Here’s what his WSU teammates say only Erik Stevenson can provide the Shockers
On a team that has had its fair share of ups and downs this season, Erik Stevenson has had maybe the most volatile season of any Shocker.
After scoring a combined two points in the two games previous to Sunday, Stevenson returned to top form for Wichita State and scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds and two steals in the Shockers’ important 79-57 victory over Tulsa.
It was the second-highest scoring output from Stevenson in the last two months, which coincides with when WSU’s struggles as a team began. Stevenson averaged 14.1 points per game during WSU’s 15-1 start, but has averaged just 7.9 points in its last 15 games with more scoreless games (two) than 20-point outbursts (one).
“He looked like the Erik from earlier in the year,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “He had a little bounce to him. He was rebounding, getting in there in the fray. Didn’t look like any ailments, physically or mentally. I’m just glad he was able to rally.
“These guys have so much going on, it’s amazing what we deal with now from just a personal perspective. All of them have so much going on with the social media and the families and the friends and coaches. Today everyone had laser focus.”
Stevenson was not made available to speak to the media after his breakout game, but his teammates said there’s an energy that only Stevenson can bring to the team and it usually happens when he’s scoring like he was on Sunday.
WSU improved to 14-2 this season when Stevenson scores in double-digits.
“I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but we do go on droughts a lot,” WSU sophomore Dexter Dennis said, laughing. “When one more guy is scoring, that’s a big plus all the way around the board.”
“When he’s on, he just gives us great energy on the offensive end and the defensive end,” WSU sophomore Jamarius Burton said. “He’s everywhere, getting rebounds, assists. He’s a big-time player for us and that’s the blessing that we have is that we have multiple players who can put it in the hoop every single night.”
What was unique about Sunday’s performance was that Stevenson got himself going by attacking the basket, instead of catching fire from beyond the arc.
After a quiet first half, Stevenson found his spark early in the second half when a long rebound came his way that essentially started a fast break the other way. Stevenson dribbled past one Tulsa defender, then bowled over another one while flipping the ball softly off the glass and drawing the foul for a three-point play.
Less than 30 seconds later, the ball was poked loose and Stevenson came up with the steal to start another fast break. He passed ahead to Tyson Etienne, who immediately returned it on a touch pass that allowed Stevenson to knife through the lane and sky for another layup, another foul and another three-point play.
“You can tell when he starts smiling and he gives you that look,” WSU senior Jaime Echenique said of Stevenson’s confidence. “You can just tell he’s feeling himself when he’s hot like that.”
When Stevenson is playing well, there is an unmistakable swagger in his game. It’s not just that smile that Echenique referred to, it’s the way that he carries himself on the court. When he’s in that mode, he provides an energy that his teammates love to feed off of and an energy that usually greatly annoys his opponents.
“He’s got that swagger, it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to be a part of,” Dennis said. “We laugh about it all the time. He’s kind of an a-hole or whatever you want to call it. But it’s funny to watch.”
That was the case late in WSU’s win on Sunday when Stevenson went to the ground to try to retrieve a rebound and Tulsa’s Reggie Jones bent over and stuck two hands in to force a tie-up. Stevenson got to his feet still clutching the ball and Jones’ arm became entangled and he pushed Stevenson in the back out of frustration with 11 seconds remaining.
A technical was assessed to Jones, as Stevenson walked away smiling and firing up WSU’s bench with his words. That led to another confrontation, as Stevenson and another Tulsa player were whistled for technicals for jawing with one another.
“We got our butts kicked and there’s no time to do something silly like that,” Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. “There was a loose ball and their kid went to the floor. We didn’t go to the floor. There’s no time to be tough afterwards. I was a little disappointed in our actions in that situation and it will be dealt with.”
But Stevenson accomplished much more than just frustrating his opponents at the end of a blowout win. His game on Sunday was showed the way he can be effective when his outside shot wasn’t falling.
Of course, the one triple that Stevenson did make was a momentum-swinger immediately following his back-to-back three-point plays coming out of halftime. He scored nine points on three straight possessions for WSU to push its lead to 46-29 right out of halftime.
But that three-pointer was the only shot from distance that Stevenson made in the game, as the 18 points were the second-most he’s scored in his career without the help of more than one three-pointer. On Sunday, Stevenson made 4 of 5 two-pointers and all seven of his free throws.
Stevenson’s improved vertical from his work over the summer has translated to more success at the rim this season. According to Synergy, Stevenson finished just 48% of his shots at the rim on 1.4 attempts per game. This season, according to Synergy, Stevenson is finishing 59% of his shots at the rim on 2.0 attempts per game. His free throw rate also improved in conference play, which is important because Stevenson made just 26.1% of his three-pointers in AAC games.
.jpg)