Udeze reflects on ‘roller-coaster’ Wichita State career before TBT homecoming
There was almost nothing normal about Morris Udeze’s four years at Wichita State.
An injury ended his freshman season in January. A global pandemic erased the postseason from a 23-win sophomore season. A stunning coaching change followed months later, just weeks before his junior season began. Then came a conference championship celebrated inside a mostly empty Koch Arena before a senior season fell short of expectations.
Four years later, Udeze can appreciate just how much he and his teammates endured.
“It was just such a weird time,” Udeze said of the pandemic season. “It really was a roller coaster. We just stuck together and we had a lot of great players. I think the biggest thing was just us sticking together.”
On Monday, Udeze is coming back to the place where it all happened.
The former WSU center will play at Koch Arena for the first time in more than four years when he makes his AfterShocks debut in The Basketball Tournament. The defending champions open a best-of-three series against The Enchantment at 8 p.m. Monday on FS1.
“It’s just a different kind of energy,” Udeze said of being back in the Roundhouse. “It feels like the court is rumbling. This is a special place. The people you meet, the love you get, it’s really different here. I’ve always had love for Wichita, it’s a time I’ll never forget.”
Even the opponent adds another layer to Udeze’s unusual journey. The Enchantment feature primarily alumni from New Mexico, where he completed his college career after playing four seasons for WSU from 2018-22.
Udeze played alongside Enchantment guard K.J. Jenkins during his season with the Lobos, but chose the AfterShocks for his first TBT appearance and his return to the Roundhouse.
It will give Shocker fans their first look at how much Udeze’s game has evolved since he left Wichita.
“Anybody who has ever been around Morris Udeze loves him and talks about the quality of human he is,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. “And then on top of that, he’s going to bring us something different on the floor. He’s slimmer, more athletic than what he was when he was here in college. So he’s going to be up on the rim a lot and help us.”
Udeze’s career began in 2018 as part of a promising freshman class that included Dexter Dennis, Erik Stevenson and Jamarius Burton. The newcomers were asked to play significant minutes immediately for a program attempting to replace essentially its entire roster.
“We were just a whole bunch of freshmen and everyone was growing fast with coach (Gregg) Marshall,” Udeze said. “He was a good coach who was going to push us to the best of our abilities. So I just remember those first two years being growth at a really fast pace for everybody.”
Udeze’s freshman season ended because of injury in January 2019, just as WSU spiraled through a stretch of seven losses in eight games. He could not help on the court, but he watched the season begin to turn during demanding film sessions and practices.
“A lot of film,” former teammate Markis McDuffie said with a laugh. “A lot of dark days in that film room. It got to the point where we were either going to get it right or we were just going to be running forever.”
The Shockers eventually did. They won 14 of their final 18 games and reached the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
That experience appeared to accelerate the development of WSU’s young core. With Jaime Echenique anchoring the frontcourt, Udeze’s sophomore class taking another step and freshmen Tyson Etienne and Grant Sherfield making immediate impacts, the Shockers opened the 2019-20 season with a 15-1 record and climbed the national rankings.
After navigating a 2-5 stretch in American Conference play, WSU steadied itself and finished the regular season 23-8. The Shockers appeared positioned for an NCAA Tournament berth before the coronavirus pandemic abruptly shut down college basketball in March.
“We would have for sure made a run,” Udeze said. “We were all in our second years, everyone was hitting the peak of their powers. We were understanding the game and understanding the conference. It felt like we were coming together at the right time.”
The turbulence did not stop there WSU investigated Marshall following allegations of physical and verbal abuse and he resigned just weeks before the season began. Isaac Brown took over on an interim basis while the pandemic continued to disrupt nearly every part of the players’ lives.
WSU could practice together one day, then shut down for several days after one or more positive COVID tests. Udeze credits Brown and assistants Lou Gudino, Tyson Waterman and Billy Kennedy with holding the team together, providing enough structure while still allowing the players to play freely.
Against the odds, the Shockers produced Udeze’s most successful season at WSU.
The defining night came Feb. 18, 2021 when WSU defeated fifth-ranked Houston 68-63 at Koch Arena. Udeze contributed six rebounds and five blocks as the Shockers matched one of the country’s most physical teams possession for possession.
Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert supplied the scoring. Dennis delivered the decisive defensive play, darting across the court to intercept a pass with WSU protecting a 64-63 lead in the closing seconds.
“I just remember us being so locked in defensively that game,” Udeze said. “We were everywhere. We really had to match up with Houston’s toughness because that’s what they preach over there. But I remember us matching that and it all came together on the right night.”
The victory helped propel WSU to a 16-6 record and its first — and still only — American regular-season championship. The Shockers reached the NCAA Tournament before losing 53-52 to Drake in a First Four game.
The championship season forged bonds that endured even through the disappointing 15-13 finish that followed. Udeze remains especially close with Dennis, who withdrew from his planned TBT debut with the AfterShocks after signing his next professional contract, and has kept a daily Snapchat streak with Stevenson for more than two years.
“I haven’t seen my boy in a minute, so I’m happy to see him back in Wichita,” said McDuffie, who was Udeze’s teammate for the 2018-19 season. “I’m happy to see his growth. Time flies man. Those guys were all my young’ns and now they’re all grown up, doing what I’m doing, living that overseas life as a pro. I’m proud of him.”
After averaging 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds during his final WSU season, Udeze produced career highs of 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 61% from the field for New Mexico in the 2022-23 season.
He began his professional career in Poland and then averaged 17.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in Japan’s second division. Udeze made another jump this past season to Spain’s top league, where he averaged 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds for MoraBanc Andorra.
He also starred for Nigeria during Africa World Cup qualifying in November, averaging 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games. His best performance was a 30-point, 11-rebound effort against Rwanda.
The physical transformation was apparent during Thursday’s first AfterShocks practice. Udeze looked slimmer, quicker and more explosive than he did during his WSU career, racing down the floor and showcasing his improved athleticism at the rim with putback dunks.
He will team with Marcos Santos-Silva, an invaluable piece of last summer’s AfterShocks championship run, to give the team two rugged options at center. Neither is especially tall for the position, but both rebound, set physical screens and embrace the thankless work that often decides TBT games.
“This is a great chance to come here and play a role to help these guys win again,” Udeze said. “I just want to set screens and be tough and do the dirty plays, whatever it takes to win. It’s not about me. You’ve got to be selfless when there’s a lot of money on the line like this.”
Game 2 of the series will be played at 8 p.m. Wednesday on FS1. If necessary, the deciding third game will tip off at 8 p.m. Friday. All three games will be played at Koch Arena.
.jpg)