Will Shockers basketball star Tyson Etienne play vs. Arizona? WSU coach answers
The Wichita State men’s basketball team expects to have its star back when the Shockers step into the national spotlight on Friday night in a Roman Main Event game against Arizona in Las Vegas.
WSU coach Isaac Brown told reporters on Thursday that Tyson Etienne, who missed Tuesday’s game due to an illness, practiced fully on Wednesday and is “ready to go” for Friday’s showdown against undefeated Arizona.
Etienne did not start in last Saturday’s win over South Alabama and was clearly limited to what has been described as a stomach sickness, then missed the first game of his three-year WSU career in Tuesday’s win over Tarleton State for the same reason. Etienne has taken a COVID-19 test with negative results.
“He’s been good,” Brown said. “He’s ready to go. He felt a little sick and didn’t play in the game, but he’s back 100%. He had a great practice and we’re expecting him to play.”
After averaging 16.3 points and leading Wichita State to an improbable American Athletic Conference championship, Etienne shared AAC Player of the Year honors last season and was voted the preseason Player of the Year by coaches for this season.
Etienne delivered a viral moment in WSU’s first game of the season, hitting a 32-foot, stepback three-pointer to lift the Shockers to a last-second victory over Jacksonville State.
But the 6-foot-2 guard has yet to fully hit his stride on offense. For as superb as Etienne was down the stretch to help WSU pull out the win against Jacksonville State, Etienne’s shot hasn’t been falling with the same kind of accuracy as last season. He is shooting 25% from the field and just 16.7% on three-pointers, his specialty, in two games.
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