Print edition: 
Wichita State basketball player Joe Mitchell is up early and working in the Koch Arena weight room. He has some ground to make up, according to strength coach Kerry Rosenboom.
What matters most to Mitchell, however, is that he will run, lift and play in Wichita for the next three years. Mitchell, a former star guard at Southeast and Hutchinson Community College, spent the summer at Ohio University in Athens. Late in the summer, he decided it wasn't the place for him.
"I was a little homesick," he said. "A lot of things bothered me, so I decided to come back home."
Mitchell (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) signed with Ohio after a standout two seasons at Hutchinson. He averaged 18.2 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore, earning honorable mention All-America honors.
"I've always liked Joe's game," WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. "He's a competitive, tough kid. He will get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do."
Mitchell is a walk-on, without any guarantees of a future scholarship at WSU. He must sit out this season because he accepted scholarship money at Ohio. He said he is waiting on the paperwork from Ohio to release him from his national letter of intent so he will have two seasons of eligibility at WSU.
Marshall said WSU recruited Mitchell while at Hutchinson. Because the Shockers had plenty of guards, Marshall offered Mitchell the deal freshman guard Ron Baker took — redshirt this season and go on scholarship in 2012-13. Mitchell wanted to play right away. He signed with Ohio.
After a short stay, he is back, close to home and his mom's macaroni and cheese dinners.
"Me and my mom (Gretta) are real close," he said. "I'm back at home, and my mom cooks almost every day. She's a real good cook."
Mitchell's arrival gives WSU's three scholarship-quality walk-ons. Oregon transfer guard Malcom Armstead is paying his own way while he sits out before playing his senior season in 2012-13. Baker, a guard from Scott City, shows enough talent to tempt Marshall to play him this season.
The job of most redshirts is to play on the scout team and prepare the starters. Mitchell, Armstead and Baker, should he redshirt, are in a different position. They are just as concerned with preparing to play major minutes in 2012-13, when seniors David Kyles, Toure Murry and Joe Ragland are gone.
"I know he is depending (on us) and we'll be ready," Mitchell said. "I'm just trying to work hard and get acquainted with the offense. I'll be ready next year."
Building up — The Shockers are easing into a full schedule of practices with individual drills and limited team practices.
They will practice as a team Monday and start their season routine on Friday, the official tip-off for practice day under NCAA rules. Fans can get their first look at the men's and women's teams at Shocker Madness on Oct. 27 (the WSU women started practice last week).
Marshall was not pleased with his team last week. He expects a certain amount of over-eagerness as players try to show off new skills and impress coaches. In one session, however, the Shockers made seven baskets and committed 19 turnovers.
That's not what he expected, especially from his veterans. Their play set a bad tone for the newcomers.
"Early practices are usually very ugly, in terms of trying to do too much," he said. "It was brutal. It was so ugly. It wasn't because the defense was that great."
One of the messages that evolved from that disaster is that defense and rebounding comes first, especially for the newcomers.
"I've got to tell these young guys that, 'Here's your deal: None of you are Carmelo Anthony walking in the door,' " Marshall said. "'Don't come in here thinking you're Kevin Durant and you've got to take every shot.' "
Corrective measures are in place for outbreaks of bad decisions.
"They'll get tired of running for their turnovers, pretty quickly," Marshall said. "I'm already tired of it, and I let them know that after practice. But, it's good that you have that in early October or late September."
Help wanted — WSU director of media relations Larry Rankin is looking for two former Shockers. Information can be sent to lrankin@goshockers.com:
* Don Duvall competed in track and field from 1978-80. He holds WSU's outdoor long jump record at 26 feet, 2 1/2 inches.
* Defensive tackle Lynn Duncan played football from 1967-69 and earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1969.
Worth noting — Ames (Iowa) High pitcher Hunter Stohlmeyer orally committed to Wichita State's softball team last week, according to the Ames Tribune.... Fans can watch WSU's men's basketball team practice for $25 on Oct. 22. The clinic will include a question and answer session with Marshall. For information call 978-3252.... The volleyball team will hold its alumni weekend Nov. 11-12. Former players interested in attending can email director of volleyball operations Shannon Lamb at slamb@goshockers.com.... Dan McLaughlin will no longer serve as the MVC's main voice on basketball TV broadcasts. McLaughlin is removing himself from those broadcasts, as well as Missouri basketball, after a second drunken driving charge in 13 months, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
