‘I can’t get anything from them’: Marshall says there’s a disconnect with WSU players
A fractured locker room and a disconnect between the players and the coaching staff seem to be the culprits of Wichita State’s tailspin following a 15-1 start to the season.
The Shockers hit rock bottom Sunday in the form of a 76-43 loss to No. 25 Houston at the Fertitta Center, the worst loss in Gregg Marshall’s 13-year tenure and WSU’s worst since 2003. It was the third straight defeat for WSU (17-6, 5-5 AAC) and its fifth in its last seven games.
There is no shame in losing at Houston, the top team in the American Athletic Conference. But Sunday seemed to bring out the worst in the Shockers: from poor body language to porous shooting to lack of competitive spirit.
All of those things frustrated Marshall, but not as much as the fact that he couldn’t get an answer from his players following the performance.
“It was one of the most thorough whippings we’ve had in my career,” Marshall said. “It’s disappointing. I don’t know how to explain it honestly at this point. I can’t get anything from (the players). So I don’t know.”
When asked if there was a disconnect between the players and the coaching staff, Marshall replied, “Yep. I guess, I have no idea. I’ve never experienced this.” When asked what needed to change, he replied, “I’ll take all suggestions.”
Marshall had hinted about growing discontent among the players following the first Houston loss at Koch Arena on Jan. 18.
“I don’t know what’s crept into the ointment, like a fly in the ointment,” Marshall said then. “All I can say is that I’ve told them, ‘You guys have got to get over your feelings. If you’re worried about you and you’re worried about how many points you’re scoring or how many shots you’re getting or how many minutes you’re getting, then that’s not healthy. And we’ve got a lot of guys doing that. I feel that and I know that.
“Until we work that out, we’re not going to be as good as we can be. But we’ve got more things going on behind the scenes that I’m not familiar with, and it’s spread. It’s like a crab grass in your beautiful lawn.”
After the loss on Sunday, WSU sophomore Erik Stevenson confirmed that egos have become an obstacle for WSU.
“We’ve got some things going on with the team,” Stevenson said. “We’ve got to put our egos aside. We’ve got to put our wants aside and put the team needs ahead of all of that.”
Stevenson didn’t shy away from the criticism. He was WSU’s best player, averaging better than 14 points, when it was 15-1. But in the last seven games, when adversity has struck for the Shockers, Stevenson has averaged just 5.6 points and is shooting 26% (13 of 50) from the field.
“We went from one of the top 25 teams in the country, playing our best basketball, to starting a steep downhill decline,” Stevenson said.
“It starts with me. It’s not a coincidence that when I was playing well, we were playing great and now I’m not playing so well and we’re losing.”
Personal accountability is what fellow sophomore Dexter Dennis thinks has to happen following Sunday’s dismal performance.
“We just have to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘What do I need to do to help this team?’” Dennis said. “We have to want to turn it around. It’s not just going to turn around unless we want it to turn around. We have to want to play the Shocker way again. We were doing that, but... I don’t know man. I don’t have any words.”
The pain in Dennis’ voice as he trailed off was evident as he recalled just one month ago when WSU was 15-1 and ranked 16th in the country. That must feel like an eternity ago for a team that has failed to break 56 points or 36% shooting in five of its past seven games.
It wasn’t like WSU was shooting extremely well during its 14-4 close to last season or its 15-1 start to this season, but it was shooting well enough where its defense and rebounding could carry it to victories. That is no longer the case for the Shockers, as their offense has cratered so far that not even a top-20 defense in the country can support it.
It’s not a stretch to say that WSU has allowed its locker-room problems transfer to problems on the court, where the Shockers have looked disjointed for the better part of the last month now. Sunday was the worst performance to date, as WSU shot 24% from the field, missed 22 of 24 three-pointers and finished with four assists and 12 turnovers.
“We don’t shoot the ball very well and we don’t create good shots for one another,” Marshall said. “(Houston) just drove by us and made tough shots and layups all game. We don’t have guys that can do that. Or at least they’re not doing that. Maybe they can, but they’re just not. So you’ve got to run some offense and try to get someone else a shot and we’re not doing that very well either.
“I hope it’s rock bottom. I have no idea, maybe it could get worse. I don’t know.”
On Sunday, WSU bungled fast-break opportunities and jogged back while Houston took the ball and sprinted up the court for an easy basket on the other end. There were multiple instances of Houston ripping away a loose ball because it simply wanted it more. It was the first time this season where WSU’s will to compete came into question.
Marshall suggested it could have been a snowball effect after WSU lost back-to-back games in the final seconds. It’s difficult to imagine now, but WSU was one basket and one defensive stand away from winning its last two games and entering Sunday’s game in a first-place tie with Houston.
Of course, that’s hard to remember when WSU fell behind by as many as 37 points on Sunday. WSU has proven this season that it can be a good team. But there’s no doubt its pride took a hit on Sunday.
“You have to be positive in dark moments, but not that many people are,” Dennis said. “Everybody is thinking about all of the negative things. You have to be positive because being more negative is not going to fix the situation. Hopefully positivity will.”
Marshall and the players said they wanted to believe Sunday’s loss was rock bottom for this season.
Looking ahead at the schedule — WSU plays three straight lower-tier teams in the conference — WSU has the opportunity to stabilize itself and restore its chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid.
But if WSU doesn’t resolve its issues, both on and off the court, then any hopes of returning to March Madness as an at-large berth could be dashed.
“We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and see what we can do to try to resurrect our team and our season,” Marshall said.
This is the crossroads of the season for WSU and the next two weeks will be telling.
“Backs against the wall, what are you going to do?” WSU freshman Grant Sherfield said. “Curl up or swing and fight? We have to come on Thursday ready to play. We know what we need to do.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2020 at 8:06 PM.
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