Wichita State basketball schedule adds two home games

Wichita State will welcome two former Shockers back to Koch Arena for a men’s basketball game.

The Shockers, according to athletic director Darron Boatright, will play College of Charleston on Nov. 13. The Cougars are coached by Earl Grant, an assistant at WSU from 2007-10. Former WSU player Matt Braeuer is director of operations.

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall worked as an assistant coach at Charleston from 1988-96. He helped coach John Kresse with the school’s move from NAIA to NCAA Division I and counts Kresse as one of his most important influences.

Grant enters his fourth season at Charleston. The Cougars went 25-10 last season and lost at Colorado State in the NIT. All five starters return and Charleston is expected to rank as the favorite in the Colonial Athletic Association.

WSU also scheduled Arkansas State on Dec. 19.

The Red Wolves are coached by Mike Balado, a Louisville assistant hired in March. Arkansas State went 20-12 last season under Grant McCasland, who went to North Texas.

Other contracted games are: UMKC (Nov. 10), the Maui Invitational (Nov. 20-22), Savannah State (Nov. 28), at Baylor (Dec. 2), South Dakota State (Dec. 5), at Oklahoma State (Dec. 9), Oklahoma at Intrust Bank Arena (Dec. 16) and Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 22).

Wichita State will likely add one more game, played in connection with the Maui Invitational in mid-November at Koch Arena.

The Shockers will play American Athletic Conference opponents Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, SMU, Temple and Tulsa home and away.

South Florida and Tulane visit Koch Arena. The Shockers travel to East Carolina and Memphis.

Sunflower rookies — Former Kansas center Joel Embiid earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie team after making his debut with 31 games before a knee injury ended his season. K-State’s Rodney McGruder and Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet also received votes for the team announced Monday.

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, who played at Sunrise Christian Academy, also earned a spot on the first team.

Embiid averaged 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. He was drafted in 2014, but foot injuries sidelined him until this season. Hield, who played at Oklahoma, averaged 10.6 points in 82 games, 57 for New Orleans before trade sent him to the Kings.

McGruder received 61 votes missing a second-team spot by two votes. VanVleet received one vote.

McGruder averaged 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 78 games for the Miami Heat. VanVleet averaged 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 37 games for the Toronto Raptors.

The team is voted on by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Wichita State basketball schedule adds two home games."