double-double of the year (16 pts, 12 reb) in the NIT first round win at Furman (Mar. 20).
• Streak of 14-straight games with a block (Jan. 16-Mar. 5) was WSU’s longest since Antoine Carr’s 24-gamer in 1983.
• First Shocker since Cliff Levingston (1980-81) to block a shot in each of the first 10 games of a season (Nov. 6-Dec. 15).
• Recorded a double-double off the bench with 17 points and a season-high 12 rebounds against Memphis (Feb. 23).
• Season-high five blocks to go with 12 points and six rebounds in a home win over SMU (Jan. 30).
• Four blocks in the Jan. 16 win over UCF.
• Season-high 19 points and 8-of-11 shooting in a Dec. 19 win over Oral Roberts.
• Had a double-double (17 pts, 11 reb) and the game-winning alley-oop in a 63-60 win over Southern Miss at INTRUST Bank Arena (Dec. 15). With WSU trailing 60-59, he converted a lob from Ricky Torres for the go-ahead score... The effort earned him AAC Honor Roll status.
• First Shocker since Cliff Levingston to block a shot in the each of the first seven games of a season... 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in a win over Rice (Nov. 25).
• Recorded 13 points with three steals against Alabama (Nov. 18) at the Charleston Classic.
• Logged his first career double-double with 12 points (on 5-of-7 shooting) and 11 rebounds in a win over Appalachian State (Nov. 16).
• Tallied four points and a team-high seven rebounds in a neutral court win over Providence at he Veterans Classic (Nov 9).
• Battled foul trouble in the opener against Louisiana Tech (Nov. 6)  but was effective in 13 minutes of action, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Junior College:
Played two seasons at national JUCO power Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas… As a sophomore, helped the Cardinals to a 28-5 record, a No. 5 national ranking and a trip to the NJCAA Tournament’s second round… Averaged 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 33 games while shooting 69.7% from the field…  Averaged 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds as a freshman… Appeared in 31 games with 26 starts… Shot 61% from the field and 75% at the foul line… Helped Trinity Valley to a 24-7 record and a No. 14 ranking in the final NJCAA national poll…. Participated in the 2017 Mullens Top 100 Camp in Kansas… Coached by Guy Furr… Offered by Cincinnati, New Mexico, Illinois, Western Kentucky and Baylor.
 
High School:
Graduated with honors from JED Pestalozzi in his native Colombia… Led his team to four straight region championships… Won region MVP honors in each of his last two seasons.
 
Personal:
Son of Jaime Echenique and Lidia Salinas… Mother is a chef… Has a younger sister, Kelly… Earned his degree in General Studies -- Sociology in May, 2020… Favorite athletes are Marcus Aldridge and Tim Duncan.