After an offseason of sold recruiting in the 2015-2016 season, Shocker fans are beginning to think great recruiting is becoming the norm for Wichita State men’s basketball.

Of course, Marshall has several great recruits to his name with the likes of Fred VanVleet. The 2015 class was one of Marshall’s strongest, landing a huge east coast recruit in Markis McDuffie.

With McDuffie and Landry Shamet both ranked in the top 100 recruits in separate databases, the future looks bright for WSU even with the departure of Baker and VanVleet.

Marshall set out on the 2016 recruiting trail looking to fill some positions the seniors leave.

CJ Keyser is currently the top recruit for the Shockers sitting at three stars on ESPN. He is a 6-foot-3-inch shooting guard from Brewster Academy in Maryland. Brewster almost always produces a full squad of Division I bound players, with several making it to the NBA including Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets, and TJ Warren of the Phoenix Suns.

Keyser will likely remain the top recruit as the high school season comes to a close. Most seniors have signed their letters of intent, and Keyser, with his athleticism and ability to shoot and put the ball on the floor was a major gain for WSU.

He has a stellar leaping ability and matches the raw talent of a young Ron Baker. Who’s to say he will have the same type of career as Baker, but with VanVleet, Baker, and Evan Wessel leaving he will likely share duties running the 1 and 2 alongside Shamet and Conner Frankamp.

Austin Reaves is the most interesting recruit for the Shockers. He doesn’t have a grade on ESPN, but has been recognized as one of the nation’s best scorers after scoring 73 points during in Arkansas. Reaves is a 6-foot-5-inch point guard, but he only weighs 170 pounds.

His stature is deceiving to defenders, giving him the ability to get in the lane, and is great at finishing around the rim. He may not see much court time next year with Shamet, Keyser, Frankamp, Peyton Allen, and Zach Brown likely seeing the majority of time at the guard spots, but he could sneak into the rotation and make an impact early in the season.

Marshall will likely use a rotation of about ten guys next season, which means Darryln Willis could find some good playing time. It all depends on the development of Eric Hamilton. Rashard Kelly appears to be the go to guy next season, but Willis could end up being the guy next season. He’s a 6-foot-7-inch junior college transfer from Madison, Wisconsin who could fill the void left by senior Anton Grady. He is not quite big enough to play the five, but Willis, Hamilton and Kelly will likely have to work as a committee down low when Shaq Morris needs a rest or is in foul trouble.

Daishon Smith rounds out the 2016 recruiting class for WSU as a 6-foot point guard transferring from Tallahassee Community College in Florida, and seems to be the odd man out in next season’s rotation. Behind Shamet, Keyser, Reaves, and Ty Taylor II, it isn’t likely Smith plays many freshman minutes and could end up redshirting.

Smith has a lot of skill, however, Marshall didn’t recruit this class to be all-conference right off the bat. Marshall recruits players that stay three to four year and develop as they move through their college careers. The 2016 class will have some key contributors early in the season.