Wichita State drilled a program-record 16 threes Thursday night against Loyola-Chicago, but one of the loudest reactions came from the sideline.
Early in the second half, forward Karon Boyd jumped a passing lane, poked the ball free and pushed it ahead in transition. Senior guard Kenyon Giles caught the feed with daylight in front of him. The layup was there. Instead, he stopped short, rose, and buried his sixth three — a shot so clean Loyola was forced to burn a timeout.
“I actually wanted to drive,” Giles said with a grin. “Then I saw nobody picked me up. I said, ‘Yeah. This one has to go up.’ It went up.”
As the ball snapped through, coach Paul Mills erupted — fists pistoning, arms flung skyward, the crowd surging in reply. He rose with arcs that etched records into the rafters. Later, he laughed that his frenzy rivaled the quake of a Quincy Ballard dunk against K-State last season.
On a night when the Shockers (3‑0) buried 16 threes in a 95-74 rout against a Loyola-Chicago (1-3) team still searching for rhythm after three straight losses, even their coaches couldn’t sit still. Wichita State’s spacing and ball movement picked apart the Ramblers’ defense throughout.
“We had to go through a period of time where it was pretty chaotic,” Mills said, “and you have to live with it, understand it, and come back in the film room. Going against a defense that isn’t set with quicker decisions — it helps.”
The barrage came on a 50% clip from beyond the arc, a season-high through three games. Giles was nearly perfect from deep, hitting 7-of-8 attempts — every shot he took from the floor. Amid his second-half antics, he caught fire and drained three in a row.
It’s safe to say Mills granted him the green light — and then some.
“If you’re KG and you go 7-for-8, it’s neon green,” Mills said. “He doesn’t even need Christmas lights at his place.”
Senior guard Mike Gray Jr. said moments like that ignite everyone — the bench, the crowd, especially teammates on the court. Gray finished with five threes on a 50% rate. He laughed that he had to celebrate with Giles mid-game, despite being on the floor.
“If you look at Mike and KG’s shots, I mean there’s gravity there,” Mills said. “Those are NBA threes. That’s why they’re here.”
Mills said his philosophy on shooting comes from advice passed down from NBA coaches.
“You can’t overcoach shooters,” Mills said. “I don’t mess with shots. I don’t really get into their techniques. I learned this from Chip England, who’s with the Oklahoma City Thunder.”
Giles’ confidence invited others to let it fly. Eight Shockers, including himself, attempted a three during the game. Even 7-foot-2 center Will Berg stepped out for a couple looks. Giles said it felt like a party, with Gray, Berg and junior guard Dre Kindell all joining in. Senior forward Karon Boyd added his name with a couple of threes himself.
Gray played Robin to Giles’ Batman, splashing five threes to keep the barrage alive. He said he felt like it was going to be their night from the opening minutes. At the 13-10 mark in the first half, Gray and Giles already connected on a pair. The early makes convinced Gray he had to keep pace.
“I knew I had to keep up with the guys that are making shots,” Gray said. “I have to do my part.”
For Mills, the joy wasn’t just in the numbers, it was in watching the Shockers trust themselves. His reflection carried the weight of a philosophy:
“I’ve always thought that it’s our job to lead and to show them what leadership looks like,” he said. “Then at some point during the season you hand those guys the reins and they need to be able to lead.
“They’re starting that process, you can kind of see it coming together. It’s fun to watch, but you can’t get caught up in one night that’s good offensively.”
Sixteen times Wichita State torched Loyola. Sixteen times it proved hesitation was never part of the game plan.
