Shockers trample Bison in first exhibition game of the season
Kadeem Coleby slam dunks the ball as the Shockers clobber Oklahoma Baptist in an exhibition match Saturday night at Koch Arena. WSU won by the score of 73-29.
Senior Kadeem Coleby led the Wichita State men’s basketball team to a 44-point victory over Oklahoma Baptist Saturday, beating the Bison 73-29 in a game full of fouls that will now be par for the course.
Coleby went six for nine, with six rebounds and three blocked shots. He said getting more rebounds is something he would like to improve.
“I don’t really have a technique down pat,” Coleby said. “Guys are beating me to the boards a lot, so I’m trying to work on that.”
Coleby had a couple of big dunks in the first half to begin a run that lasted nearly four and a half minutes.
The Shockers went to the locker room up 23 points in the half, holding Oklahoma Baptist to eight points. Six of those came from free throws.
Coach Gregg Marshall said although the team committed 19 fouls in the game, he’s expecting more to come as higher numbers become more conventional this season.
“I predict there will be many nights when we would love just to have 19 fouls,” Marshall said.
The increase in foul calls is due to new NCAA standards to keep players from making physical contact with each other as often.
Sophomore Fred VanVleet said those changes aren’t going away, and players need to adapt.
“The rules are the rules, and we’ve got to adjust,” VanVleet said. “I think that we did an OK job, but it’s going to take some time early on.”
WSU continued to dominate in the second half.
With a little more than 15 minutes left in the game, Coleby started another long run for the team. Ron Baker made two steals during the run, one of those leading to a pass to VanVleet that set up a shot for Coleby.
Baker made an impact in the scrap, losing a contact lens but still making the play happen.
VanVleet said that he liked how the team played in the game, but they have some work to do.
Out of 28 free throw attempts, 19 shots went in. Marshall said nailing those free throws is something the team needs to work on.
Marshall said that, while it is hard to find fault with allowing only one basket in the first half, he’d have loved it if the boys pitched a shutout to get fans out of their seats.
“Ideally they don’t score that basket,” he said. “The fans have to stand up all through the game, all through the first half and maybe through half time.”
