WSU notes: Shockers got to Darral Willis first and it paid off with signature

Darral Willis’ goal this season is to average double figures in points and rebounds for Pearl River (Miss.) Community College. It isn’t one of those quiet, understated goals some players set.

“I tell my teammates to get out of my way,” he said. “I’ve got to get all the rebounds.”

In three games for the 12th-ranked Wildcats, Willis (6-foot-9, 215 pounds) is close with averages of 16 points and 9.7 rebounds. He signed with Wichita State on Friday, rewarding the Shockers for their year-plus pursuit. Last season, he averaged 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, while making 62.6 percent of his shots and 75.5 percent of his foul shots. Willis, from Madison, Wis., earned All-Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College and All-Region 23 honors.

“They were the first school that contacted me,” he said. “I liked the coaches a lot, Gregg Marshall especially. I liked the fan support. I liked it all.”

Willis is 18 of 41 (43.9 percent) from the field in three games, missing both his three-pointers. He is 12 of 18 from the line (66.7 percent). While his jump shot has improved, he wants to continue adding to his offensive skills.

“I’ve going to work on coming off screens, extending my range out to the three-point line, creating for myself,” he said.

Pearl River assistant Chris Oney watched Willis improve his scoring skills over the past year, changing from an around-the-basket scorer to a more versatile threat. Pearl River’s schedule requires him to often play against smaller forwards, which forced him to develop a perimeter game.

“He understands and accepts the things he needs to work on,” Oney said. “He’s in the gym tirelessly. We need him to do a variety of things. We just don’t need him to play underneath the basket.”

WSU coaches endured some uncertainty as Willis visited several schools, including Mississippi State and Marquette, before he narrowed his choices to Arizona State and WSU. Marshall traveled to Mississippi on Sunday for one final push.

All along, Oney thought Willis fit Wichita State’s style of play.

“He’s just a Shocker at heart,” Oney said. “When you think of him as a player, the first thing that jumps out is an energy. When he plays, you can just see he loves the game of basketball.”

Sit this one out — WSU sophomore Rauno Nurger can look around the locker room and see several redshirt success stories.

Senior guard Ron Baker came to WSU planning to redshirt. Sophomore center Shaq Morris chose to redshirt and used the year to get in better shape, helping him earn a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team.

“(Shaq) told me it was probably one of the best decisions of his life,” Nurger said. “It worked out for them and hopefully it will work out for me.”

Nurger (6-10) and freshman walk-on Brett Barney (6-9) both decided to redshirt this season. Nurger played in 24 games last season and realizes WSU’s depth in the frontcourt likely made him a bit player again this season.

“I can work in the weight room a little bit harder and work on my individual skills so I can be in my best shape next year and help the team win,” Nurger said.

Marshall’s goal is to see Nurger get bigger and stronger so he can defend and rebound more effectively.

Barney, who played at Maize South and Sunrise Christian Academy, missed around six weeks of practice with a stress reaction in his right foot. He tried to play through the pain in August before shutting down and spending much of the fall in a walking boot.

“That really slowed me down,” Barney said. “I need to develop this year, get quicker, more athletic, more explosive.”

Barney played in WSU’s exhibition win over Hawaii Pacific and scored five points.

Rising doubles — Julia Schiller and Gabriela Porubin ended last spring with a win at No. 2 doubles over Georgia Tech in the NCAA Tournament. They continued on that path this fall with wins over three ranked opponents, capped a 6-4 win over Texas A&M’s 14th-ranked team of Stefania Hristov and Ines Deheza in Dallas in WSU’s final tournament.

Shockers coach Colin Foster expects Schiller, a senior, and Porubin, a sophomore, to join those opponents in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings of 60 teams when they come out in early January. In singles, Schiller is ranked No. 121 and Porubin No. 125.

“They’re continuing to develop chemistry and get stronger as a team,” Foster said. “Julia stayed here all summer and trained and played in lot of tournaments. Gabi, as a sophomore, she came back knowing what to expect … recognizing that she and Julia are both the strongest players on our team and can compete with any team in the country.”

They started the fall by reaching the finals of the Crimson Draw in the OU Fall Invite, defeating Tulsa’s No. 37-ranked team of Renata Kuricova and Saana Saarteinen and Texas Tech’s 43rd-ranked team of Gabriela Talaba Sabrina Federici.

“You can definitely see they’re playing with more confidence,” Foster said. “When the opponents are in control of the point, they’ve done well to find a way to claw back into the point and win. When they’re on offense and the opportunity is there, they’re not hesitating.”

Schiller prepped for her senior season by winning the Missouri Valley U.S. Open Playoffs mixed doubles in June. She and Nebraska’s Dusty Boyer advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open National Playoffs in August in New Haven, Conn.

“That’s doubles at almost a professional level,” Foster said. “I can see she’s become a lot more of a complete doubles player.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 2:18 PM with the headline "WSU notes: Shockers got to Darral Willis first and it paid off with signature."