Wichita State’s Tekele Cotton wants to add more scoring to his reputation

ST. LOUIS — Two seasons ago, Wichita State sophomore Tekele Cotton played great defense on the Missouri Valley Conference’s best defensive team.

If anybody noticed, it wasn’t reflected on voting by the coaches for the All-Defensive Team. Cotton didn’t make the team, an omission that mystified WSU coaches and fans. The appreciation for Cotton’s game has come a long way, as Tuesday’s preseason All-MVC team revealed. He is on the five-man team, joining teammates Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet.

Cotton, a 6-foot-3 senior, is known for his lockdown defense, a reputation that grew during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. There is much more to his game.

“I just want people to see that there are other dimensions to my game besides just defense,” he said. “I’m trying to take my whole, overall game, to a new level. I’m trying to be more confident and more aggressive and be more of a threat.”

There is no doubt the rest of the MVC sees Wichita State as a threat in every basketball-related way at the conference’s annual media day. The Shocker men, defending champions, are the preseason favorite by a wide margin. The Shocker women, two-time defending champion, are also favored.

The Shockers swept the titles last season and the voting panel of coaches, media members and media relations personnel expect WSU to repeat. WSU’s men won the MVC regular season with an 18-0 record in 2013.

WSU coach Gregg Marshall said he expects more challenges. Eight schools return three or more starters and stability in the coaching ranks should boost under-performing programs.

“Last year was a blip on the radar,” he said. “Things go in cycles. The coaches all stayed in place.”

The WSU women tied Indiana State with a 14-4 record. Both Shocker teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the MVC Tournament and return many significant contributors.

The WSU men earned 45 of the 46 first-place votes (Illinois State got the other) and 459 points to finish ahead of Northern Iowa’s 411 points. Missouri State is third with 338 points.

The WSU women received 36 first-place votes and 395 points. Second-place UNI received two first-place votes and 348 points. Drake, picked third, got two first-place votes and 315 points.

WSU’s Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet joined Cotton earned spots on the preseason All-MVC team. VanVleet, the defending conference Player of the Year, was named preseason Player of the Year. Guard Alex Harden represents WSU on the women’s All-MVC team and is the pick for Player of the Year.

Cotton’s rise in prominence makes sense to UNI coach Ben Jacobson. Last season, as the debate focused on which Shocker to pick as the MVC Player of the Year, Jacobson considered Cotton as an equal to VanVleet, Baker and NBA Draft pick Cleanthony Early. Cotton averaged 10.3 points last season and earned MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Yet, it remained possible to overlook his contributions in the shadow of his teammates during a 35-1 season.

“Those three guys (Baker, VanVleet, Early) are terrific players,” Jacobson said. “The most important player on that team, and it’s hard to separate them, might be Cotton. Cotton is the best defender in the league. He’s not constantly wanting to get shots. You don’t even know he’s out there until he beats you.”

Cotton’s teammates see that unselfish side every day. He never comes to Baker or VanVleet asking for more shots. He tells them to take more shots and he plays defense.

“He kind of does things in the shadows, offensively,” Baker said. “It’s good to see him get rewarded for the great defender he is.”

Cotton expects to play a larger role in the offense this season. Early’s departure opens up shots and Cotton could become more of an option, especially if WSU plays a small lineup.

“We’re starting to go to him a lot more offensively than we have in the past,” Baker said. “We’re running a lot of plays to the mid-post and I think our mid-range game is going to be a lot better.”

Cotton made 37.1 percent of his three-pointers (43 of 116) last season. His dunking ability caught the attention of ESPN at least twice. Adding post scoring is his next goal.

“I did it a little bit in high school, because I played on teams where I was the biggest,” he said. “I knew what to do when I caught the ball down there. It’s coming back, but it’s more advanced now. People aren’t just going to let you score at will, you’ve got to have something up your sleeve.”

Cotton’s offensive contributions probably won’t ever overshadow his defensive reputation. When the season is over, he wants them to be more equal.

This story was originally published October 28, 2014 at 8:56 AM with the headline "Wichita State’s Tekele Cotton wants to add more scoring to his reputation."