‘It just looks better’: Burton’s improved shooting leads WSU against Gardner-Webb

Almost everything went right for Wichita State in its 103-62 victory over Tennessee at MartinSaturday.

The Shockers aren’t always going to make two-thirds of their shots and have a victory in hand by halftime. But one thing that might not be a one-off performance was the improved shooting stroke of WSU sophomore Jamarius Burton, who scored a career-high 18 points and made a career-best four three-pointers.

Now Burton, who averaged 6.0 points and made 10 threes in 37 games last season, will try to prove it wasn’t a fluke when the Shockers (3-0) take on Gardner-Webb (0-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Koch Arena. The game will be broadcast on Cox 22 and streamed online at Yurview.com/Kansas.

“It just looks better coming out of his hand,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “Of course when it finds the bottom of the net four out of five times, you have a little more confidence in it. I know the end result is only a couple of seconds after the release, but it just looks good to me. Last year it looked like he didn’t want to let it go. He held onto it and was very mechanical.”

Burton used to look like he was thinking about every little thing he needed to do while he was in the motion of shooting. He spent the better part of this summer ironing out those kinks. Now his shooting motion is more natural and smoother. He’s not thinking, just shooting — and that’s leading to better results.

Of course, Saturday’s 4-of-5 performance from beyond the arc is too small of a sample size to draw any sweeping conclusions about Burton. Still, that breakthrough had to mean something to sophomore.

“Definitely, but I’m not trying to get complacent after one game,” Burton said. “I’m going to continue to put in the work and get better.

“It felt great, but I was just out there trying to get a win. I was in rhythm and my teammates did a great job finding me and I just took what the defense gave me.”

That’s the kind of work ethic that Marshall loves about Burton, as the coach has challenged him to add a three-point shot to his repertoire.

“In my opinion, if he was a stroker that made 40% of his threes and was a threat out there, then he would be an all-conference player,” Marshall said. “I’ve told him that multiple times and he took that challenge, which is great.”

Marshall said he could already tell a difference in the spacing for WSU’s offense after Burton made a couple of jumpers against UT Martin. That could be a significant development for WSU if Burton sustains his outside shooting.

“Early on in that game they were going under screens and playing in the paint and daring him to shoot,” Marshall said. “Boy, it was nice when he hit a couple and then they had to come out and play him. It opens up our whole game.”

Burton’s return from the ankle injury he suffered in WSU’s season opener has also stabilized the team’s ball-handling. Even the offense being run by a sophomore (Burton) and two freshmen (Grant Sherfield and Noah Fernandes), WSU is averaging just 8.0 turnovers per game (fourth-best in the country) and on just 11% of its possessions (third-best in the country). The Shockers also have the third-best assist-to-turnover rate (2.08) in the nation.

Taking care of the ball will continue to be an emphasis against a Gardner-Webb team that Marshall thinks “could be the best team that’s come in here” so far this season.

“Don’t let the 0-3 fool you because watching them play they’re very talented and very well-coached,” Marshall said. “They’ve got a preseason Player of the Year and other all-conference caliber players and they’re the defending conference champions. They’ve got our full attention and we’re expecting a really good basketball game.”

Gardner-Webb at Wichita State

When: 7:05 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

TV: Cox 22

Streaming: YurView.com/Kansas

Radio: KEYN, 103.7 FM

Projected starters

Coach: Tim Craft, seventh season, 111-93

Coach: Gregg Marshall, 13th season, 311-113

About Gardner-Webb (0-3): Gardner-Webb is coming off a 23-win season and its first NCAA Tournament appearance, where it led eventual national champion Virginia by 14 points in the first half before losing 71-56... Tuesday will already be the third road game of the season for Gardner-Webb, which lost at Western Carolina and North Carolina. The Bulldogs won six times in true road games last season, including wins at Georgia Tech and Wake Forest... Gardner-Webb is off to a cold shooting start to the season, as its team field goal percentage is at 39.2% through three games. The Bulldogs are also averaging 17.0 turnovers per game... Sophomore guard Jose Perez was named the preseason Big South Player of the Year by both Blue Ribbon and Athlon, while he was a first-team selection by the coaches and media... Freshman Kareem Reid, who is averaging 4.0 points in 12.3 minutes, played at Putnam Science Academy and was teammates in high school with current WSU freshman Tyson Etienne, while Etienne also played together with Perez on the PSA Cardinals during AAU season.

About Wichita State (3-0): WSU is coming off a 103-62 victory over UT Martin, as the Shockers connected on a record-tying 15 three-pointers and made 56.3% of their shots. WSU also dished out 29 assists, the fifth-most in AAC history and the most by WSU at home since 2003... The Shockers are looking for their sixth 4-0 start to a season in the last eight years... WSU sophomore Jamarius Burton earned AAC Honor Roll honors for his career-high 18 points against UT Martin, which included a career-high four three-pointers to go along with six rebounds and five assists in 22 turnover-free minutes. The Shockers outscored UT Martin by 35 points when Burton was on the court.... WSU owns the only victory in the series, as the Shockers defeated Gardner-Webb 76-64 on December 12, 2008 in Gregg Marshall’s second season in Wichita.

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.