Why Paul Mills trusted Dre Kindell to close out Wichita State’s win at Memphis
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mills rode Kindell for the final 13 minutes to spark defense
- Kindell drew a charge and later poked the ball for a late steal
- Wichita State moved to 19-10, extending its four-game winning streak
Dre Kindell’s impact doesn’t always show up in the box score the way it shows up on the court.
It shows up in the ball pressure that turns a clean possession into a scramble. In the chest-first collision that draws a charge. In the second effort to poke a ball loose.
That’s exactly why Wichita State head coach Paul Mills rode the backup point guard for the final 13 minutes Thursday in an 88-82 win at Memphis.
He was praised afterward for being the spark plug for once again changing the tenor of the game for the Shockers.
“I don’t know if I would say all that, I think I’m just being me,” Kindell said. “I’m just going out there being Dre Kindell anytime I get a chance to. So if that’s being a spark plug and bringing the energy, if that’s how other people look at it, then I guess that’s what I am. But really, I’m just being me out there and trying to be the best player I can be for the team.”
On Thursday, being Dre Kindell was exactly what WSU needed.
With starting guard Mike Gray Jr. struggling offensively, Mills made the decisive move to stick with Kindell down the stretch of a close game. It was a notable vote of confidence and Kindell rewarded it with the kind of scrappy, relentless defense that helped WSU close out its first win at FedExForum since 2018 and its first season sweep of Memphis since joining the American Conference.
“Mike wasn’t shooting it well and I just thought defensively, Dre’s tenacity could really help,” Mills said. “I thought he flipped it for us against Temple and I thought he was a spark again for us today. We needed to be better on the ball and I knew Dre could run the offense, we just had to get him out of tentative mode.”
Kindell’s stat line won’t tell the full story.
He finished with two points, three rebounds, one steal and one turnover in 18 minutes off the bench.
But the sequence that convinced Mills to ride with Kindell the rest of the way came almost immediately after Kindell checked in for his usual stint midway through the second half.
Matched up against Memphis guard Curtis Givens III, Kindell fought over a ball screen and cut off Givens’ first attempt to attack the paint, forcing him to retreat and reset. Then Givens tried another screen. Kindell shuffled his feet, beat him to the spot and absorbed the contact, flying backward and drawing an offensive foul.
It was about 15 seconds of textbook point-of-attack defense, all hustle and anticipation.
“Man, we need that down there,” Mills thought to himself after watching Kindell draw the charge.
That play fit what Mills likes to call a “TNT” play — takes no talent.
“Coach talks all the time about TNT plays,” Kindell said. “So that’s really all that was. Just being able to chest the ball, that’s what we work on all year. That’s why we lift.”
Mills has used Kindell mostly as a situational defensive option late in conference games, inserting him when the Shockers need a stop, more pressure on the ball or a chance to force a turnover. He had one earlier crunch-time breakthrough when Gray fouled out in overtime at South Florida, which included an acrobatic, late-clock 3 that put WSU ahead in an eventual win over the Bulls in Tampa.
But Thursday was different.
This wasn’t a quick defensive cameo. Mills essentially handed Kindell the keys for the stretch run in a close road game at one of the toughest venues in the league. Afterward, Mills confirmed Gray wasn’t hurt. It was simply preference. The game called for Kindell.
That trust mattered, especially considering Kindell’s recent role shift.
His minutes had dipped to 9.3 per game in the previous four games, down sharply from the roughly 20 minutes per game he was playing before that. The coaching staff has told him repeatedly the reduced playing time wasn’t about a lack of skill, but more about lineup fit.
“You could tell he was frustrated and trust me, we get it,” Mills said. “It’s hard to hear sometimes as a competitor that another player may be a better fit on a particular night or a particular matchup.”
Kindell admitted the frustration was there, but he never let it linger. He just worked harder.
“I know I had the minutes drop, but just staying ready and my teammates and coaches telling me to stay ready,” Kindell said. “They let me know it’s not really a skill thing, so just stay ready. It felt real good to be out there.”
Instead of pouting, Kindell poured himself back into the work. He does conditioning on his own and frequently reaches out to graduate assistants for extra workouts at Koch Arena.
That extra preparation showed up in Memphis.
Kindell’s impact came mostly on defense, where his effort and intensity are never in question. His 5-foot-11 frame can make him vulnerable when bigger guards shoot over him and his aggressiveness can occasionally lead to overeager fouls, but his heart and activity are constant. He has quick hands, which he showed in the final four minutes when he poked the ball out from behind for a steal.
It’s likely part of Mills’ reluctance to play Kindell during crunch time is putting two sub-6-foot guards on the floor at the same time on defense in Kindell and WSU star Kenyon Giles. That combination wasn’t perfect on Thursday, as Memphis scored 1.24 points per possession over the final 25 possessions when that duo shared the floor, but Kindell made a compelling individual case that he can hold his own in those moments.
The result pushed WSU to 19-10 overall and 11-5 in the American, good for second place in the standings and a four-game winning streak. The Shockers will try to extend that run — and secure their first 20-win season since 2019-20 — in a 7 p.m. Sunday game at UTSA (5-23, 1-15 American) at the Convocation Center in San Antonio on ESPN+.
And if Thursday was any indication, Kindell has reminded everyone what staying ready can look like when the moment finally arrives.
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 1:03 PM.
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