WSU takeaways: Marshall’s extra scouting, Haynes-Jones’ big shot and Dennis’ details leads to win
The Wichita State men’s basketball team won its third straight game at Koch Arena and halted the five-game winning streak of Jacksonville State in a 69-65 victory on Wednesday.
Here is what you need to know about what the Shockers said after senior Samajae Haynes-Jones scored a game-high 17 points to push WSU’s record to 5-4 on the season.
1. ‘We’re not known for stepping down for nobody’
Marshall said he spent more time watching film on Jacksonville State than any opponent this season because he recognized the importance of Wednesday’s game.
Fresh off the worst performance by any WSU team in the Marshall era in a 32-point loss to Oklahoma, Marshall knew how devastating a home loss could be for a young team still trying to find its way early in the season.
“I knew we really needed this one after the Oklahoma game, otherwise you start losing your confidence with a young team,” Marshall said in his post-game radio show. “We got after them pretty good because I didn’t like their resolve, I didn’t like their toughness. I thought they wilted down the stretch (against OU). That’s just not something I wanted to see out of my team.”
Marshall’s biggest challenge was delivered to WSU’s biggest players. After posting the worst rebounding margin in the Marshall era against OU, Marshall demanded better production of his two top centers, Jaime Echenique (6-11, 258) and Morris Udeze (6-8, 254), who held a significant advantage over JSU’s post players who were both 6-7 and 220.
The Shockers responded by getting back to their dominance on the glass, out-rebounding JSU by 11, 44-33, and holding an undersized but scrappy team to rebounding a season-low 21 percent of its own misses.
“That was a big lesson for us,” Echenique said of the OU loss. “It was a hard way for us to take that lesson, but we have to learn from our mistakes. We kept our heads up and kept going.”
Echenique also used his size advantage inside to score 10 points early for WSU before finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. He also swatted a shot and has now blocked one shot in all nine of WSU’s games this season. Udeze posted eight points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes.
“We weren’t ball-watching as much,” Udeze added. “We checked out and went after the ball.
“I felt like there were rebounds (against OU) I left on the board. I wanted to come out here with a different mindset, a tougher mindset and grab every rebound I see.”
Most importantly, WSU bounced back. The players said there is something to that after all four losses this season, WSU has always come back with a win.
“That’s not what this program is about, we’re not known for stepping down for nobody,” Haynes-Jones said. “We had to come out and show we ain’t like that at all.”
2. ‘I knew it was good’
Haynes-Jones made the biggest basket of the game, stroking in a three-pointer in a one-point game with 1:43 remaining to push WSU’s lead to 64-60.
Freshman Dexter Dennis rescued WSU after Markis McDuffie was forced to heave an off-balanced three-pointer to beat the shot clock by grabbing the offensive rebound, then kicking it out to a wide-open Haynes-Jones. The senior from Wichita caught the ball in rhythm, dribbled once and swished the shot.
Advanced stats show open catch-and-shoot shots are the best look possible, but to Haynes-Jones, he prefers shooting off the dribble. Before Wednesday’s game, 75 percent of Haynes-Jones’ jumpers were of the off-the-dribble variety, per Synergy. So even when he’s wide open, Haynes-Jones just feels more comfortable putting the ball on the floor.
“He likes that little rhythm dribble,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said.
“I like getting my feet set,” Haynes-Jones explained. “Catch, one-two. That’s just what I do. I knew I was open, I just had to relax and do my routine and knock it down.”
The dribble made some nervous because it afforded a JSU defender enough time to contest the shot.
“To be honest with you, I was so scared but then I saw him dribble the ball and I knew he was going to stroke that,” teammate and roommate Jaime Echenique said. “It was going in. That’s something he works really hard on.”
But once Haynes-Jones completed his routine, a late hand in his face didn’t matter. He’s made that shot doing that same routine thousands of times.
“When I seen it come out of my hand, I knew it was good,” Haynes-Jones said.
3. ‘So why not do it?’
Winning and losing isn’t always determined by those who are scoring the points.
Freshman Dexter Dennis only scored three points for the Shockers and struggled shooting in a 1-for-6 performance, but WSU doesn’t win the game without two non-scoring plays he made down the stretch to set up baskets for teammates.
The first came when Dennis rescued WSU after Markis McDuffie, who suffered through his own struggles in a 3-for-15 shooting performance, was forced to take an off-balanced three just to beat the shot clock. WSU was clinging to a 61-60 lead at the time with less than two minutes remaining.
Dennis was in the right corner when the ball left McDuffie’s hand. Some players, after not receiving a pass, might have started running back on defense. Dennis didn’t know McDuffie shot was going to miss or where it might miss, but he made the effort to run in and crash the glass and put himself in a position to make a play.
“Every practice, every film session, every day it’s something we’re told to do,” Dennis said. “It’s something coach pushes us to do, so why not do it? You never know what can happen.”
Sure enough, McDuffie’s shot missed right where Dennis crashed. He ripped the rebound away from JSU and found Haynes-Jones standing wide open on the wing for a three-pointer that gave WSU a 64-60 lead and gave the Shockers the cushion they needed to hold on.
“I loved the fact that Dexter got that rebound,” Marshall said. “That sparked the whole thing.”
“We weren’t hitting anyone and we were just ball watching,” JSU coach Ray Harper said. “The last rebound that Dennis got, you could see it coming. No one touched him, we just watched the ball. You can’t do it against good teams and Gregg does a great job.”
But just as importantly, on the next possession, Dennis stonewalled the dribble penetration by JSU’s Jamall Gregory after receiving a dribble hand-off. With the shot clock dwindling, Gregory tried to force his way to the basket. Dennis stood his ground, raised both his arms straight up and then swatted Gregory’s shot away.
The block actually created a run-out opportunity for WSU, which led to a foul on Ricky Torres on the other end. While Torres missed both of his free throws, WSU rebounded the miss, ran off 30 more seconds, then sealed the game when McDuffie was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three of his free throws.
None of that would be possible without Dennis’ defense. The freshman finished with eight rebounds, a steal and a block in 28 minutes.
“You have to be willing to play defense and stay committed,” Dennis said. “I’m not perfect. I’m still trying to figure some things out on the offensive end, but the things that I can control, like defense and rebounding, I feel like that’s a given with me. I’m always going to try my hardest.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 12:00 AM.
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