WSU’s Poor Bear-Chandler dropped weight, improved defense leads to increased playing time

At one point in his freshman year at Wichita State, Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler weighed 283 pounds.

He wanted to be lighter and more explosive, so he enlisted the help of WSU strength and conditioning coach Kerry Rosenboom, who made it his personal project this summer to get the 6-foot-9 big man in shape.

Rosenboom said he wanted to create a “lean and mean” Poor Bear-Chandler and thanks to months of working out, extra running and eating better, he started this season at 250 pounds.

The dropped weight has improved Poor Bear-Chandler’s game and earned him his first career start last Saturday against Texas Southern, as he finished with two points, seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one charge taken. He could start again 2 p.m. Saturday when the Shockers (2-0) take on the Tennessee-Martin (2-1) at Koch Arena.

“I’ve dropped 20-plus pounds and I’m in the best shape I’ve ever felt in my life,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “I just want to keep feeling like this. I feel lighter on my feet. Running up and down the court isn’t as hard as it used to be. The game is coming easier to me.”

With starting center Jaime Echenique out with a hand injury until the end of November, the opportunity for playing time has increased for Poor Bear-Chandler. But the Shockers are still stocked at the position with 7-foot junior Asbjorn Midtgaard and 6-8 sophomore Morris Udeze forming a three-man rotation at center with Poor Bear-Chandler.

WSU coach Gregg Marshall has long said that Poor Bear-Chandler struggles on the defensive end the most from that group. But the sophomore has worked hard to start changing that perception.

He has a history of struggling to cover pick and rolls, but Poor Bear-Chandler showed improved coverage in last Saturday’s win over Texas Southern. He registered both of his blocks in those situations, giving WSU a surprising amount of rim protection after he finished with just eight blocks last season.

Poor Bear-Chandler will have another chance to show off his defensive improvements on Saturday when he’s matched up against 6-8 UT Martin center Quintin Dove, who has scored at least 20 points in all three games and is averaging 23 points and 7.7 rebounds.

“He’s still coming along defensively,” Marshall said. “He’s still not a Nate Thurmond or a Bill Russell, but he is getting better. He’s working to wall up and keeping the ball in front of him and being a rim deterrent. I like the way he’s coming along.”

While the offseason body transformation has improved Poor Bear-Chandler’s defense, he’s still waiting for his offense to catch up. He was billed as having an offensive punch coming out of prep school and Poor Bear-Chandler had his moments last season, scoring 12 points in back-to-back conference games last January for WSU.

But he’s only scored two points this season and that came on a tip-in. He did well in grabbing four offensive rebounds against Texas Southern, but he’s 1 of 7 shooting for the season and 0 for 1 from the free-throw line.

WSU’s trio of centers — Poor Bear-Chandler, Udeze and Midtgaard — have combined for more fouls (20) this season than points (15).

UT-Martin at Wichita State

When: 2:05 p.m. Saturday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

TV: Cox 22

Streaming: YurView.com/Kansas

Radio: KEYN, 103.7 FM

Projected starters

Coach: Anthony Stewart, fourth season, 46-54

Coach: Gregg Marshall, 13th season, 310-113

About UT Martin (2-1): This is the first meeting between WSU and UT Martin and the first of two preliminary games in the Cancun Challenge... Returning three starters and adding a handful of impact newcomers, UT Martin was picked to finish fifth in the preseason Ohio Valley Conference poll. UT Martin is coming off a 12-19 season... Parker Stewart, a Pittsburg transfer and son of the head coach, sparked UT Martin in its 98-91 victory over Western Illinois on Wednesday. Stewart finished with a career-high 32 points, scoring 12 straight points during one stretch to help UT Martin erase a 15-point deficit in the final 13 minutes... Senior forward Quintin Dove has scored at least 20 points in UT Martin’s first three games, the first time that’s happened in program history in a decade... UT Martin is averaging 93 points per game, but has the fourth-worst defense in college basketball, per KenPom.com... Freshman 7-foot-1 center Eric Rustin blocked eight shots in UT Martin’s season-opening win, the most by any player in the program since 2002... Anthony Stewart is a former assistant under Chris Lowery at Southern Illinois during the 2011-12 season and faced off against the Shockers twice.

About Wichita State (2-0): The Shockers are coming off a win where they shot 24.2% from the field, the lowest shooting percentage at home in the shot clock era (since 1985). It was also the lowest percentage for a winning team in a Division I game in nearly five years... Despite relying heavily on freshmen to handle the offense, WSU is tied for third nationally in turnovers per game (7.5) and rank sixth in turnover rate (10.3%)... If junior Trey Wade grabs double-digit rebounds, he would be the first Shocker since Xavier McDaniel (1984) to open a season with three straight double-digit rebounding games... Freshman Grant Sherfield scored 25 points in his first two games, the most by a true freshman in 18 years... Dexter Dennis ranks in the AAC’s top-10 in points (18.0, fifth), rebounding (8.0, 10th), blocks (1.5, fifth), three-pointers per game (3.5, second) and three-point percentage (50.0%, ninth).

This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 2:55 AM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6270

Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.