Bob Lutz: Shockers show a glimpse of future during win over Southern Illinois

ST. LOUIS – Coach Gregg Marshall has had both eyes on the present this season because this Wichita State basketball team is capable, again, of taking its fans on a wild March ride.

But with such an odd mix of contributors – two seniors, three juniors and a bunch of new-to-Division I guys – Marshall has had to occasionally glance toward the future.

What do the Shockers look like in the not-too-distant-future when Tekele Cotton, Darius Carter, Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Evan Wessel are gone?

Well, we saw a glimpse during Friday afternoon’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal win over Southern Illinois. Because there wasn’t a whole lot to see in this 56-45 games, it was glaring when, for a few minutes midway through the second half, the WSU frontcourt consisted of Shaq Morris, Rashard Kelly and Zach Brown. Freshmen one and all, though Morris does have a redshirt season.

That’s an enticing trio of big, strong athletes. And although Marshall said it wasn’t by design to have them on the floor together he, like everyone else, took notice.

“Probably too many freshmen,” Marshall said. “But they played pretty well in that segment. They didn’t hurt us. I think they’re all progressing at different rates.”

Not hurting the Shockers is one of the main goals for all of the freshmen and newcomers. With such a battle-tested team, everyone knows the heavy work will be handled by the guys who have been to a Final Four, been to multiple NCAA tournaments, cut down nets and earned the respect of the locker room.

But it sure doesn’t hurt when some of the freshmen can contribute.

Morris and Brown both had eight points Friday and Kelly contributed a put-back basket. The game lacked a flow and the Shockers never found their offensive rhythm. But they defended. They almost always defend.

And as any freshman who has come through Marshall’s system will tell you, defending is a mandate, not a choice.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Morris has had the biggest impact of the newcomers. He spent last season learning the dimensions of Marshall’s doghouse as the coach worked to break the new player of bad habits.

“You definitely have to earn the trust from Coach Marshall,” Morris said. “And the fact that he pushes a person to go beyond the thought of what they thought they could do. I believe I’m almost there.… I can see it. But trying to be consistent is a big thing.”

Brown, a 6-6 forward from Houston who spent a season playing post-grad basketball at Wichita’s Sunrise Christian Academy last season, is obviously feeling his way along, even late in his freshman season.

It was nice to see him smile and chest bump VanVleet after the Shocker junior point guard set him up for an impressive alley-oop dunk in the second half.

“You’re just always trying to progress, progress, progress,” Brown said. “So that when it’s my time, I’m ready to contribute.”

Well, that time is now.

The Shockers are going to need these three big guys, in particular, to go against bigger, more physical teams as the month progresses. The Shockers’ tallest starters are 6-7 Darius Carter and 6-4 Evan Wessel, who has had a size disadvantage against most of his opponents this season. Wessel, though, has more than held his own because of his toughness and experience.

Wichita State has been able to finagle some productive minutes from 6-11 Bush Wamukota, 6-10 Rauno Nurger and 6-8 Tevin Glass, but Morris, Brown and Kelly are clearly higher on the depth chart.

“I thought Brown was pretty good today,” Marshall said. “Shaq was pretty good in the first half, but I didn’t think he had a very good second half. And Rashard has his moments. I like that group, I like those young players. They’ve just got to keep getting better.”

Kelly, also 6-7, said he’s following the leads of the veterans.

“That’s what will help me in the future,” he said. “We’re all getting better and more and more comfortable. We just have to keep working on the little things and our ability will take care of itself.”

As up and down as the newcomers have been offensively, they’ve contributed to the team’s defensive mindset.

“Coach tells us what he wants us to do and what will help the team win,” Brown said. “I try to do those things because there’s so much our other guys can do and what they do is just amazing. So I need to do what Coach Marshall tells me. Anything more is just a bonus.”

That’s the dynamic of this particular team. Marshall is the emperor. The veterans are his trusted confidantes. The freshmen and first-year players are here to serve.

“We all have roles right now and one day they’ll be bigger,” Morris said. “But right now we have to focus on the things to try and make our team better.”

This story was originally published March 6, 2015 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Shockers show a glimpse of future during win over Southern Illinois."