Unselfish play keys WSU trip to Canada
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Forget about the new guys
for a minute, because intriguing as they are, they will
only be as successful as the old guys allow.
That should be no problem. Delay conclusions on Wichita
State's basketball season until the Shockers play real games.
However, it does appear the 10 days of practice and three
exhibition games confirmed that the Shockers are willing
to play the kind of unselfish, ego-free basketball that
carried them to the Missouri Valley Conference title and
NCAA Tournament last season.
"Coach beats that into our head," WSU senior
Ryan Martin said. "Guys that are back from last year,
we already know what coach expects. It's just getting the
new guys accustomed to how we play."
The Shockers were not always perfect in victories over
Simon Fraser (87-62) and Trinity Western (92-63) on Saturday
and British Columbia (72-66) on Sunday. But their eagerness
to pass up mostly open shots to get a teammate a totally
open one stood out. The Shockers spent a lot of time trying
to make their teammates look good.
Saturday night, forward Phil Thomasson turned down a short
jumper to throw crosscourt to P.J. Couisnard, who had an
open three from the wing. Couisnard passed to the top of
the key, and the ball made its way to the opposite wing,
then inside to Thomasson, who was fouled. That was typical
for the Shockers, whether it was junior Matt Braeuer or
freshman Gal Mekel on the fast break, or Couisnard or Kyle
Wilson reversing the ball around the perimeter. The Shockers
forced some shots and got wild with some passes, but never
for long periods.
"They are extremely well coached and a very disciplined
team," British Columbia coach Kevin Hanson said.
That showed up even late in blowouts, when WSU coach Mark
Turgeon tried to run plays for walk-ons David King and Derek
Brown. Reserve guard Wendell Preadom and center Ryan Bradley
got the same treatment at other times. Kyle Wilson led WSU
in scoring twice, Martin once. Four other Shockers reached
double figures at least once in the three games and Mekel
and Preadom each topped out at nine.
WSU junior Sean Ogirri calls that attitude his favorite
part of the August practice sessions.
"Everyone's unselfish," he said last week. "No
one really cares who scores. Everyone's just playing as
well as they can and as hard as they can. That's what made
us Wichita State." |
