‘Our guys kept battling’: Shockers optimistic after battling adversity past two weeks
The Wichita State men’s basketball team took its first loss of the season on Sunday to Missouri, but interim coach Isaac Brown said he’s been proud of the way the Shockers have battled in less-than-ideal circumstances so far this season.
WSU has been undermanned for two weeks now due to COVID-19 restrictions stemming from multiple players either testing positive or being deemed close contacts on Nov. 23. Not only did WSU lose its first three scheduled games of the season at the Crossover Classic — which could have been valuable experience — it left the Shockers unable to scrimmage 5-on-5 in practices.
For a team with seven newcomers and a new head coach, time together on the court was what the Shockers desperately needed. All things considered, Brown was proud of his team in a 72-62 loss to Mizzou.
“Our guys just kept battling and that’s what I like about them,” Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of leaders in the locker room. A lot of guys stepped up. They didn’t point any fingers. They stayed together and they stayed solid. We just ran out of gas there at the end.
“We can learn a lot from this game. That’s what the plan is going into the next practice is to learn from this loss.”
Although WSU has had all five of its projected starting lineup, its bench has been thin to start the season. Junior guard Craig Porter, redshirt freshman forward Josaphat Bilau and all three freshmen — guard Chauncey Jenkins, wing Ricky Council and forward Jaden Seymour — missed WSU’s season-opening win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday and all but Council missed Sunday’s game as well.
If there are no additional positive tests and the recovering players are able to return, WSU could have its full complement of players this week in practice and for its next game at 2 p.m. Saturday against Oklahoma State.
“I think we can be really, really good,” WSU junior Dexter Dennis said. “It’s early though. When Coach (Gregg Marshall) was here, he used to say the same thing all the time. He saw us work every day when he was here. We just have to get our chemistry down. It’s our second game playing with a lot of new guys. Some guys are still out with COVID. We’re getting guys back in pieces and I think once we get our whole team back and get some game experience and a lot more practice experience, I think we’ll be much better.”
Once WSU returns to full strength, the players can also go back to playing their original positions.
Brown said that is a key to remember for how WSU looked in the first two games of the season. Due to limited numbers, certain players (like Trevin Wade playing shooting guard and Trey Wade playing center) have had to play positions for WSU on offense that they had not practiced in before.
“We have so many guys playing different positions and they’re not playing the position they normally would play in practice,” Brown said. “That’s the biggest thing is just getting our depth back.
“It’s hard to go 5-on-5 in practice when you only have eight guys. So those guys coming back will help with our energy. They’ll bring a lot more energy to our practices.”
Up against a veteran Missouri team with mostly seniors and juniors, WSU’s new cast struggled to find much offensive rhythm on Sunday.
Alterique Gilbert, a graduate transfer who starts for WSU at point guard, said fans can expect to see WSU’s offense improve once it has all of its players back and their on-court chemistry grows.
“We’re still learning how to play with each other and this is all just a learning experience for us,” Gilbert said. “We’ve got a great group of guys who will learn from this and we’ll pick it back up. We have a lot of athleticism, a lot of poise, a lot of energy coming back (with the missing players).
“If we correct a few things on the defensive end and a few things on the offensive end and make some strides, I think we’ll be fine.”
After an offseason that saw Marshall resign less than two weeks before the first scheduled game of the season, the WSU players say they have banded together closer than ever before. They are no strangers to battling adversity and they look at the obstacles already early in this season as just the next thing for them to overcome.
“It’s been extremely difficult and there’s been a lot of things that we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Dennis said. “A lot of unexpected things. We’re battling. We’re just really glad we get to play basketball. To get back to being a basketball player and just playing for something, playing for this university, it means a lot. We have a lot to prove and we have a lot we’re riding on. It means a lot to us just to be playing right now.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
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