Here’s how Alterique Gilbert should instantly improve Wichita State’s offense
Alterique Gilbert has generated quite the buzz with his play in Wichita State men’s basketball practices this fall.
There is a confidence inside the program that the Shockers have found their first natural point guard who doubles as a floor general since Fred VanVleet graduated in 2016.
That’s not to say Gilbert, a 6-foot Connecticut graduate transfer and former McDonald’s All-American, will be the same caliber of VanVleet, a former NCAA All-American who just signed an $85 million contract in the NBA.
But after a run of mostly score-first point guards the past four seasons, Gilbert brings a VanVleet-type approach to the point guard position. That’s exactly what the Shockers will be looking for in their season opener at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday against Utah State in a game broadcast on ESPN2 in the opening round of the Crossover Classic at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“Alterique is a natural point guard, a leader and he’s a guy who can create shots for other,” WSU interim coach Isaac Brown said. “He’s a guy who can get you into sets and the fact that he’s played college basketball at a high level for four years, he’s got an advantage going into these games.”
The biggest difference Shocker fans will notice about a Gilbert-led offense is his ability to beat his defender off the dribble. Effective dribble penetration has been sorely missing from WSU’s offense since it took a nose-dive in efficiency the past two seasons.
In short, WSU hasn’t been able to consistently win 1-on-1 battles to create advantages on offense. Gilbert is a specialist in this category.
What WSU has found in Gilbert is a lightning-quick point guard with superb handle on the ball. It’s not a question of if Gilbert can beat his defender, it’s what decision will he make after beating his defender.
In his best version, Gilbert could be the key to unlock sophomore sharpshooter Tyson Etienne and junior wing Dexter Dennis for their best shooting seasons yet.
Etienne and Dennis are WSU’s two best shooters, as Etienne made 38.8% of his threes as a freshman and Dennis made 40% of his triples in 2018-19 and 39% of them in conference play last season. But the duo shot a combined 36.2% — decent, but not on-par with their ability — on catch-and-shoot threes last season.
While shooters can help improve their shot quality with their movement off the ball, the quality of catch-and-shoot attempts is largely dictated by the player passing them the ball. And last season WSU’s ball handlers struggled to create the necessary separation to draw help defense to generate clean looks. That left Etienne and Dennis shooting over an extended hand too many times.
When WSU has the ball in the halfcourt, Etienne and Dennis routinely end up camped out in the corners or along the wings with their hands ready, waiting for the ball handler to penetrate and kick out for the shot. Etienne and Dennis are their most efficient, like most shooters, when they receive an on-target pass in rhythm and can elevate with a clear view of the rim.
For two shooters who could make better than 40% of their three-pointers, Etienne and Dennis received too few of those quality of looks last season.
That could change this season with the arrival of Gilbert, who not only was able to consistently deliver dribble penetration but also showed a good awareness last season at UConn finding open shooters dotting the perimeter once he did. Gilbert averaged a career-best 3.8 assists per game and assisted on 27.2% of his teammate’s baskets when he was on the floor.
It’s not hard to imagine Gilbert driving the lane, collapsing the defense and kicking out to a wide-open Etienne or Dennis spotting up in the corner for three. After all, Gilbert’s best quality — breaking down defenses — enhances the best quality in Etienne and Dennis — their outside shooting.
“I think both of those guys will benefit a lot from him,” Brown said. “Any time you’ve got a point guard who can create off the bounce and get into the lane and create help situations, those guys will get wide-open shots. That’s going to make their life a lot easier.”
After WSU’s offense has plummeted to outside the top-100 in college basketball’s most efficient offenses, according to KenPom, the last two seasons, Gilbert’s jolt to the offense should be much welcomed.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
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