ATLANTA—Ron Baker fired up a shot near half court as the clock hit double zero and the Shockers’ tournament run ended Saturday in a 72-68 loss to the Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four.

But for Baker, that wasn’t the last shot he will shoot as a Shocker. 

Just like Baker, Cleanthony Early will probably have more 20-point games as a Shocker and Tekele Cotton will continue to be known for his lockdown defense.

“This is just the beginning for us,” coach Gregg Marshall said. “A lot of good young players are in that locker room talking about working hard this summer and getting better. I’m pretty excited about it.”

Although the Shockers will lose four seniors, the returning players for the 2013-14 season are no strangers to scoring and playing.

In fact, Early scored in double figures 31 times this year. Baker, who sat out much of the year due to injury, still managed to make three 3-point shots in nine games.

“We have to keep our heads up and know that the grind doesn’t stop,” Early said. “We’re always invested in getting better. At the end of the day, we have to keep working.”

Other returning Shockers who played big minutes this year include Fred Van Vleet, Nick Wiggins and Jake White.

“The Final Four is a huge stepping stone and something we can look back on and work for,” Van Vleet said. “Now we have motivation for next year.”

In thinking toward next season, having Evan Wessel back and healthy will be another major advantage for the Shockers. The highly recruited Wichita native played in eight games this year. He scored in double digits once.

With much promise and what will be a lot of hype leading into next year, the Shockers will continue to ask themselves: Are you satisfied?

“We are still not satisfied,” Cotton said. “We’re going to come back next year, come at it again and work hard during the summer to get better. We will get right back here next year.”

It seems as if Cotton has already predicted a Final Four run in 2014. If that’s the case, Shocker fans will get to visit Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

If you thought it couldn’t get bigger than the Georgia Dome, think again.