Dream season it wasn’t for the Wichita State men’s basketball team—but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a dream finish. 

“The stars are aligning,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “It’s Shockers’ time.” 

Marshall said this to his team just minutes before they took to the air for Los Angeles, where they will play La Salle on Thursday in the Sweet 16. 

The comment came after Gus Bradley, the new head coach of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, made a surprise appearance aboard the plane to speak to the team. 

It just so happened that Bradley had stopped to fuel his plane between visits to various players’ Pro Days at the same time the Shockers were preparing to leave. 

A similar situation occurred on Sunday during the team’s arrival from Salt Lake City, when Tim Tebow, a quarterback for the New York Jets, did much the same by talking to the team before it headed back to campus.

Combine this with all the national attention WSU has been getting for upsetting No. 1 Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament third round, and you have a Cinderella story that anyone can enjoy. 

WSU will hold a team practice and speak to members of the media Wednesday at the Staples Center in downtown L.A. The game against La Salle will take place on Thursday night. 

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