Future?

[wufan]

There’s a 6-11 senior that is being recruited. His name is difficult to spell.

[Shocktoberfest]

Uhhhh. If you’re referring to a kid playing in Bel Aire that is a very long shot. Would be awesome. But not holding my breath.

[WstateU]

I'm holding mine...

https://media.giphy.com/media/z1HjdHLfFHwVq/giphy.gif

[Shockm]

Uhhhh. If you’re referring to a kid playing in Bel Aire that is a very long shot. Would be awesome. But not holding my breath.

What’s his name?

[WstateU]

N'Faly Dante

https://www.prepcircuit.com/roster_players/26719125?subseason=

[wufan]

What’s his name?

Josephat Bilau

https://shockernet.net/forum/wichita-state-athletics/wichita-state-recruiting/1154691-josephat-bilau-6-10-pf-c-2019-offered

he was highlighted as a target in a recent eagle article.

[Shockm]

Josephat Bilau

https://shockernet.net/forum/wichita...c-2019-offered

he was highlighted as a target in a recent eagle article.

I thought that may have been who you were talking about and he didn't come from Bel Aire. N'Faly Dante was mentioned as being interested a year ago but I haven't heard anything about him being interested in WSU for quite a while.

[ShockerPrez]

I was thinking about what our record would be if we took the team right now and started the season over at game 1. I have no doubt we would be a few wins better.

Then was thinking, given a few more wins, maybe a win over Temple, and home against Cincy. A win over USF (assuming we weren't ice cold again. Maybe a stretch).

Then given that improvement, (Trying not to get drunk on kool-aid) I think we would be pretty close to the bubble (Thank You being in the American).

So, my main point, I think we are a bubble team right now. Not with our resume, obviously, just thinking that we are probably as good or really close to what a bubble team is.

eg, we are as good as TCU, Texas, and several other teams on the bubble and would win our fair share against those teams.

So then, in my opinion, we should expect to get better in the offseason and have a better than 50/50 shot at a tourney bid next season. Not a bad rebuild timeframe if we can pull it off.

I can see this class getting 3 bids leading to recruiting elite athletes for Marshall's grand finale.

[WSUwatcher]

I'm not sure, Prez, that these guys are quite bubble-caliber in terms of play right now (and of course their resume for the whole season is obviously inadequate), but your point about improvement during the season is well taken. And I think you may also have a point about teams like TCU and Texas. Also, if the NCAA hadn't punished Teddy Allen in a way they didn't punish lots of other guys similarly situated, I have little doubt that the Shocks WOULD be bubble caliber in terms of both play and, most likely, resume as well.

So I agree: the future is bright, and a return to March Madness is not that far away, although it's hard to imagine it happening this year via the conference tournament (especially if WSU finishes 7th and has to go through both Cincy and Houston).

[IndianaShocker]

Sagarin agrees with ShockerPrez regarding current level of play. We are rated 98 overall and 103 in the predictor, BUT our "recent" rating is 59.

[DJShocker10]

I was thinking about what our record would be if we took the team right now and started the season over at game 1. I have no doubt we would be a few wins better.

Then was thinking, given a few more wins, maybe a win over Temple, and home against Cincy. A win over USF (assuming we weren't ice cold again. Maybe a stretch).

Then given that improvement, (Trying not to get drunk on kool-aid) I think we would be pretty close to the bubble (Thank You being in the American).

So, my main point, I think we are a bubble team right now. Not with our resume, obviously, just thinking that we are probably as good or really close to what a bubble team is.

eg, we are as good as TCU, Texas, and several other teams on the bubble and would win our fair share against those teams.

So then, in my opinion, we should expect to get better in the offseason and have a better than 50/50 shot at a tourney bid next season. Not a bad rebuild timeframe if we can pull it off.

I can see this class getting 3 bids leading to recruiting elite athletes for Marshall's grand finale.

I’ve been telling people this for a while now. I’ve been saying that our quality of play come early to mid February would be that of a bubble or dance quality team. Unfortunately, our resumé would not show it. Next year is gonna be fun if you ask me.

[AndShock]

Anyone who thinks we won’t make the dance next year, I’m curious what your predictions are for our record? Under .500? This isn’t the Valley, keep in mind we can lose 10+ games and still get better seeds than when we were in the MVC.

[ShockTalk]

IndianaShocker, while I agree highlight videos only give a piece of the truth and Snapshot99 tell the rest of the story by mentioning the highlights only, RT did shoot quite well in JUCO ball.
Freshman year: 46.6% FG / 31-88 35.2% from 3
Sophomore year: 49.9% FG / 71-164 43.3% from 3
He needs to find his shot again.

[shockem#78-65]

IndianaShocker point made is 100% valid; however, I do have to agree that our 3pt shooting has to be better / more consistent. It is actually a pretty intriguing statistic to analyze and Taylor Eldridge had a pretty good post on twitter today about our PG 3pt shooting. Comparing 18-19 to 17-18, the shocks are averaging 1.2 less 3's made a game even though they are still accounting for about the same % of points/game 32.99% (17-18, 80.84 pts/gm) and 32.59% (18-19, 70.42 pts/gm) --> 3 pt shooting % is down 6.56% from last year at the same time that we are averaging shooting 1 more 3/gm. So the simple answer would be to work the ball inside more often, right? Well this is where Taylor's post ties back in; when RT and JB are in the game defenses have starting sagging into the lane preventing / greatly impeding our open looks down low and driving lanes. I'm not quite sure how to combat this other than knocking down those open looks which would also make defenses star fighting over the top of screens, but I have not given up just yet... I really like how RT's shot looks and from 10-18 ft they are both pretty solid let alone their court vision has been impressive here as of late. Keep in mind Evan Wessel shot 12% from 3 in 13-14 and a year later he shocked the chalk and sent the dirty birdies home after shooting 4-6 from down town (31-86, 36% on the season). With that long drawn out analysis, all I'm really saying is the best we can do is keep faith in em and keep cheering them on! Go Shocks!

