Three takeaways from Wichita State Shockers’ basketball exhibition game victory
The Wichita State men’s basketball team had little issue dispatching Emporia State 99-53 in an exhibition game at Koch Arena on Sunday evening.
Here are three takeaways from the Shockers’ final tune-up before the Nov. 4 season-opener at Western Kentucky:
1. Corey Washington’s motor is non-stop
It only took one possession for Saint Peter’s transfer Corey Washington to showcase his motor.
On WSU’s first trip down the floor, Bijan Cortes’ pass was deflected, but Washington’s hustle put him in the right place at the right time to pick the ball up and score.
“I was just sitting there thinking, ‘That’s Corey,’” WSU coach Paul Mills said. “He’s just a magnet to the ball.”
It may have been against Division II competition, but Washington’s motor was perhaps the most impressive part of WSU’s starting lineup. He rarely hesitated with the ball on the perimeter and often drove until he reached the basket and scored.
All six of Washington’s makes came at the rim. His lone miss was a desperation 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock.
“His motor is so good that sometimes it overshadows how great he is skill-wise with the ball in his hands,” WSU teammate Harlond Beverly said. “It’s usually you’re either just a skill guy or just a motor guy, but he’s a really godo combination of both and that makes him a complete player. It’s really nice to have him on the team.”
The 6-foot-5 forward tallied a game-high 15 points in just 16 minutes of play.
“I feel like every time I step on the court there’s a point to prove,” he said. “Especially with (people) not seeing me in a game uniform.”
2. Bijan Cortes found the happy-medium balance with his passing
The story of Bijan Cortes’ college career to date has been one of major swings when it comes to his passing.
Either he’s going to make a highlight-reel play or a turnover going the other way.
Mills has challenged the senior to improve his decision-making after posting the team’s highest per-40-minute rates of assists (6.3) and turnovers (4.7) last season.
“You definitely don’t want to take away his instincts,” Mills said. “But you need him to be more conscientious about hitting singles. Everything doesn’t have to be SportsCenter-esque.”
Starting alongside transfer point guard Justin Hill, Cortes threaded the needle well with tapping into his creativity but also limiting his risks in 15 minutes of play with six points, three assists and no turnovers.
A play the coaching staff will surely highlight in the film room came on a fast break, when Cortes executed a jump-stop in the paint and made the right pass off two feet to find Xavier Bell in the corner for a 3-pointer.
A year ago, Cortes might have tried to make a flashy pass jumping off one foot. This time, the Kingfisher, Oklahoma native made the simple play and cashed in three points for the Shockers.
“I’m just trying to be a better player and turnovers was the main thing,” Cortes said. “It’s something coach Mills and me talked about, I just had to lower the turnovers. Playing with pace, playing off two (feet), making the right reads, not making a big play where you can just make a simple one.”
While Cortes did well to not commit a turnover, he also showed his creativity on another fast break. He received a pass ahead and jumped as if he was going up for a lay-up, only to flip the ball in the air for a trailing Corey Washington to finish with an alley-oop.
“It’s great playing with him,” Washington said. “I feel like he’s always going to find me and I believe in that and trust in that.”
3. Plenty of work to do, but overall positive review of game
No team will play a perfect exhibition game and Mills already had a laundry list of details that he wishes WSU would have cleaned up.
But for a game played Oct. 27, the Shockers seemed relatively pleased with their debut performance.
After committing 17 turnovers and only leading by four points at halftime in last year’s exhibition, this year’s tune-up went much better for WSU. The team led 52-25 at halftime and by as many as 49 points in the second, while the starting five of Justin Hill, Bijan Cortes, Harlond Beverly, Corey Washington and Quincy Ballard finished with seven assists and no turnovers.
Washington led the way with 15 points, while Ballard (12 points, eight rebounds), Beverly (12 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals), Xavier Bell (11 points, three rebounds, two steals) and Ronnie DeGray III (11 points, four rebounds, two assists) all finished with double-digit scoring.
Mills was particularly pleased with WSU’s 21-of-28 performance at the foul line for 75% shooting.
“Overall, there’s a lot of good to take away,” Mills said. “But we’ve got a number of things to clean up in order to be able to compete against Western Kentucky. We’re excited to start the work on that, but I’m glad this one is under our belt.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2024 at 10:18 PM.
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