Washington guard Erik Stevenson enjoys long-distance relationship with Marshall

Erik Stevenson watched Wichita State’s NCAA Tournament game with Kentucky in March and identified with the underdog Shockers. That is in keeping with Stevenson’s connection with coach Gregg Marshall.

He lives in Washington state and has never visited Kansas, yet he considers himself a Marshall-type player as he enters the summer before his senior season. WSU started recruiting Stevenson, a 6-foot-4 guard at Timberline High in Lacey, almost two years ago and offered a scholarship with an early group of two or three other schools. Stevenson said he texts regularly with Marshall to discuss the Shockers, high school basketball and strategy.

“Me and him are a lot alike,” Stevenson said. “We’re mentally tough. We don’t back down. He’s a great coach, great with Xs and Os.”

Timberline coach Allen Thomas said that mindset is integral to Stevenson’s success. Timberline isn’t known for producing NCAA Division I talent, although Montana’s Donaven Dorsey is a 2014 graduate. Stevenson, Thomas said, faced some doubters when he talked early in his career about playing college basketball.

“He’s a tough-minded kid with a huge chip on his shoulder,” Thomas said. “It would definitely be an excellent fit (at Wichita State).”

Stevenson’s talents hinted at big things as a freshman. He averaged around nine points that season. In the state playoffs, he added around seven points to that average and Thomas saw the future.

“From that moment on, I knew I had something special,” Thomas said. “His work ethic and drive over the past two years brought him to where he is.”

Stevenson, ranked a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, is adding offers rapidly this spring. He said Utah, LSU, Washington State, Yale, South Florida and Boise State are among the schools with offers available. Clemson, Iowa State and Virginia are showing interest. The offer from LSU came recently and is a product of his relationship with assistant coach Greg Heiar, who started recruiting Stevenson as a Shocker assistant.

Stevenson is early in the stages of narrowing his list. WSU is a good candidate for a paid visit later in the summer.

“They’re very high on my list,” he said. “It’s a tough, gritty, hard-nosed program that gets it done in the big-time moments.”

Stevenson averaged around 19 points as a junior on his way to honorable mention All-Class 3A honors. He scored a school-record 45 points in a game last season and is a two-time All-Area selection The Olympian of Olympia, Wash. Timberline played in the Class 3A tournament, the second-largest of the state’s six classes.

“I consider myself a knockdown shooter,” he said. “A hand up doesn’t really bother me. I’ve worked on it so many times in the gym, it’s me and the rim.”

MVC decision near — Nine Missouri Valley Conference presidents meet Monday to vote on a school or schools to replace Wichita State, according to the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star.

Multiple reports said MVC officials visited Valparaiso, Nebraska-Omaha, Murray State and Milwaukee recently. It is not clear if the MVC will invite one school or multiple schools.

An announcement, according to the Journal Star, could come on Tuesday.

Home stretch for track — WSU’s track and field team prepared for the MVC Championships on Friday with the Shocker Open at Cessna Stadium.

Kelsey Slawson set a school record in the shot put with a throw of 48 feet, 2 3/4 inches. Kelly Wartick set the mark of 47-11 3/4 inches in 2007. Slawson also won the discus with a throw of 156-7.

Zach Loesch won the shot put with a distance of 59-5, third on WSU’s list. Austin Chippeaux’s high jump of 7-0 1/4 made him the sixth Shocker to reach the 7-foot mark.

The MVC meet begins Friday at Cessna Stadium. The Shockers are the defending men’s and women’s champions. They also swept the indoor championships in February.

Bennett honored — WSU golfer Grant Bennett earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team and Conrad Walcher is on the honorable-mention team.

Bennett, selected for the second time, has a 3.67 grade-point average in sport management.

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Washington guard Erik Stevenson enjoys long-distance relationship with Marshall."