AMA about Wichita State Basketball

[tayloreldridge]

Hey guys, figured I might as well create an account and make it official since I am on ShockerNet at least once a day. I thought it would be a cool idea to do an "ask me anything" with the die-hard WSU fans and have you guys throw questions my way about Wichita State basketball.

And don't hesitate to shoot me ideas on potential stories or suggestions that you would like to see moving forward.

Let's talk some hoops!

[Kung Wu]

Welcome aboard Taylor! This crowd really appreciates your work, that's for sure!

[tayloreldridge]

Thank you!

[choida]

Wow this is different

[1972Shocker]

Fire Eldridge! Just kidding. You're doing a great job and I also like the stuff your former colleague Paul Suellentrop is delivering in his new position.

[tayloreldridge]

Paul is the man! He is great at what he does and he's doing great work for GoShockers.com. Consummate professional.

[1989]

Which player is WSU most likely to get with our last scholarship?

Its super early, but what is your prediction for our starting lineup next season?

Do you have an idea about which incoming freshman the coaching staff is most excited about?

[tayloreldridge]

1. Still a lot of moving parts, but Abdou Ndiaye would be a good guess at this point. Still too early to tell for sure, though.

2. My way-too-early prediction for the starting 5 for game 1: Samajae at the point, Stevenson and Rod Brown on the wings, McDuffie at the 4, and Asbjorn at the 5.

3. Hard to say until they arrive in late June and start working out. I know they're very high on Torres, while all of the freshman have high upside but are a bit unknown right now.

[shock-it-to-me]

That could very well be the starting lineup for the first game, but if that is the starting lineup in our 25th game, we have had a very, very bad season.

[pie n eye]

Why do you say that?

[1972Shocker]

Do you know if Coach Marshall has any concerns at all about having a pig in the python issue with his roster having some many players concentrated in next year's freshmen class?

[tayloreldridge]

I don't think he's concerned at all. What Marshall has done is upgrade three-fourths of the roster with higher upside, more length, and more athleticism. Yes, WSU is going to be extremely inexperienced and go through growing pains, but I think Marshall hit a home run with this recruiting class. In one off-season, he's basically retooled his roster to get "AAC" athletes. WSU won't run into problems until four years from now, so I think they'll deal with those if they still exist at that time.

[wheathead]

Awesome Taylor! I’d love to see a story revolving around what I see as a step in the kind of recruits we have been recruiting based off the other schools that we are competing against. It seems we used to be competing against mid majors. Now, with this entire recruiting class, it seems we’ve been competing more and more against Power 5 schools. I’d love to see a breakdown, analysis, and the bigger meaning behind it all.

[tayloreldridge]

I have something similar to what you're getting at coming out tomorrow that highlights how Marshall has restocked WSU with higher-upside athletes that have more length and how that might help WSU's defensive woes (containing dribble penetration) next season. But I like that idea a lot and will probably do something like that once they wrap up this recruiting class.

[SHOXAAC]

Hey guys, figured I might as well create an account and make it official since I am on ShockerNet at least once a day. I thought it would be a cool idea to do an "ask me anything" with the die-hard WSU fans and have you guys throw questions my way about Wichita State basketball.

And don't hesitate to shoot me ideas on potential stories or suggestions that you would like to see moving forward.

Let's talk some hoops!

Does this mean I'm fired. I am the resident Larry King interview specialist on this board. You show up like a fox in a hen house and just wreck my world. Now, you will never get the star treatment of me bringing you to the edge of your couch with questions all of shocker.net is dying to ask. I won't say you are dead to me (cause I like the hell out of your work), but I want you banned. Now that I have that off my chest, what has been your biggest adjustment going from the high school beat, to covering WSU (I still want you banned after you answer my question)?

[tayloreldridge]

I absolutely love covering high school sports and WSU, but they are so different. In high school, you have to cover 32 schools closely (and around 100 in the surrounding area) and up to 7 sports per season. It takes so much work just keeping on top of it all, where I have only one team to really cover in WSU men's basketball but I get to dig really deep on them. I've always been really interested in advanced stats, but it's hard to write about it at the high school level where data isn't available for every team. So finally being able to write stories with analytics has been really awesome for me, although I was super bummed when Synergy pulled my access to videos in early January because I loved doing those video breakdowns too.

