Speculation surrounds future of Shocker trio (VIDEOS)

There’s no way to tell what the future holds for Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall and junior guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, but clues to the path the trio might take in deciding their next moves were there on Thursday night after the Shockers lost to Notre Dame 81-70 in the Sweet 16.

Baker seems to have the most clear path to leaving WSU — he will graduate this spring and still has one year after eligibility remaining after redshirting his first year at WSU. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard and Scott City native has been linked to talk about the NBA Draft since his coming-out party on the Shockers’ run to the Final Four two years ago.

His graduation also leaves open the possibility — however unlikely — that he could transfer to another school and play immediately, per NCAA rules.

Most mock draft projections have him as a second-round selection, with his ball-handling skills and long-range shooting ability seen as benefits to an NBA roster. Almost all NBA guards need to be able to function as a point guard in certain situations, as he’s done the last two years with VanVleet primarily running the show. WSU forward Cleanthony Early was taken in the second round of last year’s draft by the New York Knicks.

Baker led WSU in scoring this season at 14.9 points and is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference pick.

“Well, we have to gather information for (Baker),” Marshall said. “Fred has the same decision to make. Anybody with the credentials that those kids have can put their name in the hat and then you ask the NBA folks to give you an advisory sample of where certain teams may see you and then they come back to you and then you have to just make a decision. Ron did that last year. So I anticipate them both doing that. I don’t know when that happens, but it can start now, I think, but I don’t know how quickly that you turn that around.

“I like what Ron said up here when I heard him say that he felt bad for the seniors. He didn’t act like it was his last game, he felt bad for the seniors. That was at least a little positive that I took from that, I don’t know if you guys caught that, but I did. If either one of them are lottery picks, you probably have to consider it very strongly. If you’re midway through the second round, chances are about 50/50 you never play a second in the NBA.”

Baker, who now has two years of thinking about playing professionally behind him, alluded to a future with WSU after the loss to Notre Dame, and said he did not have a concrete time frame to make a decision.

“I am just thinking about this loss right now and how this team can perform in the spring and get better,” Baker said. “(Speculation about his pro future) is not something I am thinking about right now. I have come a long way in my career. I wouldn’t be here without my teammates and my coaches and the support I got along the way.”

Players have until April 26 to declare for NBA Draft.

VanVleet’s pro future seems murkier than Baker’s. He’s not on any mock draft boards, but he was impressive in head-to-head matchups against Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell and Kansas’ Frank Mason in NCAA Tournament wins. VanVleet didn’t redshirt, either. VanVleet is also a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference pick and was the MVC Player of the Year last season.

VanVleet was second WSU in scoring this season at 13.2 points and led the team with 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals.

“It’s not something I’m thinking about right now, I’m just thinking about this loss,” VanVleet said. “As far as (Marshall and Baker), whatever decisions they make, you just have to put it in God’s hands and let him help you find what’s right for you.”

Marshall, for at least the fifth season in a row, will have suitors in the offseason. A CBSSports.com report already has Alabama willing to increase his $1.75 million base salary with WSU this season to $3 million per year as the Crimson Tide try to secure a high-profile coach.

That’s not taking into consideration other jobs that could open up in the coming weeks.

“I don’t bury my head in the sand if a tremendous offer comes along,” Marshall said earlier in the week. “We look at it as a family and that’s been something we’ve dealt with for 17 years. Probably 13 of the last 17 years, we’ve had decisions to make but I’ve had two jobs in that amount of time.”

Should all three return, WSU would possibly be a preseason top 10 team in 2015-16.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Speculation surrounds future of Shocker trio (VIDEOS)."