‘Whatever I decide to do’: What comes next for Wichita State men’s basketball players?
Staring off at nothing in particular, standing by himself in the loading dock in the bowels of Dickies Arena, Tyson Etienne was alone with his thoughts.
He leaned up against a rail with his Chuck Taylors on and music playing in his headphones, quietly rapping along with the words, trying to lose himself.
It hurt too much to dwell on what had just transpired over the previous two hours, as the team he believed was capable of so many special things finished a disappointing season with one final disappointing performance.
He returned to Wichita State to write a better ending than the one-point showing he had in last season’s NCAA Tournament loss. Thursday’s ending in the AAC Tournament seemed incomprehensible.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to end for the kid from Englewood, New Jersey who was overlooked in recruiting but found a program that perfectly fit his underdog mentality. Not for the 1,000-point scorer who won a Player of the Year award and made his mark in program history leading WSU to its first American Athletic Conference title.
It didn’t seem possible this is how it ended, fouling out with 37 seconds left in a 73-67 loss to Tulsa in the first round of the conference tournament to conclude a 15-13 season and the program’s first season without postseason basketball since 2008.
But it’s likely that will be the final time Etienne wears a Wichita State jersey.
“I’ll get back to the drawing board, get back to the lab, work on myself, work on my game and trust the journey that I’m on. I know it’s going to be a great one,” said Etienne, who will explore his options in the coming months. “We’ve got to be able to take the wins and take the lessons, too. This year was a lesson for me and a lesson for the team. I’m going to continue to run the marathon and trust the journey that I’m on.”
Twenty minutes earlier, Ricky Council IV traipsed to the podium to answer questions from the media about a game he sounded like he was ready to forget already.
He was asked about scoring a team-high 19 points and Council began to formulate an answer before giving up.
“I don’t really have much to say,” Council said. “I’m disappointed in myself, disappointed in the team. It’s a tough way to go out.”
After the interview session, Council and WSU head coach Isaac Brown made the long walk back to the team’s locker room together. Along the way, Brown told Council stories of his own playing days and encouraged him to stay in the gym this offseason, trying to pump the budding star with confidence after the crushing defeat.
“Stay in the gym,” Brown repeated. “I know you will.”
Not long after, Morris Udeze exited the locker room and was greeted by WSU academic advisor Gretchen Torline. Ask any player who has come through the program in the last two decades and they will tell you Torline is like family to them.
Udeze had overcome more than his fair share of injuries and adversity and his fourth season with the Shockers had just ended in heartbreak, but his worries were put to ease by Torline. She wrapped her arm around him for a side hug and the two slowly walked to the team bus with Torline consoling the 6-foot-8 center.
“A lot of highs, man,” Udeze said moments earlier when asked to reflect on his career to that point. “A lot of lows, too.”
Brown was already game-planning for next season, zeroing in on improving the team’s outside shooting when preparation for the 2022-23 season begins in two weeks.
“I feel like we didn’t shoot the ball great from the three-point line and that’s something we’ve got to improve on,” Brown said. “In order to be a great team, that number has got to go up. I know these guys will put in the work this summer and get in the weight room and work. We’ve got high-character guys and I’m just ready to start working for next year right now.”
Sitting next to his coach on the podium, Council shared the same enthusiasm for beginning work for next season, although he was non-committal about if that work would be with the Shockers.
“I’m ready to go right now,” Council said. “This offseason is going to be big for me, whatever I decide to do going forward. I’m ready to get back out there.”
Given the booming popularity of the transfer portal, it’s almost certain the Shockers’ chartered plane ride back to Wichita will be the last time the group will be together as a whole. But there remains optimism internally that WSU can retain the majority of its core foundation to make another push next season.
Questions about who is coming back and who is leaving had already started weeks ago among a certain segment of the fan base, but the final answer to those questions will likely take weeks to determine. Council’s answer leaving his future open-ended was a common one among WSU players.
It is traditional for the WSU coaching staff to have exit meetings with each player on the Monday following the final game of the season.
“It’s going to take time,” Udeze said. “I’m going to need a few days to let my shoulder heal up. Everybody is banged up right now. We need to take a few days off and think about it. We’ll have those meetings soon.”
A better understanding should be gained if any of WSU’s four-year players like Dennis, Udeze, Craig Porter, Qua Grant and Joe Pleasant plan to become a graduate transfer. Or if any of WSU’s youth, like sophomore Monzy Jackson or the trio of freshmen in Council, Kenny Pohto and Chaunce Jenkins, plan to exercise their first-time free transfer. And what the future might hold for the team’s pair of redshirts, Jalen Ricks and Isaac Abidde.
None of the players were ready to decide on their futures in the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s loss. More clarity should emerge in the coming weeks.
“I think everybody on our team is going to (take time to make a decision),” Dennis said. “I’ll give it a few days to really think about it. Right now it’s hard. It’s fresh in our minds this loss we just took and this season. I think everybody is going to take time to reflect and see what their options are and try to make the best decision going forward.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 6:15 AM.
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