Shocker basketball shakes things up with two-a-day practice, ‘come-to-Jesus’ meetings

Following an 0-2 start in American Athletic Conference play, Wichita State men’s basketball head coach Paul Mills implemented a two-a-day practice schedule for the first time in his tenure.

Looking to send a message after a 19-point home loss to South Florida where the Shockers gave up 91 points for the second straight game, Mills had the team practice in the morning and afternoon on Wednesday.

The reason was simple ahead of Saturday’s road trip to San Antonio to take on UTSA in a 3 p.m. game at the Convocation Center.

“We’re bad. We’ve got to get good,” Mills said on Thursday. “So we need more work.”

A 19-point thrashing of in-state rival Kansas State showed the potential of the team. But that performance has been an outlier and not the norm the past month. Not only has WSU struggled to execute on the court, but a veteran cast of players have had issues bringing energy to games.

That’s led to several “come-to-Jesus” meetings this week, according to Mills.

“The main point is that you have guys who want to get better and they’re thirsty to get better,” Mills said. “That’s on us as coaches to try to make sure that’s happening. Some of it is methodology, some of it is just how we’re doing things, and some of it is simplification and trying to clear up confusion.”

There are X-and-O fixes to the problem, as Mills acknowledged he will have to “joystick” the offense more from the sidelines and call more set plays rather than trusting his players to play out of a free-flowing structure.

Regardless of the approach from the coaches, it’s going to take better decision-making on the court from the players to make a difference in WSU’s offense. Following a season-low seven assists against South Florida, Mills said he has been drilling players more than ever to improve their decision making on offense.

“When you watch us play in space, we’re not making extra passes,” Mills said. “We’re not doing the things that are necessary in order to create advantages. What’s happening is the floor is getting really shrunk because of our (lack of shooting), so what has to happen is passes have to be made differently.

“There are extra passes to be made. We need to think about the team’s best shot. The next play that we need to make is not being made. Guys have the ability to go in there and do that, but they need to recognize that the floor is getting so far squeezed, so the shot isn’t necessarily going to be you. It’s probably going to be somebody else. And then that has to lead to drives and not to what we would call baited shots.”

WSU was baited into settling for 3-pointers far too often against South Florida, which resulted in a dreadful 3-for-20 showing beyond the arc. The Shockers are at their best when they are playing fast, attacking the rim and selective in their 3-point attempts, like in the K-State game when WSU piled up 44 points in the paint, 16 fast-break points and attempted just 10 3s.

On paper, Saturday’s game against UTSA is an ideal opportunity for a get-right game for the Shockers. The Roadrunners (6-8, 0-2 AAC) feature the nation’s third-leading scorer in guard Primo Spears, who is averaging 22.4 points and 3.6 assists, but are in rebuild mode under first-year head coach Austin Claunch and their defense ranks No. 295 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.

This season, evident by a 10-point loss to No. 279-ranked Kansas City at home, has proven WSU is not in a position to overlook any opponent.

“Listen, we need a win,” Mills said. “I don’t care if we’re playing the Sisters of the Poor. We’re not taking anybody for granted as a coaching staff and our players aren’t taking anything for granted. Nobody wants to sit here and not be able to find a way to be on the right side of the scoreboard. So I don’t care what KenPom says, I can tell you this, we’re treating it like UTSA is No. 1 on KenPom.”

Maybe more than anything entering Saturday’s game, Mills will be looking for better energy from his players. Never one to be lacking a catchphrase, the coach said he constantly challenges his players to own a “PHD,” which stands for passionate, hungry and driven.

The Shockers have shown a high level of PHD at times this season, but it has occurred far too often while trying to dig out of holes their lackadaisical play put them in.

On Saturday, Mills wants to see the internal drive from his players.

“If this stuff means something to you, there’s a fire that you come with, right?” Mills said. “If this stuff is important to you, there’s a way that you go about it. I think the external stuff is probably a little phony. It can be provided, but it is so temporary.

“It has to happen internally and we’ve got to make sure the right people are in that locker room. So it’s recruiting. You cannot out-practice bad recruiting and I’m not telling you we have bad recruiting, but it’s the same way that you can’t out-run a bad diet. You can work out six days a week, but if you’re crushing food on Sunday and you go to weigh yourself, it’s not going to work out. So you can’t out-practice bad motives and bad intentions. The way that gets solved is you’ve got be internally motivated. You have to have a PHD and we need a locker room full of those guys. So let’s see how this plays out before any judgment is cast.”

Wichita State at UTSA basketball preview

Records: WSU 10-5, 0-2 AAC; UTSA 6-8, 0-2 AAC

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Convocation Center (4,080), San Antonio, Texas

How to watch: ESPN+

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM (Mike Kennedy with Bob Hull)

Series history: WSU leads 3-0 (First meeting in San Antonio)

Betting line: No odds yet

KenPom says: WSU 83, UTSA 77

Projected starting lineups

Wichita State Shockers (10-5)

Coach: Paul Mills, second season, 25-24

UTSA Roadrunners (6-8)

Coach: Austin Claunch, first season, 6-8

This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 6:02 AM.

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.