DURLEY, ELLIS, HATCH, BLAIR, BROWN favorite moments

[SirShoxAlot]

This is a thread to highlight our favorite moments from our beloved seniors over the years. They have given time, effort, sweat and dedication to us and I think this thread will be a great way to give it back to them. Please reply with your own favorite moments. I'll start us off.


JT: One of my favorite moments from Durley was just this past week on Tuesday night against Washington State. I got quite a kick out of JT's face after the Kyles alley-oop. After that, I actually said out loud, "man, I'm gonna miss JT." Other great moments were whenever the Shockers would get on a roll and JT would come down the floor yelling. Every player does it, but it doesn't spark the crowd like it does when JT does it. There are many more from JT but I'll let the other posters take care of those. Here's to one of the most creative, crafty and energetic big men Wichita State has seen-- JT DURLEY!


Aaron: I loved watching Aaron progress. The first great Aaron moment that comes to mind was just last night against Alabama. 4/4 shooting and Bill Raftery said about Aaron, "this guy owns the elbow." And didn't he? He found his spot and whenever he put it up there was never any doubt. He's one of the most entertaining players to watch on the defensive end. His arms are so long and active it almost looks like the offense has an octopus guarding them. A game winning shot against Creighton this year may be his finest moment in all his years at Wichita State. Here's to the man whose jersey number represented the number of points his man would score on him every night-- AARON ELLIS!


Graham: The Stormin' Mormon from Mesa, Arizona! Who didn't love Hatch? A reoccurring favorite moment was every time Graham dove on the floor for a loose ball and you could hear his body hit the deck from the stands. The most magical-- as Marshall called them-- moments from Graham were last night when he hit those two big threes late in the game to go a perfect 4/4 from downtown and seal our NIT Championship against Alabama. I displayed my own JT Durley yell after each of those shots (although I was watching the game alone ;-) ). With those two shots, Graham electrified even rival fanbases. One of my best friends who is a Creighton fan sent me a text after the second one that read "Graham f------ Hatch!" I don't think that's his real middle name, but I think we can all raise our glasses to that! Here's to the gutsiest, hard-nosed and hardest working player Wichita State has seen in years-- GRAHAM HATCH!


Gabe: Here's a player who made an immediate impact for the Shockers as soon as he stepped on the floor. Although he was only here for two years after transferring from East Carolina, Gabe left Shocker Nation with many fine moments. A 68 percent free throw shooter, Gabe smiled and pointed to the his 6-6 FT line in the box score after beating Charleston in the NIT. This is a great moment considering how impressive the rest of Gabe's line for that game was-- 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Here's to a player that always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and never tolerated anything but winning-- GABE BLAIR!


Derek: We didn't see a whole lot of Derek, but the fans loved to see him on the floor. Whenever Derek checked in at the scorers' table, everyone was hoping for the same thing: to get the opportunity to finish the sentence, "Derek Brown for a Shocker...". Derek gave Shocker Nation exactly what they wanted this year against Evansville when he came into the game and hit two threes in three minutes. Here's to a player who was able to captivate Shocker fans from the minute he stepped on the floor in every game he played-- DEREK BROWN!


All seniors: Everyone will remember senior night when all five seniors went to the student section and slapped hands with the fans. But they had more to give, sparking the Shockers to play to full potential throughout the NIT. No senior class in the nation deserved to end their college careers with a win than ours here at Wichita State. JT Durley, Aaron Ellis, Graham Hatch, Gabe Blair and Derek Brown, thank you for everything you have done for us in your years at Wichita State. You will always have your place in Shocker Nation.

[WuDrWu]

I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but I really think we have to have a different picture....and I am afraid we don't.

[ShockBand]

My season ticket buddies and I nicknamed Derek Brown "Tater" because his first year back under HCGM we couldn't read the name on his jersey. From row 30 we thought it started with a "T" (and no we weren't drunk) and somehow that evolved into "Tater". We have now decided someone, probably a walkon, will have "Tater" bequeathed on them each year.

[RampageWSU]

JT: Seeing him grow up and realize his potential. That and schooling his ass in pool on a regular basis.

Graham: Feeding him the ball during the 3-pt contest his freshman yr.

Aaron: This whole season...he was faced with a lot of adversity, and had the best year of his career. How consistent was he from 10-12 ft? Crazy!

Gabe: I really enjoyed his style of play. Super high energy, and always smiling.

Derek: Seeing him cash a 3 in garbage time. Glad he got to get on the floor vs Wazzu.

[NCAABound]

I posted this prior to Senior Night...which nobody replied to! :cry:

Gabe Blair
I'll always remember Gabe as a hardworking, low-post, banger/rebounder that every successful team needs. Seems like he has a great attitude and enjoys his role with the team. I'd love to see him average close to a double-double in our remaining games. If he does, I can guarantee you we'll get on a roll.

JT Durley
Glad JT finally "bought in" and became a force for us. We always knew he had offensive skills, but it's great to see him become more of a total package. I feel like a proud parent when I see his progression over the years. Hopefully he'll take this team on his back for the remainder of the season and show his senior leadership.

Aaron Ellis
Aaron is the definition of a team player. I'm sure he could've averaged more points, but he does a lot of the little things to help. Plus he's money with that 15-footer from the elbow/free throw line!!