[Aargh]

Those predicting the possibility of an NCAA at large next year may be under-estimating the loss of the Sr class as badly as those who expected an NCAA bubble this year were over-valuing the Fr class.

Unless some serious shooting practice happens over the summer with some off-the-charts results, opponents will not defend Stevenson or Burton next year. That will clog things up so severely for Allen that he won't be able to maneuver around the basket.

Our top returning 3 point shooters are:

Echenique: 45.5%
Dennis: 42.3%
Chandler: 28.6%
Stevenson: 28.1%
Burton: 23.1%
Brown: 16.7%


Wessel was a career 30% 3FG shooter.
Zach Brown was a career 33.4% 3FG shooter
Rashard Kelly was a career 31.9% 3FG shooter

We have one returning player, other than a post, who shoots 3's better than three of the most criticized shooters of the Marshall era.

Marshall's teams have always had trouble against zone defenses even when they had VanVleet, Baker, Shamet, or Reaves on the roster. I think I could design an effective defense against the Shox next year unless some drastic shooting changes occur. That's about as likely as expecting a Fr to have a great year coming into and adjusting to D1 ball. It can happen, but you should never rely on it.

[WSUwatcher]

Some people are just bad shooters, Aargh; but others do change. Wessel's career % included (and was skewed by) that one disaster year and a finger injury from which he never fully recovered, but he did bounce back. Tekele Cotton improved on the fly, thanks to his workmanlike approach. Joe Ragland shot 31% from three his first year at WSU, and just over 50(!) his second. And from the current crop, Dexter Dennis has made a marked improvement during this season.

So you're welcome to your customary skepticism -- but it would be no surprise at all for some of those numbers you've cited to improve, maybe significantly; and I personally would be surprised if Torres doesn't improve dramatically, simply because his performance this year is such an obvious outlier.

[AndShock]

So what’s your prediction on record? .500? I think it’s also worth mentioning that even with our bad 3 point shooting we have a freshman PG who has 19 assists in his last 42 minutes. I’d be surprised if Fred ever had a stretch like that with much better weapons against much worse competition.

[ShockTalk]

Always a little surprised at posters using Cotton as an example of a poor 3pt shooter making himself a good 3pt shooter. He was not that bad as a freshman, did improve (not a lot) over his next 2 years, then had his worst season as a senior.

.348/.364/.371/.289. His improvement from freshman to junior was only .023, then crashed and burned his senior year. While Cotton is one of my all-time favorite WSU players, for many reasons and see my avatar, his 3pt shooting is down the list a ways.

[Dan]

Burton and Torres concern me the most heading into next year. They both need to find their shots. Other than that, my biggest concerns are getting some contribution from the freshmen, IPBC figuring out how to bring better effort, JE getting stronger and MU getting healthy and in shape.

[ShockTalk]

I understand that IPBC may have his problems being a good practice player, has difficulty learning the system, and may be slow to develop (seems to be a common occurrence among big men), but he seems to bring it on the floor pretty good. Dives on the floor and gets ball, offensive rebounding, and assists. Per minute played, he matches JE on offensive rebounds (needs to work on defensive rebounding), doubles JE's assists, while having a third fewer TOs. Both are newbies, but JE is a junior and IPBC a freshman.

[wufan]

Burton doesn’t concern me.

[FadedCrown]

Honestly think something will just click with this squad next year and we win 20 games en route to an at large.

[pinstripers]

I don't think 30 is out of the question.

[WstateU]

https://media.giphy.com/media/13myk3dLB25KYE/giphy.gif

[ShockerPrez]

I am hoping for the positive from our shooters.

Frankcamp was the best shooter ever and he struggled mightily when he first got here, if I recall. (I do recall. ;)

[molly jabali]

Honestly think something will just click with this squad next year and we win 20 games en route to an at large.

EASILY.... very positive...

[im4wsu]

I am hoping for the positive from our shooters.

Frankcamp was the best shooter ever and he struggled mightily when he first got here, if I recall. (I do recall. ;)

Keep hanging on to that "best shooter ever" thought -- stats and eyeballs do not support it.

[ShockerPrez]

I meant the hype. Didn't Marshall even say it?

But I would classify him as a good shooter and he missed his first 100 shots or something. No, it wasn't 100, but for the hype, he started his WSU career ice cold.

I think we can have guys that can be consistently in the 30s from 3, which will be adequate, so long as we aren't making the 3 a focal point of the offense.

Our offensive problems arent 3s, its freaking layups!!

[WSUwatcher]

Well, Prez, the three point shooting isn't where it needs to be either -- but you're spot on about layups. A layup is supposed to be a high percentage shot (and a dunk higher still), but all too often when we watch the Shocks we see layups that could have been dunks, and we see way too many layups that turn into an adventure.

[Shockm]

Keep hanging on to that "best shooter ever" thought -- stats and eyeballs do not support it.

I think he was talking in regards to high school and the National U18 team. Those performances did support that he was a top shelf shooter (i don’t know about best ever).