A 6-11 freshman wins three-point shootout at WSU men’s basketball Shocker Madness
It didn’t take long for freshman Kenny Pohto to show Shocker fans his ability from outside the arc.
The 6-foot-11 center from Sweden easily became the tallest Wichita State men’s basketball player to win the Shocker Madness three-point contest with a final-round score of 17 points Tuesday night at Koch Arena, much to the delight of his teammates who swarmed him after he swished the final corner shot.
WSU coach Isaac Brown had high praise for Pohto at the end of the night.
“Kenny is a weapon. He’s probably the best shooting big man I’ve ever coached,” Brown said. “You can run pick and pops with him. He can shoot the three at a high percentage. He can defend at the other end and he has great size at 6-11.”
Pohto, who comes to WSU after playing the last two seasons at Sunrise Academy in nearby Bel Aire, has impressed coaches with how polished his game is for a 19-year-old true freshman.
Because Pohto is 6-11 and can stroke threes, he serves as an intriguing compliment to WSU’s starting center, Morris Udeze, an undersized, 6-8 bulldozer who inflicts most of his damage close to the rim.
With a single substitution, WSU can drastically alter the way it approaches offensive possessions.
“Kenny is one of the hardest workers on the team,” WSU sophomore forward Monzy Jackson said. “When I’m in the gym, he’s in the gym. He puts up shots every night. It’s good to have a big that can stretch the floor like that. I think that will help us a lot this year.”
Monzy shooting more from deep
Another player who impressed with his three-point shot on Tuesday was sophomore Monzy Jackson.
The 6-foot-7 forward carved out a role off the bench last season centered around the chaotic energy he brings to the court. Jackson dove for loose balls, wrestled away improbable rebounds and was aggressive attacking the rim, which led to plenty of second-chance points and trips to the foul line.
While all of that is still part of his game, Jackson showed off a more confident shot from beyond the arc in the intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday. He led the black team in scoring with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers he did not hesitate to launch.
“I work with coach Lou (Gudino) every day after practice, having me in the gym shooting,” Jackson said. “I come in at like nine o’clock, just getting shots up and working hard.”
While Jackson didn’t shoot many threes last season (1.4 per game), he showed a penchant for knocking down timely triples in clutch moments. He finished his debut season shooting 9-for-30 (30%) on three-pointers, numbers the WSU coaching staff believes Jackson can improve on in volume and accuracy.
Jackson started off last season hot, making 4 of 8 triples in his first seven games, only to finish the final 15 games shooting just 22.7% (5 of 22) beyond the arc.
More consistent outside shooting is a sure way to earn more playing time and all signs point toward that happening this season for Jackson.
“He’s becoming a better shooter,” Brown said. “Last year he was a tremendous rebounder and he’s getting better on the defensive end. We need him to make open jump shots and I think he showed that tonight.”
Wichita State-Texas Tech closed scrimmage set for Saturday
Updating a prior report from The Eagle back in September, the closed men’s basketball scrimmage between the Shockers and Texas Tech has been set for this Saturday, Brown confirmed on Tuesday. According to sources with knowledge, the closed scrimmage will take place at a neutral site in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Update on Morris Udeze’s absence
Wichita State’s junior center Morris Udeze, a returning starter, did not play in the team’s scrimmage. Afterward, Brown said Udeze “tweaked” his shoulder recently in practice and he was held out of Tuesday’s events as a precaution. Udeze should return to practice on Thursday and be ready for WSU’s closed scrimmage against Texas Tech on Saturday, Brown said.
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
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