The secret why Shammah Scott has adjusted so fast on the Wichita State basketball team

The learning curve for Shammah Scott on the Wichita State men’s basketball team isn’t as steep as one would imagine from a player who didn’t arrive on campus until August.

It actually feels like he spent all of last season preparing to play for the Shockers to the 6-foot-2 sophomore point guard.

That’s because Scott played for former WSU assistant coach Greg Heiar at Northwest Florida State, where he was a key reserve for the 2022 NJCAA national championship team. Heiar and current WSU head coach Isaac Brown worked together as assistants under Gregg Marshall for three seasons from 2014-17 and the influence of their former boss is still evident by how they run their practices.

“They both came up under Gregg Marshall, so they pretty much preach the same things,” Scott said. “We pretty much run the same stuff here as we did last year (at Northwest Florida State). Maybe not every little thing is the same, but we ran a lot of the same stuff. So it’s been pretty easy to pick up because I’m familiar with the system and the plays.”

Scott, a late addition to Wichita State’s 2022 recruiting class, was hand-picked by Brown to compete right away for the backup point guard role behind star Craig Porter this season, which tips off Monday when the Shockers play Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. (streaming on ESPN+) at Koch Arena.

“I’ve talked to him about being an elite point guard at this level, number one you’ve got to value the basketball,” Brown said. “You can’t turn it over. You’ve got to get other guys wide-open shots. You’ve got to make plays late in the shot clock and you’ve got to defend.”

That’s exactly what Scott did in WSU’s exhibition victory over Newman this past Wednesday.

During his first run, Scott led the bench unit and spurred a 22-2 run to put the Shockers in control. He finished the game with five points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks in 13 minutes, as WSU outscored Newman by 18 points when he was on the floor.

In a short amount of time, Scott has already gained the trust of his teammates to run the show when Porter is on the bench.

“He can score the ball when he needs to, but he’s really showing he can play the one because he has a high IQ and is a good passer,” WSU teammate Jaron Pierre Jr. said of Scott. “I know what’s inside of him. He can definitely score the ball at this level. But he likes to get his teammates involved and he’s coming along very quickly.”

A former high school star in Cleveland, Ohio, Scott admitted it took an adjustment in his mindset last year to play backup point guard on a loaded juco team. He averaged 6.8 points and drilled 29 three-pointers on 47.5% accuracy at Northwest Florida State, excelling in a complimentary role.

He will be asked to do more of the same this season for WSU, which fully expects Porter to play north of 30 minutes per game. Scott was fully aware of that when he decided to bypass another season in the junior college ranks to begin his Div. I career at WSU.

He has embraced the opportunity to play against and learn from Porter on a daily basis. After struggling with Missouri State’s switch-happy defense in the closed scrimmage, Scott picked the veteran’s mind on how to better attack that look in the future. The experience has already made him a better player, Scott said.

“I’ve picked up so much already from Craig,” Scott said. “Sometimes you’ve got to play with pace and sometimes you’ve got to slow it down. Normally I’m used to being the point guard of the team, but looking up to Craig has been pretty cool. I’m learning a lot and I’m looking forward to learning even more the rest of the year.”

WSU coaches believed Scott’s recruiting was destined to blow up if he returned to the junior college level and showcased what he could do running a team this season. That’s why the Shockers were ecstatic when Scott decided to come out in the 2022 recruiting class and join their team this season.

Porter is looking forward to bringing his understudy along to form a potent one-two combination this season at the point guard position.

“He’s a really smooth guard,” Porter said of Scott. “He knows how to play in ball screens. He knows how to get dudes doing things that they don’t want to do. He knows how to play overall good basketball. His pace and control of the game is something a lot of guards don’t have. He doesn’t let people speed him up. I feel like he’s really going to develop well.”

Central Arkansas at Wichita State basketball preview

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Where: Koch Arena, Wichita (10,506)

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM

Projected starting lineups

Central Arkansas Bears

Coach: Anthony Boone, fourth season, 25-51

Wichita State Shockers

Coach: Isaac Brown, third season, 31-19

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6270

Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.