Newman relishes opportunity to play Wichita State

Newman guard Reggie Baker grew up far, far away from anything remotely associated with Wichita State basketball in Avon Park, Fla.

He didn’t get any closer when he went off to junior college at Potomoc State in Keyser, W.Va., a couple of years ago.

Yet.…

“I didn’t know anything about Wichita State growing up,” Baker said. “But I’m like everybody else that follows basketball. I know who they are now. Who doesn’t?”

That newfound familiarity isn’t unheard of after the last two seasons on the national stage for the Shockers — a Final Four in 2013 and last year’s 35-0 start — and draws a laugh from 17th-year Newman coach Mark Potter, who will face WSU on Sunday for the fourth time since Gregg Marshall took over the program in 2007.

“Things have changed (at WSU), and it’s pretty cool how that’s happened,” Potter said. “To be able to have the opportunity to play a major-college basketball team, in your own city … that’s maybe better or just as good as they were the last two years. It’s an incredible privilege for us.”

That privilege comes about out of necessity for WSU.The Shockers needed Newman, which plays on the NCAA Division II level, after efforts to find a Division I team to play fell through.

Newman is 2-0, like WSU, after opening the season with wins over in-state MIAA foes Emporia State and Washburn.

“We make the call every year,” Potter said. “I knew they were struggling to find that last regular-season game, so if they can’t get who they want or who they need, they know that they’ve always got Newman over here.

“(Marshall) knows it’s a good thing for us, and if I’m in his shoes I don’t know that I would care as much as he does. With all respect, it’s a much bigger deal for us than it is for them. It’s great publicity for our university and for our kids, too.”

Things have changed for Newman, too, since the last time it played Wichita State in 2011. Mainly, the Jets made a major breakthrough two seasons ago when they made it to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time, losing in the first round.

“It’s a good relationship,” Marshall said. “They actually run some of our stuff, or maybe I’m running some of their stuff. (Potter) may have been coaching longer than I have.”

Marshall actually has Potter by one year — he started coaching in 1985 as an assistant at Randolph-Macon, and Potter started his career in 1986 at Cheney after starring in basketball and baseball for Newman.

There are also connections between the players.

Wichita State freshmen Zach Brown and Rauno Nurger were teammates of Newman freshman Luka Vermezovic last season at Sunrise Christian Academy, and the three remain close.

“They’re like brothers to me,” said Vermezovic, a 6-9 forward. “I think Rauno is going to surprise everybody this year. He can play with back to the basket and he can also face up and shoot threes … and he’s also really, really tough. Physically and mentally. If you hit him, he’s going to come right back at you. And you can’t take away his rhythm by talking to him. You can’t get in his head.”

Baker leads the Jets at 24.5 points, and will likely get a matchup with WSU’s Ron Baker, another 6-4 guard.

“The praise he gets, he’s earned every bit of it,” Reggie Baker said. “His game is so complete. You watch him play and you understand right away why people are saying he’s going to play in the NBA. He can do it all.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2014 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Newman relishes opportunity to play Wichita State."