‘We’re going to need everyone’: WSU’s new hoops coach shares his insights and plans
The discussion surrounding the Wichita State men’s basketball program in the months leading up to the start of the season has been about anything but basketball.
But now that a nearly three-month investigation looking into allegations of abuse by head coach Gregg Marshall has concluded with Marshall resigning and reaching a $7.75 million settlement with the university and former assistant Isaac Brown taking his place as interim head coach, the Shockers can focus on the court again.
WSU opens its 2020-21 season Wednesday with the first of three games in three days, an 8:30 p.m. tipoff against Utah State in the opening round of the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Two days after being named interim coach, Brown spoke with The Wichita Eagle in an exclusive interview. He said the past two weeks “have been a whirlwind,” but the program has stuck together. No players have asked for a transfer or opted out, he said.
“For me, the transition has been more about the kids,” Brown said. “I’ve just tried to make sure that they’re good. I’ve been focusing on them, focusing on practice, focusing on video. They’ve been bringing a lot of energy in practice. They’ve been cheering each other on and they’ve had a lot of positive energy, so that’s a good thing.”
WSU was picked seventh out of 11 teams by coaches in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll, but internally the Shockers feel like they have the firepower to contend for another NCAA Tournament berth.
The Shockers lost their go-to option in the post, Jaime Echenique, to graduation and a total of six scholarship players to transfer, including three guards with starting experience. But WSU returns three full-time starters in junior wing Dexter Dennis, sophomore guard Tyson Etienne and senior forward Trey Wade and added UConn graduate transfer Alterique Gilbert at point guard.
Juniors Morris Udeze and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler and redshirt freshman Josaphat Bilau will have their opportunity to play more minutes at center and in its in recruiting class, WSU brought in three junior college players who can help immediately off the bench and three athletic and talented freshmen who could also be factors.
“I think it’s going to take everybody in the room,” Brown said. “I told the guys the other day that at some point during the season, we’re going to need every one of them to help us with a win. Whether that’s you getting a rebound, whether that’s you making shots, whether that’s you diving on the floor for a loose ball, whether that’s you being a spark off the bench. We’re going to need everyone.
“If we can play hard and we can play smart and we can play with toughness and don’t turn it over, then we will have a shot.”
Those are the same principles that Marshall hammered into his teams for the past 13 seasons. Brown said a lot of things will stay the same for WSU, but there will be a few tweaks as he puts his imprint on the program.
“We’re still going to play fast and we’re still going to push the ball in transition on makes and misses,” Brown said. “We’re definitely still going to crash the offensive glass with the 3, 4 and 5. Defensively, there will be times where we will pick you up full court and try to put some pressure on you. We might throw a little press at you. In the half-court, we want to make teams uncomfortable. We don’t want them going against a defense they see every day in practice. We want to defend, we want to rebound and we want to play with toughness.”
Brown said many of the returners have stepped up and become vocal leaders on the team this offseason, mainly Etienne, Dennis, Wade and Udeze. All four of those players have taken the biggest strides since last season.
According to those in the program, WSU’s practices have revealed Etienne (9.4 points, 38.8% three-point shooter) has diversified his game and can be more than just a spot-up shooter. Dennis (9.2 points, 5.0 rebounds) has worked all summer on attacking off the dribble. All signs point toward Wade (7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds) making the junior-to-senior leap that many junior college players have done at WSU. And Udeze (4.3 points, 2.8) is finally fully healthy for the first time in his career and is motivated to showcase his post moves and improved outside shot.
The most pressing question for the team is how it replaces the production and reliability of Echenique (11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds). Brown said he thinks the three-man rotation of Udeze, Poor Bear-Chandler and Bilau can handle it but they need to stay out of foul trouble. Last season, Udeze (9.1 fouls per 40 minutes) and Poor Bear-Chandler (6.7) had issues with that.
“They’ve been playing well in practice and going hard,” Brown said. “They’re getting a lot better in the low post. They’re scoring consistently. They’re even stepping out and shooting the three a little. But they’ve got to get better defensively in the post. That’s the biggest thing is making sure we’re doing the right stuff in how we’re defending the post and guarding without fouling.”
Brown is also ecstatic about the three junior college players. He says Clarence Jackson, a 6-7 sophomore, has been a terror on the offensive glass and has surprised many because his offensive game is more advanced than previously thought. Craig Porter, a 6-2 junior, is crafty, can play both guard spots and defend at a high level. And Trevin Wade, the younger brother of Trey, is a 5-11 junior who will be a spark plug for WSU and is also a tenacious defender, Brown says.
“When you recruit juco guys, you want to get guys who play hard,” Brown said. “These guys play hard and they play with so much energy. All three of those guys have brought so much energy to our practices. They’ve taken our energy to another level by how hard they play.”
Brown said that following Marshall’s resignation on Tuesday, no players have asked for a transfer or opted out for this season. All staff members, except for Marshall and his son, Kellen, who was a graduate assistant, have remained on board for WSU and Brown said that he plans to announce his third assistant for this season “by the end of the week.”
There are no injuries on WSU, according to Brown, heading into the season, although the Shockers have had players quarantine because of COVID-19 protocols.
Brown confirmed that the Shockers are still planning on playing in the Crossover Classic. Duke, Ohio State, Dayton, Texas A&M and Creighton have pulled out because of various reasons, all stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked how WSU is handling a season with so much uncertainty game-to-game with the virus, Brown said the Shockers are only focusing on things they can control.
“We’re going to take it week by week,” Brown said. “We’re following all of the protocols and taking the tests. We come to practice every day and we’re treating every game like we’re going to play it. We’ll be prepared. We practice like we’re going to play every game.”
Brown said the Shockers are just excited to be playing basketball again.
After nearly two decades as a Division I assistant coach, Brown is ready to lead them as head coach.
“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity, but I guess my mind has been on these players so much because I haven’t really thought about it for myself,” Brown said. “It’s not about me. It’s about these kids. I tell them that every day, ‘This is your team and you’ve got to take control of it. I’m the head coach, but I want this to be your team. I want you to be the leaders of the team.’
“The guys are so excited to be able to play the game they love again. They’re eager to get back out there.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 9:42 AM.
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