A secret weapon in Frankamp’s school-record shooting streak

When discussing the shooting of Conner Frankamp, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall likes to say Frankamp’s arc and stroke are so pure that every shot looks good coming out of his hand.

For a school-record 31 consecutive games entering Saturday’s tilt against Oklahoma at Intrust Bank Arena, Frankamp has managed to drain a three-pointer. The Wichita native has actually been a steady source of scoring for the No. 3 Shockers, having scored in double-digits in all but one of their games during an 8-1 start.

A big reason why Frankamp has been able to maintain the streak is because Marshall finds ways to clear the floor and allow Frankamp to hunt his shot isolated against a single defender.

Marshall’s favorite time to do this is on baseline out of bounds (BLOB) plays when WSU takes the ball out under the basket. Frankamp has been targeted 18 times this season on BLOB plays and he has scored 26 points, shooting 57 percent on two-pointers and 55 percent on three-pointers.

That’s a significant upgrade over Frankamp’s season averages of 43 percent shooting on two-pointers and 38 percent from beyond the arc.

“I feel like I’m pretty good in iso situations, especially at the top of the key” Frankamp said. “There’s a lot of room to work. I’ve been able to knock down some shots on those plays and that’s been pretty good for us.”

Anytime you see WSU line up with four players in a straight line close to the baseline, it’s a sure bet that the in-bounds pass is a lob to Frankamp out to the three-point line. The other four guys space the floor and stay out of the way, giving Frankamp a chance to go 1-on-1 with his defender.

They also have run him off staggered screens to free him up on the perimeter, but it’s clear that Frankamp is WSU’s No. 1 option on these plays.

For good reason, as Frankamp ranked in the 95th percentile in college basketball last season scoring on isolation attempts, per Synergy Sports, and is excelling again this season scoring 10 points on five tries. He says when Marshall shows his trust in him going 1-on-1, Frankamp’s confidence increases.

“I just feel like I’ve had so many isos in my life, especially in high school (at North),” Frankamp said. “I’ve worked on getting my shot off in those situations off the dribble and I’ve been successful and been able to knock it down on those type of plays.”

Marshall recently touched on that subject in his weekly radio show on Monday.

“We’ve given him a lot of freedom, which is exactly what he wanted when he transferred here,” Marshall said. “When he transferred here, he talked about wanting to be able to play the game and he didn’t want to be the guy who stands in the corner and shoots threes and only does that.”

He doesn’t need a lot of space, so a jab step to send the defender backpedaling is sometimes all he needs to see the rim and fire a shot.

“All I’m looking for is a little bit of room, just enough to get my shot off,” Frankamp said. “Anytime you can score on those out-of-bounds plays, it’s a big plus for your team.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 7:37 PM with the headline "A secret weapon in Frankamp’s school-record shooting streak."