The Wichita State men’s basketball team had little trouble handling Pittsburg State on the court in its 100-56 exhibition win on Monday. 

Getting to the court was a different story. 

“I had several times where they just ran into the game. They didn’t go to the table correctly—they don’t tell someone to come out,” coach Gregg Marshall said. “There is a lot of teaching that goes on. Tonight I had to teach them how to check into the game. I’m not used to that.”

With so many new faces playing key minutes for WSU this year, there were bound to be a few hurdles for the Shockers. 

But once the players found the court, WSU’s size and athleticism were too much for Division II Pittsburg State to handle. 

WSU blitzed the Gorillas in the first half, building a 27-9 lead just past the midway point of the first half. 

The Shockers led 54-17 at halftime. 

Carl Hall, one of two returning seniors, helped carry the Shockers to the win. He finished with a game-high 23 points, going 7 for 7 from the field and 9 of 10 from the foul line. 

“They didn’t have anyone that could match with him really, with his size and quickness and strength,” Marshall said. “He was very impressive.”

Getting the start at point guard was redshirt freshman Ron Baker, who finished with 17 points. While not expected to be a starter in the regular season, Baker’s play makes him a viable option for Marshall moving forward. 

He wasn’t perfect by any means, attempting a couple of forced shots early. But after that, there wasn’t much to complain about. 

“It was kind of nice with Carl whispering in your ear here and there when you mess up,” Baker said. “Tonight was good for that—to see where everyone is going to fit in. Make the puzzle fit.”

Marshall believes Baker can be a valuable commodity going forward, regardless of whether he is starting or not. 

“What he really does is rebounds, guards. He is a jack-of-all-trades. He can do a little bit of everything,” Marshall said. “He can shoot it, handle it, score inside and out.”

Marshall played 12 players against Pittsburg State, but doesn’t intend to go that deep on a regular basis. 

Unlike past years, he hopes to have a smaller seven to eight player group that can carry the team. 

The next time the Shockers step on the court will be on Saturday when they host North Carolina Central in their regular-season opener. 

“I’d like to practice a couple more weeks to be honest, but the game is Saturday night. We’ll play it—hopefully we play well,” Marshall said. “Now it’s real live bullets next time we go out there.”