‘The pain comes and goes’: Wichita State player has been playing all season with injuries
If it has looked like something is off with Kenny Pohto in his sophomore season on the Wichita State men’s basketball team, that’s because there is something off.
Head coach Isaac Brown revealed to The Eagle that Pohto has been battling a knee injury since returning from Sweden late this summer. Playing through the injury has affected Pohto’s production, as his shooting numbers (39.7% from the field and 11.1% beyond the arc) have significantly dipped and his averages of 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds have been somewhat disappointing considering an increase in playing time, up to 22.5 minutes per game.
“I’ve been playing through a lot of injuries, but especially the knee,” Pohto said. “It’s been up and down so far this season. The pain comes and goes. Some days it’s good, some days it’s bad. It’s been a struggle.”
After a promising rookie year at WSU, where Pohto showed signs of being a pick-and-pop weapon in the offense, the 6-foot-11 center hasn’t been able to capture that same level of play entering American Athletic Conference play. The Shockers (7-5) will face UCF (9-3) in Orlando at 6 p.m. Wednesday with the game streaming on ESPN+.
Pohto’s injuries were enough to keep him out of a Dec. 3 loss at Kansas State, but he has opted to play through the pain in the other 11 games. He knows he doesn’t look like the same player as last season but is confident he is returning to full health the longer this season progresses.
“I was never really athletic before, but I feel a lot less athletic now and a lot slower,” Pohto said. “I’m working on it every day with our strength coach and trainers.”
First-year strength and conditioning coach Ryan Horn has focused on improving Pohto’s lower-body strength and has him focusing mostly on his quads.
On the court, Brown has been trying to restore Pohto’s confidence.
The coaching staff believed last season’s shooting performance of 30.2% on three-pointers was the baseline for Pohto. Internally, there were hopes that the pick-and-pop pairing of star point guard Craig Porter and Pohto would allow the Swedish big man to scratch the 40% mark beyond the arc this season. Instead, Pohto has missed 16 of 18 three-pointers to start the season.
“I think (the offense) will look really great when we start to make some shots from the three-point line,” Brown said. “You can run anything you want, but if you’re not making shots, the other team is just going to pack it in.”
When Pohto sets a screen and pops to the perimeter, defenses have begun to leave him alone entirely, practically daring him to hoist up a deep one to prove he can make it. And when Pohto rolls to the rim, defenses are comfortable switching smaller guards on him, again daring Pohto to prove it is a mismatch by exploiting the matchup down low.
It’s a work in progress, but Pohto did take a step in the right direction with his performance last game, a 65-56 win over Texas Southern on Dec. 22. He finished with nine points, without taking a single three-pointer, and grabbed seven rebounds with two assists, a block and a steal in 29 minutes.
“He has to score it on the block,” Brown said. “You’ve got to get fouled and get to the free-throw line and see the ball go through the net. If I’m struggling to shoot threes, I probably wouldn’t take them early in the shot clock. I would only take them late in the shot clock and when you’re wide open. I would live in the gym and I would shoot the ball with confidence if I had that opportunity and continue to not let your offense affect your defense. That’s the one thing Kenny does a great job of.”
Pohto said he hasn’t lost his confidence from beyond the arc. Instead, he is determined to help his team in other ways as he finds his stroke from deep.
“I know the shots haven’t been falling so far, but all I can do is keep taking them,” Pohto said. “I’m in the gym every day after practice shooting them, so I know I can do it. Right now I’m just trying to find other ways to be a factor for my team. I try to go inside a little more — and hopefully seeing the ball go in more, the threes will come after that.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 1:42 PM.
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