He’s coming back: Tyson Etienne exits NBA Draft to return to Wichita State basketball
The reigning Co-Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference is coming back to Wichita State.
Tyson Etienne has withdrawn his name from consideration for the 2021 NBA Draft and will return to the Shockers for the 2021-22 men’s basketball season, Etienne’s agent, Jelani Floyd of Beyond Athlete Management, told The Eagle on Wednesday. In a social media post titled “The Last Dance,” Etienne confirmed the news on Wednesday.
Despite entering the draft process with little fanfare, the 6-foot-2 guard out of Engelwood, New Jersey performed so well in his pre-draft workouts that it made Wednesday’s decision a difficult one for Etienne. In total, he worked out for eight NBA teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies. He also received interest from a handful of other teams.
If he would have declared for the NBA Draft, Etienne likely would have gambled on a team using a second-round draft pick on him or securing a two-way contract if he went undrafted and begin his professional career in the G League.
Instead, Etienne will take his chances of returning to Wichita State and blossoming into one of the top college basketball players in the country to improve his draft stock potentially for the 2022 NBA Draft.
For WSU, Etienne’s return to the roster has a dramatic effect. Without him, the Shockers figured to remain competitive but face an uphill battle to repeat their success from 2021. With Etienne back, the Shockers now have the best player in the conference on their roster, which figures to elevate them on the short list for AAC title contenders with the expectation of not only playing in the NCAA Tournament again but enjoying a deeper run.
Etienne averaged 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and a school-record 2.95 three-pointers per game, while winning AAC Co-Player of the Year honors and leading WSU to its first AAC championship and a return to March Madness.
After playing almost entirely off the ball as a shooting guard in his first two seasons at WSU, Etienne is expected to shift to playing mostly on the ball as the team’s lead creator — a role that NBA teams want to see him play more after Etienne surprised scouts with how savvy he was running the pick and roll in pre-draft workouts.
With Etienne leading the way, the Shockers also return a pair of four-year veterans with starting experience in juniors Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze. WSU also believes junior guard Craig Porter, sophomore forward Monzy Jackson, freshman wing Ricky Council IV and freshman guard Chaunce Jenkins will shine in expanded roles this season.
In recruiting, WSU coach Isaac Brown was able to add a pair of veteran transfers in junior forward Joe Pleasant (Abilene Christian) and junior guard Qua Grant (Division II All-American at West Texas A&M). The Shockers also added sophomore center Matt McFarlane and a pair of freshmen in big man Kenny Pohto and wing Jalen Ricks.
Etienne is expected to return to Wichita and rejoin the Shockers in team workouts later this month. With Pohto expected to arrive on campus on July 16, WSU should have all 12 of its players training together at Koch Arena by the end of this month.
This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 6:02 PM.
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