Well, I guess this is it. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for having me on SN!

[SHOCKvalue]

I don’t have any questions, but I’d like to thank you for the time and effort you put into your position. It doesn’t go unnoticed. The quality and effort is above and beyond the norm, and unfortunately for us (but fortunately for you), I don’t think we’ll get to enjoy you in the capacity of the WSU beat writer for the long-term.

Journalism needs more folks like you... badly.

[tayloreldridge]

I really appreciate that. Thank you so much!

[FlyingWheat]

What catchy name would you give to an awesome recruiting class of nine guys? We had the Sensational Six, but now we’re going to be up to nine.

[tayloreldridge]

Nine is tough. Maybe the Divine Nine? I don't know, that's not as catchy as the Sensational Six.

[tayloreldridge]

Erik Stevenson tells me he likes "The Nasty Nine."

[FadedCrown]

Nifty Nine

[wheathead]

Hey guys, figured I might as well create an account and make it official since I am on ShockerNet at least once a day. I thought it would be a cool idea to do an "ask me anything" with the die-hard WSU fans and have you guys throw questions my way about Wichita State basketball.

And don't hesitate to shoot me ideas on potential stories or suggestions that you would like to see moving forward.

Let's talk some hoops!

Epic first post.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

I've really enjoyed your coverage of the program and you're doing a great job.

With all the focus on the recruiting class and the transfers, it seems our four returning scholarship players are going a little under the radar. I'm really curious about them, especially after Marshall's comments on the radio interview today. Apparently AM has changed his mindset, SHJ has gotten over his anxiety, etc. Can you do some digging and give us the lowdown on the only familiar faces we'll see in a shocker uni next year?

[tayloreldridge]

Yeah, I feel like all 4 returners are likely to start the season in the starting lineup. If Samajae truly has overcome those intestinal issues, then he could really be a breakout star. He's the quickest player on the team, which means he can get his jumper off whenever he wants with his crossover and he can be a devastating force in transition. He's got to have a better feel for finishing around the rim, though. Everyone I talked to is convinced that Asbjorn is going to be a total stud. Maybe not this next season, but before he leaves everyone on the team is convinced he's going to be a monster. I really like Rod Brown's game, too. Super athletic and he is a weight-room wonder for Kerry. He bulked up big time this year and he is jacked. Expect him to be a beast rebounding and defense, as he might even be able to guard the 4 at times this season. Just needs to add a consistent jumper and he'll be a really good player.

[ShockdaWorld]

Glad to have you here Taylor! Do you expect to see any red shirts next year, and if so, any ideas who? Still too early to tell I’m sure, but you’re more knowledgeable than most (pronounced “all”) of us.

[1972Shocker]

With the possible exception of WuDrWu and, of course, the estimable Kung Wu

[tayloreldridge]

Yeah, it's just way too early to tell before the incoming recruits have even reached campus. I'm sure we can expect one (maybe two), but I think a lot of people are going to get the chance to play this year and prove themselves. I could see a possibility where no one redshirts and Marshall finds out what he has this season.

[im4wsu]

Get us some scoop about what we might expect from Rod Brown. Strengths and weaknesses

[tayloreldridge]

I really like Rod's game. He's very athletic and really bulked up this year with Kerry in the weight room. He is absolutely jacked now and is going to play a lot bigger than 6'6". I wouldn't be surprised if he plays some 4 this season. Speaking with the seniors, they were telling me that Rod is going to be a plus rebounder and he has a nose for the ball and reads it well off the rim like Rashard. He should be able to contribute immediately with his defense because of his athleticism. His offense is the biggest question mark. He doesn't have a reliable outside shot, at least not yet. Don't know if he'll be able to get to the rim. If he takes a step on offense this summer, he could be a really good player for the Shockers.

[Mr. Pickle]

Welcome aboard, Taylor. I really appreciate your work, and in particular the amount of time and effort you spend on analytics.

Will you be able to watch any workouts, pick up games, etc this summer? If so, is there any chance you would be able to provide any updates?

[tayloreldridge]

Thank you! I appreciate it.

And I hope so, but I really don't know. I didn't start last year until October basically, so I'm not sure what will be allowed when it comes to stuff like that. If I do watch anything, I'll be sure to provide updates.