Prized 4-star recruit Grant Sherfield picks Wichita State

Evan Pflugradt, Sports Editor|April 16, 2019

Wichita+States+student+section+raises+their+hands+during+the+basketball+game+on+Oct.+30%2C+2018+in+Koch+Arena.

Joseph Barringhaus

Wichita State’s student section raises their hands during the basketball game on Oct. 30, 2018 in Koch Arena.

Wichita State has landed its second-highest rated recruit in Gregg Marshall’s tenure.

Grant Sherfield, a Wichita native, will join the Shockers next season. He is a 6-foot-2 guard, a unanimous four-star recruit, and the No. 110 recruit ranked by Rivals. He joins Tyson Etienne, who is ranked No. 121 in the same metric, in the backcourt for Wichita State next season. Sherfield and Etienne are among a class of only five Gregg Marshall-led players ranked in the Rivals’ 150. Among them are Fred VanVleet (No. 138), Markis McDuffie (No. 145) and Landry Shamet (No. 88).

Sherfield made his announcement public via Twitter Tuesday morning. He picked Wichita State over offers from Minnesota and Wake Forest.

“We’re happy for Grant (Sherfield) to come back to his original home to play his college basketball,” Marshall said in a statement. “He’s a dynamic playmaker and a guy we feel will push for immediate playing time.”

The Shockers had two open scholarships for the spring after the departures of Ricky Torres and Rod Brown. Wichita State hosted Sherfield and junior college transfer Trey Wade on official visits Friday and Saturday.

With Sherfield locked in, Wichita State has one open scholarship available. Wednesday is the official start to the spring signing period, which lasts a month, and Wichita State is making pitches to various power forwards who can fill the void left by departing senior Markis McDuffie.

Sherfield had initially committed to UCLA, but was granted release from his national letter of intent when the program fired coach Steve Alford. He’s played the last year at Sunrise Christian Academy, just outside of Wichita in Bel Aire. He averaged 15 points per game this season, a team-high.

His addition gives Wichita State some much-needed depth in the backcourt. He, as Marshall explained, is expected to compete for immediate playing time.

“We feel like we could have one of the top freshmen backcourts in the country next year to add to,” Marshall said. “We’ll be still young in the backcourt, but very much a talented group.”