Wichita State combo guard Dexter Dennis wasn’t getting into a flow. He had two “atomic bombs,” according to Head Coach Gregg Marshall in the first half against Central Florida on Saturday, and was shooting just 1-6 from the field and 0-2 from three-point range.

During halftime, Marshall kept it real with the sophomore from Louisiana. He said he knows Dennis has aspirations to play in the NBA one day. He told him that day would come when he started attacking the basket.

“I told him at halftime, ‘Bro, you go in there, you aspire to play in the NBA, and I know that and I think you will one day, but that day will come when you start going into the basket, jumping up and trying to bite the rim, and throwing your arm through the goal, cause that’s what those dudes do,’” Marshall said. “He accepted the challenge.”

Dennis did accept the challenge. He came out in the second half a different beast, knocking down six out of his eight shots, which included four three-point bombs. But what about tearing down the rim? He did that too.

On multiple occasions, Dennis utilized pump fakes, getting his defender to jump in the air and drive past him. Even though they didn’t all end in shot attempts, Dennis’s growth was showing. But with 1:29 remaining in the second half, he showed off his athleticism. WSU had the ball baseline out of bounds coming out of a timeout. Dennis got a screen on his side of the paint, and drifted into the opposite short corner. Immediately after receiving the ball, he took a quick dribble to the right past his defender and rose up for the two handed slam – to say he’s not just a shooter.

“I think it’s easy to guard a guy that can only do one thing, but when you can do a lot of things, it’s way harder to guard if you’re moving without the ball, rebounding, driving, and shooting,” Dennis said after recording his third career double-double. “I’m still working on that, I’ve still got a lot of things to fix, but it’s a process and I’m trusting it.”

It’s been a long road for Dennis to get back on track. To start the year, he was slumping – in a major way. His shooting splits weren’t even close to last year’s, going from a 39% overall and 40% three-point shooter during his freshman campaign, to a 29% shooter this year in both categories. On top of the struggles, Dennis had a nagging hip injury that left him unable to play at his 100% ability, and the he decided to take a three game leave of absence from the team for “personal reasons” in December.

But since his return, Dennis is averaging 8.9 points per game – a two-point increase from before his departure – and 5.4 rebounds. Dennis has even played his way back into the starting lineup after being benched after the West Virginia game in November. He’s looked like his old self on the defensive end of the court as well, but it’s his rebounding that has stood out the most. On Saturday, Dennis finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

His explanation? Effort.

“I think rebounding is mainly effort, just playing as hard as I can,” Dennis said. “I still took a couple of plays off tonight (Saturday). After I watch the film, everything will be all right.”

With his efforts in the past two games, Dennis was selected to this week’s American Athletic Conference Honor Roll – his second time being selected this season.

Dennis’s teammates are glad to have him back both on the court and in the locker room. Freshman point guard Grant Sherfield said he thinks Dennis is a difference maker moving forward, especially with other shooters on the team struggling.

“It’s a big difference [having Dennis back],” Sherfield said. “It really makes it easy for us guards when we try to penetrate gaps and you got a guy you know can knock down a shot [outside]. So it really helps having Dex back.”

Senior center Jaime Echenique said he’s happy to see his teammate succeed.

“I’m so happy for him. He’s such a hard worker, such a great teammate, and such a great person,” Echenique said of Dennis. “You know, we always say that we don’t let situations define us, and now he’s finding his way. He has a long and bright future, and he was showing it tonight (Saturday).”

The once-again nationally ranked Shockers will be back in action on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a matchup with the Golden Hurricane. Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m.