Graham Hatch
I'm sure glad this old man decided to keep his committment. One of the streakiest shooters I've seen! He has provided a great example over the past few years with his hard work and dedication. He barely looks like the same guy that showed up a few years back with his new jaw and ripped body. Hopefully he can get hot over the next couple of weeks!

Derek Brown
I don't know much about Derek, except it takes a lot of heart to go through all of these practices to help make the team better, with little reward at the end. I, for one, appreciate all of your hard work for this program!

Looks like some of my wishes came to fruition!

[Rosewood]

Whenever I think about stupid callers to the callin shows I will think of Turgeon's last year and people calling half way into the MVC season saying "WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO TAKE THE REDSHIRT OFF DURLEY?!"

Then the first or second caller to the first pregame show the next year asked if they were going to redshirt durley again that year.

Gabe, JT, AE and Hatch have given me so many memories that I can't pinpoint one like I could with others in the past.

I saw Hatch dive for too many balls to single any out. Probably his 4th 3 @ MSG will be my lasting memory of him.
JT I watched him make a fool out of too many people in the low post to pick one out. His 3 at MSG to which I shouted "Damn it Durley, good shot" and his hand in the air will probably stick around the longest.
AE I watched make so many of those shots around the FT line. I really liked watching him realize that his range was a few steps in and the last 2.5 years he stopped trying to force 3s that were simply out of his range. I wasn't there for senior night this year so I missed his memorable moment but in 10 years I'll say I was there.
Gabe was an X factor so many times in so many games that I will just remember him as being the guy that pushed everything over the edge in the favor of the Shockers. Although I will probably always remember his dunk to start the 'Bama game because when that happened I said 'F---, we are gonna win this s---."

As for Derek Brown, it has only been recently that we have learned how important he has been as a bench guy. I've always enjoyed watching him come in and play with enthusiasm and just enjoyment of being there. Earlier this season when we had a game where everyone scored it was when he came in and made his 3s that I thought we would have a chance at that.

[wufan]

Gabe: Can't remember what game it was, but he just got up and grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed FT and tossed it to a Shocker who then scored. After the game he was quoted as telling the opposing team, "I'm going to get this rebound." His opposition said, "You probably are." Everyone knew that Gabe was better on the boards than they were!!!

J.T.: No moment in paticular, but I will always remember him as having a rediculous amount of post moves! Boy could get to the rim in about a dozen different ways.

Aaron: He was a workhorse. You knew that every time he stepped on the court, he was there to do a job. You didn't often notice him, but that was because on defense his man never touched the ball. It was almost as if the man did everything he could to NOT draw attention to himself. But something happended during the championship game that he just couldn't ignore. He hit that 4th shot and he knew that the Shockers were going to win. As he back-peddled back on D and the camera zoomed on his face, he just could'nt help himself. He smiled! :) It was just for a second, but oh so genuine. I think that smile was the equivalent of Weems doing a back-handspring, triple fist bump, hollar while crowd surfing! That was the smile of a truly humble man getting satisfaction of 4 years hard work! Cheers to you!

Graham: Okay, so I might just remember him for something he DIDN'T do...In MSG there was a 50/50 offensive rebound and GH snuck in there and grabbed it at the same time as their big center. The center turned hard with the ball, but GH held on until he was up in the air and he could no longer keep his body attached to that round leather ball. He went about 4 foot lateral and 3 foot verical in the air before coming down on his rear. So, he lost that possesion, but who on Earth could have held on to the ball that tight so as to be thrown in the air???

The Team: I loved all the smiles we got to see these past five games! That was a genuinely happy group of guys! They earned it!

[forevershockerfan]

DB--It would tickle me when we were hitting on all cylinders and our walk ons would come in. Mr. Brown can flatout shoot the rock. He would come in and drain a 3 or two. I could just imagine the opposing Coaches after watching our army of depth, just shaking their heads and thinking--"NOW WHAT! Who is This Derek Brown? We can't get any slack whatsoever tonight!!! Pass me the tums please!!! Who are these folk?"

Hatch--How many times through the years would I watch him in pregame and pick up games draining several 3's in a row. What a finish versus Bama!!! I will never forget those 2-- 3's at the end. Shades of the 2 big long shots of Mike Jones from far far away at the Battle of New Orleans to edge KU with a win. We always wondered if he would ever get here after we recruited him. Just as he said he would, he came and we are glad.

JT--Now here was a player that came in with big potential, but we wondered if he would whether he would pan out. Once his maturity improved, his work ethic took over. We all knew he could make the Valley 1st team and he did it. My favorite move of JT is when he receives the rock about 7-8' away, muscles his way in, and does a turn around jumper. Unstoppable when he was in a groove.

Gabe--If Eastern Carolina has any more players to transfer like Gabe, get them here ASAP!!! What a 'shot in the arm' for our Program. Gabe was having fun here and we loved watching him play. His energy level begets points, rebounds, which put our Shocker wheels in motion, which resulted in wins. All of our Seniors, including Gabe, provided leadership in the NIT and ended the Season with 5 sweet wins and made Shocker History!!!

AE--When that jumper is on, feed the rock to AE at the Elbow and he will drain it 'until the cows come home.' It was great to see his smiles at the NIT. Winning is fun. AE's best Season was this Season. Even his Soph. Season coming off the bench along with Hatch gave us defense galore with them long arms of his creating havoc for our foes. AE hustled and played hard and was a solid asset for us.

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