A brief history of WSU men’s basketball

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Charles Koch Arena.

Listen up, Wichita State students. 

You have been to a basketball game or two by now. 

Maybe you even have some shocker gear that you bought – free T-shirts from Shocker Maniacs do not count. If another student asked you about last week’s game, you might be able to throw out some numbers or a player’s name. 

But where is your sense of history? The men’s basketball team at WSU is 94-years-old and the average student would be hard pressed to rattle off some basic facts. 

What was considered the best season for WSU men’s basketball? Who is player “X”? What major penalization was WSU basketball dealt in the 1980s?  

Now do not be embarrassed, it is all right to be a little ignorant, but now the time has come to face the WUShock and learn about those men of shocker lore who built the team into what it is today.

 

And so it begins:

Men’s basketball may have begun in 1906 but it did not gain significant steam until Cleo Littleton and Coach Ralph Miller entered the picture in the 1950s. 

As one of the first African-American players in the Missouri Valley Conference, Littleton was not allowed to play in certain gymnasiums and had to eat on the bus. Despite the challenges of the 50s, Littleton still holds seven records at WSU.

 

Fun fact:

In 1962, center Gene Wiley became the first WSU basketball player to join the NBA when he was drafted by the LA Lakers.

 

The golden season:

Every shocker fan has their interpretation of WSU’s best season but statistically speaking the 1964-65 season stands out from the other 93 years. During this time, then-head coach Gary Thompson not only took the men’s basketball team to the NCAA final four and won the MVC, he led Wichita State to its first-ever No. 1 ranking. 

The Shockers were viewed as the underdog at the NCAA final four in Portland, OR, and they met those expectations by losing to Princeton University in the third-place game. 

 

MTXE and troubles for WSU:

In January of 1982, Associated Press reporter Doug Tucker chronicled the penalization of WSU basketball by the NCAA. “It is the sixth public penalty levied against Wichita State, making the Shockers the most penalized school, counting football and basketball, in NCAA history,” Tucker wrote. While the Shockers would lose their status as most penalized school in under a decade, they were barred from post-season competition for two years. 

The NCAA probation came at an unfortunate time for men’s basketball. Three of the players for the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons would go on to join the NBA: Antoine Carr, Cliff Levingston and Xavier “X” McDaniel. Then-head coach Gene Smithson’s career at WSU was marked with significant allegations but also with a fresh approach to the game.

According to the WSU Office of Media Relations, in 1980 to 1984 “Smithson had the basketball program and the city of Wichita in a state of euphoria.” “Mental Toughness Extra Effort” was Smithson’s motto during the 1978 to 1984 seasons. The period is often referred to as MTXE. 

 

 

Player “X”:

Simply known as “X,” McDaniel became the star WSU needed during MTXE, a period clouded by NCAA allegations. The WSU Office of Media Relations wrote that “Xavier McDaniel came to Wichita with an attitude and determination that would eventually make him one of the greatest players in WSU and college basketball history.”

The Seattle Sonics drafted McDaniel in 1985, and in 1986, Smithson stepped down as head coach amid continuing allegations and faltering support.

Men’s basketball at WSU has a bumpy history and the glory days of MTXE seem far behind. But WSU played in the post-season last year and in 2006, they made it to the Sweet Sixteen with Mark Turgeon as coach. WSU lost to George Mason University 64-55. Since 2007, current head coach Gregg Marshall has paved the way for a stronger team and built on the history of the Shockers.