After a redshirt year, here’s what Josaphat Bilau thinks he can do for Wichita State
This past season was a test of patience for Josaphat Bilau.
Redshirting his first year at Wichita State wasn’t always the plan. In fact, the 6-foot-10, 232-pound forward from France committed to the Shockers because he believed he could help them right away, but Bilau was forced to sit out last season due to multiple injuries.
Now that he’s finally healthy, Bilau is eager to show Shockers fans what they missed out on last season. And now he’s even better, after nearly a full year to work in the weight room, learn Gregg Marshall’s playbook and acclimate to the Division I level.
“It was really tough to sit out for an entire year because you want to be out there and play, especially when you know that you could help your team,” Bilau told The Eagle. “It was hard to watch, but I tried to stay positive and take it as a learning experience. Now I’m just working on my game, trying to improve every day and ready to show the fans what I can do.”
What exactly Bilau can do is still somewhat of a mystery, considering he has only made two public appearances — the first during a 20-minute, intra-squad scrimmage and the second in 10 minutes of WSU’s 92-57 exhibition victory over Northeastern State.
But internally, the program is ecstatic about the ceiling for Bilau. He’s 6-foot-10 and weighs more than 230 pounds, but he can dribble, shoot and pass like a wing. On defense, you are just as likely to see him using his 7-foot-3 wingspan to swat away shots near the rim as you are to see him using that length to smother his mark on the perimeter. Teammates and coaches alike rave about Bilau’s performances on the scout team during practices last season.
Marshall recalled a time when he asked Bilau if he thought he could replicate Tre Scott, the motor for Cincinnati who went on to earn the American Athletic Conference Defender of the Year and Most Improved Player awards.
“He looked at me and said, ‘I can do it today, Coach,’” Marshall said on his radio show during the season.
It will certainly take time for Bilau to come close to becoming a double-double machine like Scott was in his senior year at Cincinnati, but Marshall said earlier this spring that Bilau will “without a doubt be a contributor next year.”
In Bilau’s own words, here’s what he thinks he can offer to WSU next season:
“I can do a little bit of everything. I can score, I can pass, I can create for myself or my teammates. I can play inside or outside. I think I’m a mismatch problem because the bigger guys won’t be able to stay in front of me and the shorter guys can’t guard me in the post.
“On the defensive end, I block shots, get deflections and get steals. I did that a lot in practices and coach (Marshall) loved that. I can rebound it well and I play hard. Another big thing is I’m able to guard multiple positions and I’m also able to hedge on the ball screens and quick enough to get back to my man.”
Recently graduated center Jaime Echenique, WSU’s leading scorer last season, can confirm Bilau’s scouting report. Echenique remembers being stunned by some of the things Bilau was able to do on the court once he was healthy in practice.
“It’s crazy how versatile he is,” Echenique said. “He has so much energy and passion. I remember early in the season not thinking much because he was the youngest guy and he was hurt. And then all of a sudden, he started jumping and blocking shots and making these great passes. It was like, ‘We thought you were hurt!’ He was a box of surprises. He will be a good player coming up, for sure.”
Those flashes are why the Shockers believe it was a significant recruiting victory when they swooped in late and secured Bilau’s commitment late last June over West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Nevada. Bilau was also attracting interest from Kansas, Texas Tech, Tennessee and Georgetown.
While Bilau’s potential is vast, he is still extremely raw. He’s only played basketball for six years and Marshall says there are still times during practices where he has to reign him in. That’s understandable considering Bilau never played for a showcase team on a summer circuit and played sparingly in his final year at SPIRE Institute, loaded with blue-chip prospects.
That’s what made Bilau such a difficult recruiting evaluation in the estimation of Rodger Bohn, who runs his own private scouting company in Ohio, where SPIRE Institute is located. Bohn watched several SPIRE games but only saw Bilau play a handful of times — mostly in mop-up duty. Still, he recognized the potential.
“There’s a reason why all of those high-majors went and looked at him and it’s because everyone can see the talent,” Bohn said. “When this kid was engaged, he made an impact far beyond what his level of recruitment. He is a high, high-major prospect when he’s engaged. But the level of consistency just wasn’t there for him to be an elite prospect. I think it’s going to take some time with him.
“You watch him in a workout and go, ‘Oh my God, this guy is something else.’ He’s got so much raw talent, but then you watch him in games and I don’t know if he ever scored more than 10 points in a game and when you did see him play, he was in games that didn’t matter. It’s so tough getting a firm evaluation of him.”
It came against a Division II program in an exhibition game, but Bilau excelled in his 10 minutes and showed glimpses of what he could be doing for the Shockers next season. He confidently spotted up and drilled a three, whipped a cross-court pass to Tyson Etienne for a three out of the post, and took a charge.
But the most enticing play, at least for Marshall, was when Bilau showcased his elite athleticism for a big man while executing Marshall’s preferred method of hedging all ball screens. Bilau exploded up when the screen was being set, beat the ball handler to the spot and then used his wingspan to poke the ball loose for a play that ended in a turnover.
“To be honest, I felt like I was one of the best players on the team last year,” Bilau said. “I always believed I could help my team and play with these guys. So I knew I could play. But when I got hurt, that took away my confidence a little bit. Once I got back healthy, I started to show what kind of player I am and knew that I always was.”
Bilau considers himself a forward, even a small forward, but WSU’s needs on its 2020-21 team will likely rotate him between power forward and center. Senior Trey Wade (6-6, 219) is the returning starter at power forward, while juniors Morris Udeze (6-8, 240) and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler (6-9, 250) also return. WSU signed forwards Clarence Jackson and Jaden Seymour in its incoming recruiting class, both of whom could play minutes at power forward.
If Bilau can stay healthy, his versatility could make him a weapon for the Shockers immediately. He knows he will have to prove his talents can transfer from the practice court to actual games, but he also knows he has the full confidence of his coaches and teammates.
That has been Bilau’s motivation this summer.
“I just want to get better in every aspect of the game,” Bilau said. “I’m already versatile, but I want to become even more versatile. I’m working on my shooting, my handles, my post game. Everything. And now that I know the system, I feel like things will be easier going forward. I don’t have to think as much anymore and when you don’t have to think, you can play free. I think that’s when I play my best is when I play free.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
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