When others left, why Etienne stayed at Wichita State: ‘I’m meant to be a Shocker’
The day after his dreams of playing in the NCAA Tournament were dashed by the abrupt ending of the season by the coronavirus pandemic, Tyson Etienne was dealt another blow when he learned the version of the Wichita State basketball team he envisioned making future March Madness runs with was breaking up.
Etienne was stunned along with Shockers fans when news broke that four scholarship players, most notably Jamarius Burton and Erik Stevenson, were planning their departures from the program by entering the NCAA transfer portal.
In a time when WSU faced uncertainty about what might come next, Etienne didn’t hesitate to provide a glimmer of hope for the Shockers. On the same day of the transfers, Etienne tweeted his support of coach Gregg Marshall and assured fans he would be once again be splashing three-pointers at Koch Arena next season.
Months after his public declaration, Etienne explained to The Eagle why he remained committed to WSU during that time of uncertainty.
“I truly believe in the process and I believe I’m meant to be a Shocker,” Etienne said. “I’ve always believed in coach Marshall’s vision for his program and his vision for me. At that time, I felt like somebody had to step up and show support for coach. I respect their decisions to leave and I wish them the best of luck, but this is the program I believe in.”
A wild offseason for the Shockers began with a bombardment of bad news: Six scholarship players decided to transfer following a relatively successful 23-8 season that had WSU on the cusp of returning to the NCAA Tournament. But Marshall and his coaching staff rallied back in impressive fashion by retooling their roster on the fly with a seven-player recruiting class this spring.
Etienne came to WSU because he wanted to win big, so he admits he was nervous when three prominent teammates wanted out. But Etienne has been encouraged by Marshall’s recruiting this spring — the Shockers replenished their talent with the signing of Connecticut graduate transfer Alterique Gilbert, three impact junior-college players and three high-upside freshmen.
“At the end of the day, I’m here to win and I think we can still win,” Etienne said. “But it can’t just be one or two guys. It’s got to be a platoon, a group of guys that are ready to go. I’m excited to see all of the talent the coaching staff was able to bring in and I’ll be ready to help those guys out and continue to learn myself.”
Etienne had a strong freshman campaign, starting 17 games and averaging 24.6 minutes. He averaged 9.4 points, fourth-most on the team, and led WSU in three-point shooting, averaging 2 per game on 38.8% accuracy.
The New Jersey native said he believes Marshall can unlock his potential, both as a player and as a leader.
“I know this program isn’t for everybody and Coach Marshall is kind of old-school, but at the end of the day Coach Marshall cares more about his players than most coaches in America,” Etienne said. “Coach Marshall will check on you and can talk to you on the phone for an hour and not say one word about basketball. If you believe in his process and believe in getting better, then I truly believe he’s one of the best coaches to ever do it.”
Etienne figures to play a prominent role for the Shockers in his sophomore season. With a year of experience under his belt, it’s likely he will be the starting shooting guard with Gilbert sliding in at point guard and junior-college transfers Craig Porter and Trevin Wade and freshman Chaunce Jenkins seeing time at both of the guard spots.
Also of note, Etienne is the lone returning guard from last season’s team. While it’s only one year of experience, Etienne figures to assume a more vocal leadership role next season because of his knowledge of Marshall’s system and the expectations at WSU.
“Towards the end of last season, I started to become who I think I’ve always been in terms of being a leader,” Etienne said. “I was my authentic self. I didn’t say much at the beginning of the season, but thinking back to certain games later in the season, that’s when I stepped up when leadership was needed in those moments for us to prevail.
“That just began my awakening, and I’m ready to carry that to next season and see where it takes me.”
Etienne, currently living in his hometown of Englewood, New Jersey, is expected to make the trek back to Wichita — along with the rest of the Shockers — in July. The NCAA announced Wednesday that July 20 is the first day WSU coaches can begin holding workouts with players at Koch Arena.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 5:55 AM.
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