Print edition: 
Remember Paul Miller? Of course you do, especially if you’re a Wichita State basketball fan.
It was just six seasons ago that the 6-foot-10 Miller was the player of the year in the Missouri Valley Conference, the leader of a WSU team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and the David Copperfield of a group that brought magic back to Koch Arena.
Even though he was the conference player of the year, Miller wasn’t the clear-cut best player on his own team, a squad that included talented underclassmen Kyle Wilson, Sean Ogirri and P.J. Couisnard.
The Valley was at its strongest since its “Valley of Death” days, sending four teams to the NCAAs. And there was Miller, on top of the world.
Well, to take nothing away from Miller, but so far this season, senior center Garrett Stutz is having a comparable season. Yes, that’s right. Garrett Stutz, the player who has been viewed as an under-achiever for much of his WSU career.
After his 16-point, 13-rebound performance during a 78-41 win over Bradley on Friday night at Koch Arena, Stutz is averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and has been at his best in the Shockers’ six MVC games, in which his numbers are 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.
Those stats are comparable to those of Miller during his POY season, when he averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Quietly — as quietly as a 7-footer can anyway — Stutz is making a case for all-Missouri Valley Conference. Not only was his scoring and rebounding on display against Bradley, but he also had assists on a pair of great passes to teammates driving to the basket.
Stutz, who had 10 of his points in the first eight minutes Friday night, is not going to be the player of the year in the Valley this season. Doug McDermott of Creighton and Kyle Weems of Missouri State are the front-runners for that honor and deservedly so.
But Stutz is breaking through, showing us aspects of his game that we haven’t seen before.
He had a sweet up-and-under basket on the road at Southern Illinois a week ago and in the Shockers’ victory over Illinois State on Tuesday night he made two nice left-handed runners, one of which the started with him dribbling down the lane from near the top of the key.
Even more noticeable than his increased scoring, though, has been Stutz’s bump in rebounding. This is a 7-footer, mind you, who averaged 2.6, 4.4 and 3.5 rebounds during his first three seasons.
Part of the reason for that is that Stutz hasn’t been able to stay on the floor for extended periods. Coming into this season, he had never played more than 16.5 minutes per game.
He’s playing more this season — just more than 23 minutes per game — and the numbers reflect that.
Stutz has had only one lemon in Valley games this season, but that was in the biggest game of the year so far — a disappointing 68-61 loss to Creighton on Dec. 31 at Koch Arena.
In that one, Stutz had only five points and four rebounds in 19 minutes. A 58-percent shooter for the season, he made only two of eight shots against the Bluejays and was, for one of the few times this season, a non-factor.
Challenged by his coach, Gregg Marshall, to step his game up, Stutz has taken it to the top rung of the ladder since.
“I can’t elaborate on how I challenged him,’’ Marshall said after Friday night’s game.
Let’s just assume there wasn’t much mollycoddling. It’s really not Marshall’s style, and the Shockers’ coach has expected big things from Stutz since he arrived at WSU.
But the big things were put on hold because Stutz fouled too much. And the fouling made him cautious, which doesn’t help when you’re expected to be a force on the boards and in the paint.
Miller, too, struggled early on during his WSU career. If you had asked a group of 100 Shocker fans how they felt about Miller after his first two seasons, 90 would have expressed disappointment.
Sometimes it’s just that way with big men. It can take them a while to get their big feet on the ground. Stutz, especially since the Creighton game, has been playing with more urgency and confidence.
Miller, you’ll recall, came through in a big way when the Shockers needed it most. During a huge Valley showdown with Southern Illinois in early-February of his senior season, Miller had a career-high 30 points and seven rebounds in an overtime victory on national television.
That’s the game that put Miller over the top and vaulted him into the player of the year discussion. Also, he was the unquestioned leader of that WSU team.
Stutz did not come through in a comparable game — against Creighton — but he’ll have other chances. There are 12 Valley games still to play and some are sure to have high stakes.
Stutz has been compared to Miller since his freshman season. They’re similar in that they can shoot effectively with either hand and are good passers.
Both have had to work to improve defensively, but Stutz has become adequate in that area, too, although there are times when his feet don’t match the speed of his brain still.
All in all, though, Stutz is having a breakthrough season with good numbers across the board. He is becoming a force in the Valley right before our eyes.
Comparing him to Miller is now allowed.
And, for the moment, debatable.
