Wichita State basketball’s depth leads to competition for minutes in rotation

Miss a box-out and you’re coming out. Fail to hustle back on defense and Wichita State basketball coach Gregg Marshall will find a player who will. Neglect to dive on a loose ball and the story is the same.

If you’re envisioning Wichita State’s practices as a sort of super-charged competition between a pack of big men, you’re not far off. Marshall is in the early stages of sorting out playing time for his deepest team since the 2011 NIT champions.

“The leash is very short, especially for the guys who haven’t produced like Ron (Baker) and Fred (VanVleet),” Marshall said. “These other guys, that are competing for minutes – do the little things. Set the screen. Get on the floor for the loose ball. Go for every rebound. That’s how they’re going to get on the floor to display their offensive talents.”

Coaches love this kind of thing. Slump, lack of effort, foul trouble, injury – bring on the next guy. The Shockers possess plenty of size and talent at the center and power forward positions, although there is just enough uncertainty to keep workouts interesting and keep players on edge.

“It pushes us post players to give our all every day,” sophomore Shaq Morris said. “Every day is physical. Every day we step between the lines, we’re pushing each other.”

Last season, there wasn’t much mystery. Darius Carter had one post position locked down and Evan Wessel started at power forward. Reserves played limited minutes and their contributions varied wildly from week to week.

Marshall can list at least four players at center and forward and there doesn’t appear to be much separation in making a strong impression.

“I wouldn’t give anybody a head and shoulders nod at this point,” Marshall said.

Senior Anton Grady, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Cleveland State, brings three seasons of Division I experience and an All-Horizon League junior year on his resume. He can play center and power forward. Morris (6-8), who plays center, is in his third season at WSU and earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference’s All-Freshman and All-Bench teams last season. Senior center Bush Wamukota (6-11) played an important role in last season’s NCAA Tournament with solid defense. Sophomore forward Rashard Kelly (6-7) worked on his scoring in the off-season and Marshall calls him WSU’s most improved player.

And that’s just a start. Sophomore center Rauno Nurger (6-10) and freshman forward Eric Hamilton (6-8) are also working for minutes.

The picture is slightly less crowded at small forward, where Wessel, sophomore Zach Brown and freshman Markis McDuffie are competing. Wessel started last season at power forward and remains an option there, as well. It gets more crowded if Baker and freshman Landry Shamet are considered as possibilities.

“We’ve got so many options,” Marshall said. “We’re trying to get everybody to play different positions so you can see different combinations. We’ve got enough practices so that usually works itself out. The guys will decide who’s going to play and who’s not.”

Worth noting – VanVleet missed two practices recently with a mild ankle injury. Marshall does not consider it serious and VanVleet was shooting during Tuesday’s practice.… Baker, Grady and VanVleet were named to 20-person watch lists for their positions from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Wichita State basketball’s depth leads to competition for minutes in rotation."