Ranking Wichita State’s basketball players: 41-50 (+video, poll)

Eagle columnist Bob Lutz ranks the Wichita State basketball program’s best players, 10 per week through March 12. Go to Kansas.com to see bios of players already revealed.

41. Joe Stevens

5-11 guard

Wichita (North)

Years at WSU: 1955-58

Stevens averaged 16.6 points during his career and was an 81 percent free-throw shooter. He was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference guard in 1957 and scored 1,295 points in his three seasons.

42. Ron Heller

6-6 forward

McKeesport, Pa.

Years at WSU: 1958-61

Heller, who would become a successful coach after his playing career, averaged double figures in points and rebounds during his junior and senior seasons. He ranks No. 11 in career rebounding.

43. Malcolm Armstead

6-0 guard

Florence, Ala.

Years at WSU: 2012-13

Armstead was the point guard on Wichita State’s 2012-13 Final Four team when he averaged 10.7 points and four assists. He was the team’s emotional leader and also an outstanding defensive player after transferring from Oregon.

44. Vince Smith

6-5 guard

St. Louis

Years at WSU: 1970-73

Smith averaged 14.9, 15.3 and 15.0 points during his three seasons with the Shockers while also contributing 4.1 assists during his career. A deadly shooter, Smith’s 1,163 career points would have been higher with a three-point line.

45. Cal Bruton

5-9 guard

New York

Years at WSU: 1972-76

Bruton, who has played, coached and taught basketball in Australia for more than three decades, was one of the most popular Shockers in history because of his diminutive size and big heart. His 404 assists rank No. 5 in Shocker history and he scored 1,184 points.

46. Clevin Hannah

5-11 guard

Holly Springs, Miss.

Years at WSU: 2008-10

Hannah, a junior-college transfer, had a penchant for making big three-point shots and averaged 11.2 and 12.0 points in his two seasons. He led the Shockers’ 2009-10 team in points and assists while shooting nearly 43 percent from the three-point arc.

47. Steve Grayer

6-8 forward

Macon, Ga.

Years at WSU: 1985-89

Grayer’s 61.6-percent shooting from the field in 1987-88 is the highest in Shocker history for a player who took more than 100 shots. He was a career 53.2-percent shooter who averaged 14 points and five rebounds as a senior in 1988-89.

48. Don Woodworth

6-5 center-forward

Parsons

Years at WSU: 1955-58

The hard-nosed Woodworth finished his career with 927 points and 636 rebounds, 21st in Shocker history. He averaged double figures in scoring in each of his three seasons, including a team-high 12.6 points in 1957-58.

49. Garrett Stutz

7-0 center

Kansas City, Mo.

Years at WSU: 2008-12

After three pedestrian seasons, Stutz took off as a senior when he averaged 13.3 points and eight rebounds for a WSU team that made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. Stutz’s 101 career blocks rank No. 6 in Shocker history.

50. Melvin Reed

6-5 forward-center

Dallas

Years at WSU: 1964-67

After the departures of Nate Bowman and Dave Stallworth during the 1964-65 season, Reed was forced to play center for the Shockers’ Final Four team. He averaged 13.3 and 17.4 points during his junior and senior seasons.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Ranking Wichita State’s basketball players: 41-50 (+video, poll)."