Wichita State women’s basketball ready to get ball inside this season (+video)

Waiting for their team picture to be taken at media day Monday, there was a noticeable difference with the Wichita State women’s basketball team.

“We have taller players, if you haven’t noticed already,” junior Jaleesa Chapel said. “You can definitely expect us to feed it more into the post this year.”

That’s something that has never been a regular occurrence for Wichita State in the Jody Adams era, partly by design but mostly because the team has never had a tall player capable of making a difference on the blocks.

The team expects that to change this season, as six of the 10 players on roster are 6-foot or taller with Brittany Martin, a 6-3 junior who has developed over the offseason, being the player expected to make the biggest impact for Wichita State down low as the Shockers open defense of their three straight conference championships.

“We’ve just never have had that true center around the basket that takes up space in the paint,” Adams said. “Brittany has really worked hard on her skill set to be able to finish around the rim.”

In under just 8 minutes per game, Martin made 22 of her 46 shots last season. But the majority of those came within five feet of the basket, which leaves room for improvement on that 48-percent rate.

Over the summer, Martin refined her post moves. She’s always had a nice running hook shot, but in working with position coach Kirk Crawford, Martin has added a counter move to that and worked on her range to extend out to 15 feet.

“Last year my role was to come in and be a defender,” Martin said. “But this year, I have to contribute to blocking shots, rebounding, and scoring more in the paint. I’ve worked really hard every single day this summer on making my shots.”

When Rangie Bessard, a freshman who transferred in during last season, becomes eligible after the semester break, Wichita State will add a scoring punch at the forward position. Bessard can play either forward spot and could become valuable in the stretch-four role vacated by Michaela Dapprich, who transferred out of the program after last season.

Adams also brought in Ellie Lehne (6-2) and Jyar Francis (6-1), both freshmen and both capable of stretching defenses out to the three-point line, but also capable of defending the position on the other end of the floor.

Junior-college transfer Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage possesses the skill set most ready to contribute immediately, but is coming off an injury and is still working her way back into playing condition.

“This group of forwards has the best skill set of all the different teams that I’ve had here and seen here,” Adams said.

Wichita State promised on Monday to uphold the same identity when it comes to winning games, but it will come in different fashion. The team has a pair of dynamic point guards in Diamond Lockhart and Aundra Stovall, a sharpshooter in TaQuandra Mike, and a defensive hound in Chapel.

Pair that with a group Adams is already calling the most talented she has worked with in the post, and the Shockers were optimistic that they will be right in the mix to defend their string of three consecutive Missouri Valley championships.

“I think the talent is definitely there on this team,” Martin said. “Once we fit everything in there together and the pieces come together, I think we’re going to do some great things this season.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Wichita State women’s basketball ready to get ball inside this season (+video)."