Shockers’ heart, grit a source of pride for Wichita

Like many of you, we were saddened Sunday to see Wichita State fall short of a trip to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

But we want to make sure that defeat doesn’t overshadow all the good that surrounds the Shockers, their accomplishments this season and what they do for this city.

You can bet people across the country took note of the determination and heart of the WSU team that took perennial powerhouse Kentucky to the final buzzer.

Wichita State has proven again it is a basketball team that should be mentioned in discussions that include names such as Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas.

Unfortunately, we also learned again that the NCAA’s selection committee doesn’t see it that way. Despite their success, the Shockers didn’t get the credit they deserved when they were seeded 10th in their bracket. A matchup with the likes of Kentucky shouldn’t have happened until later in the tournament.

The Shockers’ success is even more noteworthy given the questions that surrounded them at the beginning of the season, mainly: How could they overcome the loss of stars such as Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker and leaders such as Evan Wessel?

Those questions were only magnified after a shaky preseason tour of Canada.

But WSU proved it didn’t need a superstar to be a consistent winner. This team battled the opposition together. If someone had an off night, someone else picked it up. What they may have lacked in offensive power in the NCAA Tournament, they made up for with tenacious defense and rebounding.

Nowhere was that grit more apparent than Sunday. Shaq Morris personified it as he battled with Bam Adebayo.

Landry Shamet, a redshirt freshman, showed he would not be starstruck as he went nose to nose with Kentucky’s D’Aaron Fox, one of the nation’s top recruits last year. Shamet, in fact, played arguably his best game of the season.

This is the kind of character and fortitude we are blessed to have represent Wichita.

And that character extends off the court, as well. Coach Gregg Marshall implemented a strategy that put his team in a position to win, yet took the blame for not managing the end of the game better. “That’s on me,” he said.

Shamet, showing a maturity beyond his years, put the blame on himself. “Coach said that late-game execution was on him, but it’s on me. I’m the point guard,” Shamet said.

The Shockers came up a 3-pointer short of taking the game to overtime. We see no need to blame anyone for that.

WSU basketball remains a rallying point and source of pride for Wichita and all of south-central Kansas.

And guess what? All those who got playing time on Sunday are back next season.

We can’t wait for the ride!

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Shockers’ heart, grit a source of pride for Wichita."