Three up, three down: What we learned from Wichita State-Drake scrimmage
Here are three things that worked and three that need work from the Wichita State men’s basketball team’s scrimmage against Drake at Koch Arena this past weekend.
Drake won the combined scrimmage 69-62, taking the first 20-minute segment handily before WSU rallied to win the second 38-30.
Three things that worked
1. The shot-making of Kenyon Giles
Expectations are rising for the 5-foot-10 transfer from UNC Greensboro, who was named to the American preseason all-conference first team last week.
Giles showed why on Saturday, scoring a game-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting with six 3-pointers.
When Giles got going, he was electric — pouring in 16 points in the final 12 minutes of the second scrimmage. That burst wasn’t an accident.
“I didn’t like how the first (scrimmage) went,” Giles said. “The second one, I just wanted to put my imprint on the game a little more and be aggressive. I knew I was going to start hitting them, and that’s exactly what happened.”
WSU was effective running actions to spring him free on the perimeter, but most of his damage came off the dribble. That’s what makes him so intriguing — a true shot-creator who can punish defenses for sagging.
On one play, he led a transition break, took a high ball screen and calmly pulled up for a 3 over a retreating big man. Those were shots previous WSU guards couldn’t consistently make and should put a new element of pressure on defenses.
When Drake adjusted and played tighter, Giles countered by knocking down midrange pull-ups.
“I had a lot of great looks. Missed a few, made a few — that’s why we’re here,” Giles said. “You saw it — the offense. We showcased what we can do, and I think we can take it to another level.”
2. The off-ball movement of Mike Gray Jr.
While Giles closed the show, the early portion of the day belonged to Nicholls State transfer Mike Gray Jr.
In the first 45 minutes of the day — the controlled offense-defense-offense segment — Gray was nearly automatic, drilling 6 of 7 3s and scoring 18 points, almost matching Drake’s entire output of 20 in the 30-possession drill.
The highlight was a contested 3 to beat the shot clock that drew loud applause from the crowd. But more impressive was how he got his other looks. Gray was crafty off the ball, setting up defenders and using screens to create space. He looked like a seasoned veteran in Mills’ system as a shooting guard.
Although Mills has said Gray will see more time on the ball — and he did lead WSU with three assists in the scrimmages — his off-ball movement and shooting may make him too valuable at the two-guard spot. Most of his damage came there, with point guard Dre Kindell finding him on the move.
“My teammates were finding me,” Gray said. “They know I can knock those shots down, and that opens everything up for everyone else. Getting going early helps the team a lot.”
Gray cooled off later, going just 1-for-7 in the scrimmages, but his early burst offered a glimpse of how WSU might deploy him this season — toggling between playmaker and sniper.
3. Rebounding looks like a strength again
The Shockers ranked second in the American in offensive rebounding rate last season, and even without Quincy Ballard, Corey Washington and Ronnie DeGray, that edge looks intact.
WSU dominated the glass against a Drake team with decent size, winning 49-28 overall and grabbing 21 offensive rebounds. In the first scrimmage, the Shockers even secured every defensive rebound, denying Drake a single second-chance opportunity.
Freshman big man Noah Hill was thrown into the fire during the first scrimmage, but stood out with six offensive rebounds and nine total in just 12 minutes. His athleticism and relentlessness on the glass could make him a factor — depending on if WSU opts to redshirt him this season.
Will Berg, Jaret Valencia and Karon Boyd combined for nine offensive rebounds, making up a trio that was particularly imposing together and could end up being WSU’s starting frontcourt.
Three things that need work
1. Finishing around the rim
Despite owning the rebounding battle, WSU didn’t capitalize fully inside. The Shockers shot just 43.2% (16-of-37) on 2-pointers, missing several close-range looks.
Hill, Valencia and Boyd cleaned up some misses for put-backs, but the guards and wings struggled to score at the rim. With only eight forced turnovers, transition chances were limited — and half-court creation near the basket was scarce.
Outside of floaters from Dre Kindell and T.J. Williams, WSU’s guards didn’t score a single basket at the rim.
Berg had mixed results: six points in the second scrimmage, but just 4-of-10 overall, all at close range. WSU clearly wanted to establish him early in possessions, but he has to finish more consistently to become a real offensive weapon.
2. Ball movement and offensive flow
WSU finished with seven assists on 24 made field goals, a stat that caught Mills’ attention.
“We didn’t pass the ball very well,” Mills said. “Eleven turnovers isn’t the end of the world, but just (seven) assists — you’ve got to move the ball better than that. The ball stuck some, but that’s what you expect after 13 practices.”
Mills’ offenses historically don’t rack up assists — five of his last six teams have ranked near the bottom nationally in assist percentage — but a 29% assist rate is too low.
There were flashes: six assists on 10 makes in the early controlled segment, plus set plays that generated open looks for WSU during the scrimmages. But overall, the offense needed crisper passing, sharper cuts and more purposeful movement — pretty typical for an early October showing.
Gray led WSU with three assists, while Boyd (two) was the only other player with more than one in the scrimmages.
WSU scored 0.98 points per possession in the combined scrimmages.
“I thought we settled too much offensively,” Mills said.
3. Cleaning up defensive lapses
Defensive breakdowns were expected in the first outside competition, but Mills admitted he thought the group would be a bit further along.
“I thought we would do a better job,” he said. “We botched a few pick-and-roll coverages, got confused on some simple execution issues.”
Several mistakes led to easy Drake buckets — miscommunications on screens, late help rotations and transition breakdowns. Twice, Drake’s bigs slipped behind the defense for uncontested dunks. Another time, a missed assignment in transition left a shooter wide open in the corner.
Giles said the team needs to do a better job of following Mills’ philosophy of “do the next right thing.”
“There was a stretch where they went on a run,” he said. “If we just do the next right thing, like coach Mills says, we can fix those runs.”
Drake finished with 11 triples, a number Mills felt was too high, as many were created by WSU overhelping in the paint and rotating late.
“Our guards needed to do a better job being physical and showing more urgency to get to shooters,” Mills said. “We didn’t go through an extensive scout, but it was obvious after a while that we needed to close out better.”
This story was originally published October 13, 2025 at 10:58 AM.
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