Wichita State’s Shaq Morris plays more on the move as minutes grow

Wichita State center Shaq Morris rarely plays more than 15 minutes because that is about how long his conditioning lasts.

As March approaches, however, Morris looks as if he might be capable of coaxing more productive minutes out of his body. The 13th-ranked Shockers will take every one of them with a Missouri Valley Conference title at stake and the NCAA Tournament looming. WSU (24-3, 14-1 MVC) plays Evansville (19-8, 9-6) at 3 p.m. Sunday at Koch Arena.

“He’s putting it together and being consistent,” WSU guard Fred VanVleet said. “I would like to see him out there more extended minutes and the only thing that’s holding him back is his conditioning and having that burst for a longer stretch of time.”

Strength and conditioning coach Kerry Rosenboom says Morris’ work in the weight room is at its most consistent in his time as a Shocker. He visits the weight room on off days, a practice he didn’t follow during his redshirt season. When he is in the weight room, his time is productive and his weight — 254 — reflects that diligence. He is down seven pounds from the start of the season and it shows in his stamina and movement on the court.

“If I can keep myself in shape and my body healthy, my minutes should go up,” Morris said. “I’m running hard and being in the right positions and that makes me feel good.”

Morrs, a 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman, scored a career-high 15 points in Tuesday’s 84-62 win at Southern Illinois, also tying his career-high with seven rebounds in 15 minutes. Size is always an asset and now Morris is maximizing his quickness and agility to score while on the move in WSU’s sets. He scored his first basket against SIU by slipping to the basket to catch an inbound pass for a layup. After scoring on a hook shot, he went back-door to catch a pass and dunk.

Those are the bursts VanVleet is talking about. WSU gets better when Morris can lengthen those periods of high energy.

“He’s getting in better shape,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “He’s changing direction better. He rolls on those ball-screens pretty well.”

Morris’ best games have come in MVC play, when he is averaging 14.1 minutes, up slightly from non-conference play. He played 15 or more minutes in eight of his 14 conference games. Marshall sees that production on the upswing, if Morris continues to improve his body and his conditioning.

“I knew he was a key to us having the type of success we want to have, giving us another inside presence,” Marshall said. “He’s starting to show glimpses of thriving in this environment. He’s taking it pretty seriously now.”

Morris’ success is tied to WSU’s in the final weeks of the season. When he plays with starting center Darius Carter, the Shockers are a bigger, stronger team and that could be a key factor as the time for advancing in brackets and cutting down nets arrives.

“I love it when we’re both in because teams sink and that opens up opportunities for our (outside shooters),” Morris said.

When Morris watched film of the first meeting against Evansville, he saw himself scoring nine points in a road game against Egidijus Mockevicius, one of the MVC’s top centers. He can also look at 10 points and seven rebounds against Bradley, 10 points against Missouri State and five rebounds against the Valley’s biggest front-line in a win at Illinois State.

For the season, he is averaging 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds, making a team-high 56.6 percent of his shots. In 14 MVC games, he averages 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds, shooting 59.6 percent, with a team-high 18 blocks. Spots on the MVC’s All-Freshman team appear to be reserved for guards Brenton Scott (Indiana State) and Reed Timmer (Drake) and forwards Josh Cunningham (Bradley) and Jordan Caroline (SIU). Morris can make a case for the fifth spot with a strong finish.

“He’s piling up good days after good days,” WSU guard Ron Baker said. “He’s moving a lot better than he has in the past and once he gets a taste of that success I think he’s just going to grow as a person and as a player.”

Make the cut — VanVleet is one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s top point guard. Baker is one of 16 finalists for the Jerry West Award for shooting guards.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presents both awards on April 10 in Los Angeles in a show televised by ESPN2. The lists will narrow to five early in March before committee voting determines the winners.

VanVleet is a Cousy finalist for the second season. Connecticut’s Shabazz Napier won the award in 2014.

Marshall in third round — Marshall is in fourth place in the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge with a week remaining in the third round.

He trails Purdue’s Matt Painter, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg and Michigan’s John Beilein in the round of 16.

Marshall finished in the top four last season and presented a check for $15,000 to the Wichita Children’s Home. He is representing that charity again in 2015. Fans can vote for their favorite coach or charity at www.espn.com/infiniti. The contest started with 48 coaches and runs for 10 weeks. Each coach earns at least $1,000 and the winning coach earns $100,000.

This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Wichita State’s Shaq Morris plays more on the move as minutes grow."