Grant Sherfield celebrates birthday with 18 points to lead Shockers to exhibition win
Grant Sherfield had a 20th birthday to remember.
The Wichita native celebrated on Tuesday playing in a Wichita State uniform for the first time, earning the starting nod, and then scoring a game-high 18 points to lead the Shockers to a 92-57 victory over Northeastern (Okla.) State in an exhibition game at Koch Arena.
“I’m just happy I can go out there and celebrate my b-day with my teammates and coach,” Sherfield said. “What better way to celebrate your birthday than on the court doing something you love?”
WSU coach Gregg Marshall has praised the scoring punch the 6-foot-2 freshman guard has added to the Shockers and Sherfield showed what he was capable of in his first game. He finished shooting 7 of 12 from the field with two rebounds, three assists and a steal in 21 minutes.
After WSU shot just 31% as a team on 3-pointers last season, Sherfield’s three 3-pointers in the first half were a welcomed sight. He also showed poise running the team’s ball-screen offense, picking his spots well attacking and also finding Asbjorn Midtgaard over the top of the defense for an easy basket.
“He looked like a point guard that could score,” Marshall said. “He’s a very good player, as is Noah Fernandes, who didn’t have the chance to participate. For the future, we’ve solidified the point guard spot with Jamarius Burton, Noah Fernandes and Grant Sherfield. We’ve got some good, young talented guards.”
WSU had three others in double-digits with Burton (14 points, four rebounds, six assists), junior forward Trey Wade (13 points, nine rebounds) and freshman guard Tyson Etienne (12 points on four 3-pointers). Asbjorn Midtgaard added eight points and eight rebounds.
The Shockers made 48.6% of their shots from the field, 10 three-pointers and 10 of 13 free throws. WSU grabbed 15 offensive rebounds en route to a 45-33 rebounding advantage.
Marshall said he was extremely pleased with WSU’s performance in the second half where it out-scored Northeastern State, 45-19, before subbing in its walk-ons.
“I thought a lot of guys played well,” Marshall said. “We’re really building a stable of talented, young players. We got a lot accomplished in this game. We’ve got to work on a few things that are very apparent, but I think we’ve been going at it long enough now we’re ready to play some real games.”
After an uneven first-half performance that saw the Shockers take a 47-32 lead into halftime, WSU responded with a dominant final 20 minutes to pull away from Northeastern State.
Marshall challenged his team after they allowed eight offensive rebounds and committed seven turnovers in the first half. In the second half, WSU responded with not committing a turnover until the final minutes of the game and allowing just three offensive rebounds.
“What I didn’t like was more than a handful of times we had two hands on the basketball and didn’t secure it,” Marshall said. “So that’s a bugaboo and something we’ve got to get better at. I’ve told the team that. I’ve seen it all fall.
“College basketball is a physical game. You get a rebound, more than likely going to have some body contact. It’s not like the other team is going to let you secure the rebound. You have to ferociously grab it and squeeze and put your indentation of your hands into the basketball. Otherwise, there’s a chance that it will be knocked out. You’re going to get an arm hit or a body checked when you’re coming out of the air.”
The Shockers pulled away with a 13-0 run early in the second half, extending a 15-point lead into a 66-38 lead with 11:57 remaining. Midtgaard scored on a hook, freshman DeAntoni Gordon scored on two layups, Etienne drilled a three, Sherfield finished on a layup and Burton finished the rally on a pull-up jumper.
It was cruise control from there for WSU, which now has a full week of practice before opening the regular season next Tuesday at Koch Arena against Nebraska Omaha.
The newcomers said it was a helpful experience for them to get over the nerves of playing at Koch Arena in front of a crowd for the first time.
“I’ve never been to a Wichita State basketball game, so that was my first experience on the court,” Etienne said. “It was great. The support we have from our supporters, the team going out there and gearing up for an actual game, it was a special feeling for all of us. We see where we’re at right now and it’s encouraging, but we know we have room to improve.”
In the meantime, WSU will likely examine the sloppy first 12 minutes to the game that saw them cling to a 27-23 lead over Northeastern State.
The Shockers finally found separation with a 10-0 run. Stevenson started the rally by finishing a fast-break layup through contact and making a free throw for a three-point play. Trey Wade followed with an inside basket, then Burton drilled a three and Sherfield capped the run with a nice find over the top to Midtgaard.
WSU took a 47-32 lead into halftime, but Marshall had plenty to dissect with his team. Sherfield said WSU was motivated to correct its mistakes after the halftime speech from Marshall.
“He just came in and told us what we needed to fix and we went out there and fixed it and executed it for him,” Sherfield said.
The Shockers scored at a tidy rate (1.27 points per possession), thanks to 10 offensive rebounds and making 13 of 22 two-point shots, but WSU also committed seven turnovers and allowed Northeastern State, a middle-of-the-pack Division II team, to grab eight offensive rebounds.
Burton said the veterans on the team were impressed with how the newcomers stepped up.
“I feel like they stepped up to the challenge,” Burton said. “Coach demanded that we play better and they all stepped up and played hard in the second half.”
Senior center Jaime Echenique (left hand), sophomore center Morris Udeze (concussion) and freshman guard Noah Fernandes (left foot) were all inactive for the game, which left Marshall with 10 scholarship players at his disposal. Playing in Tuesday’s exhibition did not burn the redshirt options for any of WSU’s players.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 8:52 PM.
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