Guard gets Wichita State recruiting off to strong start

Wichita State is picking tougher battles in recruiting men’s basketball players and it won a big one with the commitment of guard Landry Shamet.

Shamet, from Park Hill (Mo.) High, gave Wichita State a non-binding commitment Tuesday night and announced on his Twitter account Wednesday morning. He is ranked No. 87 nationally by Rivals.com and said he canceled visits to Kansas State, Illinois and Colorado after making a visit to WSU last weekend.

“My original plan was to make all four,” he said. “It was just something I couldn’t pass on. I’ve talked a lot the whole time about my gut feeling and feeling right. I had that indescribable feeling (about WSU) … combined with how they play and my personal fit.”

WSU landed players such as Fred VanVleet, Cleanthony Early and Zach Brown who had options in higher-profile conferences. Shockers coaches are engaged in more of those tussles, helped by the success of the past two seasons. St. John forward Dean Wade, who committed to Kansas State recently, is ranked No. 107 on the Rivals.com list. He considered WSU. Guard Kerwin Roach, ranked No. 34, is scheduled to visit WSU on Sept. 12.

While Rivals.com national rercruiting analyst Eric Bossi doesn’t see a big change in WSU’s approach, he is certain the 2013 Final Four and last season’s 35-1 record are helpful.

“I don’t think at this point Wichita State needs any validation of what they’ve done on the recruiting trail,” Bossi said. “They’ve proven they can identify high-level talent and develop it. There’s no way they don’t get a bump in profile from the success and the type of (national) coverage they’ve had.”

While it is nice to make the list for a top recruit, finishing second isn’t much consolation. Landing Shamet starts WSU’s fall recruiting period with a big splash.

He averaged 20.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Park Hill, which went 14-14. He earned All-Class 5 honors and honorable mention All-Metro from The Kansas City Star. He grew several inches and improved his athletic ability from his sophomore to junior year, bringing about an increase in recruiting interest.

“They're getting a player who is very versatile, who is highly skilled and really thinks the game at a high level,” Bossi said. “He’s a good shooter, good off the dribble. The kid has an oustanding feel for the game and makes the right decision all the time.”

KC Pumas coach Darin Mason, who also coached former Shocker Garrett Stutz in his summer program, calls Shamet an excellent leader and teammate. When things don’t go well, he sees Shamet picking up teammates with a high five or an encouraging word.

“When your best player is your hardest worker, you’re going to get great results,” Mason said. “He shoots it like a (shooting guard) and handles it like a (point guard). When you’re 6-4, that’s a great combination to have.”

Shamet made several unofficial visits to WSU. Last weekend, he played two pickup games and watched the Shocker guards work out with coaches. The official visit and campus tour confirmed his feelings for a program where he believes he can contribute as a freshman. WSU coaches pointed to the success of Toure Murry, now in his second season in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, and junior Ron Baker, who is attracting significant NBA Draft attention. Both are shooting guards capable of playing the point, like Shamet.

“It feels like a 1,000-pound weight is off my shoulder,” Shamet said. “I’m joining a winning program … and I love the atmosphere and great culture.”

Shamet said he plans to sign in November. WSU coaches cannot comment on Shamet until he signs.

WSU, which loses seniors Darius Carter and Tekele Cotton, also has forward Eric Hamilton placed at Sunrise Christian Academy. Hamilton, who signed with WSU last year, said he intends to again sign with WSU during the November signing period. He went through summer workouts with the Shockers until deciding to spend a year on Sunrise’s post-graduate team to help his development and bring WSU to the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships.

Twitter trouble – Somebody with access to a university Twitter account jumped the gun on welcoming Shamet to Wichita State, committing a minor NCAA violation Wednesday morning.

Shortly after Shamet's non-binding commitment became public, the @WichitaState account, linked to from the university's home page, tweeted to Shamet: @LanboGreezy23 Welcome to WSU!

Because Shamet has not signed a letter of intent, university officials are not permitted to comment publicly or publicize a recruit.

“It is a secondary/Level III violation,” WSU associate athletic director Korey Torgerson said in an e-mail. “A violation will be filed with the NCAA. However, the involved prospective student-athlete and/or his eligibility will not be affected.”

Saint Louis-WSU tickets on sale Sept. 30 — WSU season-ticket holders can purchase tickets to the annual game at Intrust Bank Arena on Sept. 30. The Shockers play old Missouri Valley Conference-rival Saint Louis on Dec. 6.

Season-ticket holders will receive a purchase code, allowing them to buy tickets before the general public, based on their donation and ticket history with the athletic department. The sale begins at 10 a.m. on Sept. 30.

Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Oct. 4. Student tickets will be distributed at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 1.

Tickets can be purchased at the Intrust Bank Arena box office, Select-A-Seat locations, at selectaseat.com and at (855) 755-7328.

Prices range from $12 to $152.

Time and television information has not been announced.

This story was originally published September 3, 2014 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Guard gets Wichita State recruiting off to strong start."