Wichita State fans to get first look at Bush Wamukota at Shocker Madness on Thursday

Bush Wamukota watched the Boston Celtics win the 2008 NBA title and wanted to play like Kevin Garnett. He broke the spokes out of a bicycle rim and nailed it to a palm tree in his front yard in Bungoma, Kenya and went to work.

On Thursday, Wichita State fans will get their first look at Wamukota, a junior center who played one season at an NAIA school and one at a junior college before landing at Koch Arena. Shocker Madness begins at 6 p.m. with a ring ceremony for the men’s team, followed by a dunk contest and 20-minute scrimmage. The women, also defending Missouri Valley Conference champions, receive their rings and scrimmage around 7 p.m.

“I would go to a sidewalk cafe and pay to watch YouTube videos and that’s how I learned basketball,” he said. “My mom was already over here in the United States and she sent me a basketball. I watched YouTube videos and I would go home and try to do what they were doing.”

Wamukota, a soccer player until he grew seven inches, learned quickly. After a year at Wiley (Texas) College, where his mother coaches volleyball, he transferred to Kilgore (Texas) College, where WSU coaches recruited him and signed him in November. On Tuesday, WSU coach Gregg Marshall watched him make bank shots from 12 feet away and talked about his improving offensive skills and his recent practice performances.

“He competes, he really competes,” Marshall said. “He’s getting better, getting stronger. He moves his feet pretty well for a kid his size.”

Four of WSU’s starting spots are set with guards Ron Baker, Tekele Cotton and Fred VanVleet and forward Darius Carter. The fifth player needs to defend and rebound and make shots when opportunities present. Wamukota (6-foot-11, 232 pounds) fits that description as a potential part of the rotation.

“He has a very high motor,” Carter said. “He’s going to go after every loose ball. He’s going to try to get every rebound.”

The natural comparison for Wamukota is Ehimen Orupke, a Nigerian center who played on WSU’s 2013 Final Four team. While their size, position and background are similar, their skill sets are different. Orukpe was bigger and stronger and a fearsome shot-blocker. Wamukota possesses better hands and better shooting skills. He won’t protect the rim the same way as Orupke, who blocked 56 shots as a senior.

“He’s not a vertical athlete like (Ehimen),” Marshall said. “His hands are much better.”

When Wamukota arrived in June, he played basketball standing up, instead of bending his knees. His work “getting low” represents his biggest progress. When he gets in a basketball stance, it allows him to move more quickly, jump more quickly and fight for position in the lane. He gained 10 pounds since June and would like to gain 10 more by December.

“The coaches are going to push you to get better every day,” Wamukota said. “The coaches are going to stay on you, even if you’re playing good, because they expect the best out of you. You’ve got to bring the motor in practice.”

Marshall won’t call upon Wamukota to make many jump shots. But his shooting form looks good, especially as he is doing a Tim Duncan tribute with bank shot after bank shot during practice. Marshall definitely won’t call on Wamukota to make three-pointers, but the coach claims that after practice he makes them at a surprising rate. At Wiley, he averaged 2.7 points and averaged 6.0 at Kilgore, scoring almost exclusively around the basket. At WSU, he is determined to improve his mid-range shooting.

“I came to realize you can’t only depend on your defense and rebounding,” he said. “They’ve been pushing me in that direction, to not just be a defensive player.”

▪ Marshall installed Carter and Cotton as his favorites in the dunk contest. Carter picked redshirt freshman guard Ria’n Holland as a darkhorse.

“Ria’n might sneak in there and win,” Carter said. “That’s my favorite.”

▪ Marshall said freshman center Rauno Nurger is healthy and practicing after he missed around three weeks with a stress reaction in his foot.

“He’s back,” Marshall said. “The good news is they caught it early and did a good job of getting him back.”

▪ The Shockers will practice Thursday before the public scrimmage, so fans might see some tired legs. Shocker Madness’ most practical application is to see how players react with some of the seats full of cheering fans.

“It’s just to see how they take care of the ball, see how they defend, see how they run our system and how hard they compete, with the bright lights,” he said.

▪ Thursday’s scrimmage might reveal something about WSU’s backcourt depth. There could be playing time for a fourth guard, if Holland or freshman Zach Brown or Corey Henderson Jr. makes a case.

“They all from time to time show flashes,” Marshall said. “And from time to time, you think they’re a long way away.”

▪ The Shockers will scrimmage TCU on Nov. 1 at Koch Arena, a session closed to the media and public. They play Northwood (Fla.) in their exhibition game on Nov. 8. The WSU women play Newman in an exhibition game on Nov. 2.

This story was originally published October 15, 2014 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Wichita State fans to get first look at Bush Wamukota at Shocker Madness on Thursday."