Wichita State men’s basketball head coach Paul Mills identified two key weaknesses in the team that went 15-19 last season: turnovers and shooting.
He said both those deficiencies were addressed in the transfer portal this offseason.
“Your juices are flowing,” Mills said. “You’re ready to play. And (I) feel great about the group that we have, and (I’m) excited to get this thing started.”
This year’s team has far more experience compared to last year’s. The Shockers have nine seniors on the roster, returned five of its top eight scorers from last season and have the most combined career Division I minutes of any team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Coaches picked Wichita State to finish fourth in the conference this year, an improvement from the team’s 10th-place result last season. Mills attributed the preseason ranking to the talent remaining on the roster.
“I think a lot of this is just based on who’s returning and the core of the guys that we have there,” he said.
Assists and turnovers
Last year, the Shockers turned the ball over 12.3 times per game, third-most in the AAC. They also had the third-fewest assists at 12.1 per game.
Senior guards Bijan Cortes, Xavier Bell and Harlond Beverly will return to the team this year but will shoulder less of the ball-handling load with the arrival of fifth-year Justin Hill and freshman Zion Pipkin.
“Having Justin Hill, not only was he a double-digit scorer, but third in assist rate in the SEC (Southeastern Conference), and his assist-to-turnover ratio was really good,” Mills said. “Zion Pipkin, I always thought he was that guy. He just valued the basketball. And we needed depth there.”
Hill averaged 3.2 assists and 1.5 turnovers per game last year at the University of Georgia, better metrics than any Wichita State guard.
Mills said live ball turnovers, where the defense steals the ball and can run back in transition, create “disadvantage basketball.”
“I go back to something (former NBA head coach) Stan Van Gundy told me a long time ago,” Mills said. “He says, ‘If you want a team that doesn’t turn the ball over, play guys that don’t turn the ball over.’ So, let’s not make this harder than it needs to be. We have guys who have done a good job with ball security.”
Shooting and scoring
Wichita State lost its top scorer and 3-point shooter, Colby Rogers, in the transfer portal to conference opponent University of Memphis over the offseason. Mills said this year’s scoring load won’t fall on an individual player.
Last year, opposing coaches often clogged the lane against the Shockers because they didn’t fear Wichita State’s outside shooting, which ranked ninth in the AAC. Without Rogers, Mills said he’s relied on existing players stepping up and some outside additions in talent.
“I think guys have really improved,” he said. “I think Xavier Bell has really improved. I think Justin Hill adds a dimension. I think Harlond Beverly has really improved. Bijon has really improved.”
In Hill, fifth-year guard AJ McGinnis, junior forward Corey Washington and graduate student forward Zane Meeks, Mills found four players in the transfer portal who shot above 30% from beyond the arc last year.
“I feel like we’ve added pieces,” Mills said. “I don’t know, I mean, we need to play a few games and then just see where we are. You know, it’s one thing in practice. It’s a whole different deal when you begin to play games and how people scout … but I feel we’ll be a much better shooting team than we (were) a year ago.”
Beverly said the addition of new shooters and the team’s returners improving from beyond the arc will open up space for cutters like himself to attack the rim.
“Even returners are shooting a lot better,” Beverly said. “The people that they brought in, of course, can really shoot. So that’ll open a lot of lanes, a lot of cuts. Just playing together, I feel like we’ll be able to knock down a lot of shots, get a lot of good shots, good looks, open ones.”
Mills said the Shockers were “deplorable” from the free throw line a year ago. The team shot just under 70%, 11th in the AAC. The new additions might also improve that metric.
“We needed to make sure the guys that came in, when they got fouled, could they convert (free throws),” Mills said. “So you have a Corey Washington, who hasn’t necessarily shot a lot of threes, but his foul rate is really high, and he can convert free throws there.”
Ballard and the big men
Much of Wichita State’s offense and defense revolves around senior center Quincy Ballard. Last year, Ballard broke the Wichita State school record for single-season field goal percentage at 71.9% and dunks with 58. He also nearly broke the single-season blocks record with 2.1 per game.
Mills said the team needs to “find a way” to get Ballard more shots this year. Ballard noticed the improved spacing generated by Wichita State’s shooters, which could give him more room to operate in the paint.
“Coach Mills emphasizes (spacing) every day,” Ballard said. “He made sure everyone’s where they’re at within a few seconds, whether it’s in transition, or just off an inbound.”
Mills said Ballard has improved his mobility over the offseason, which could make him even better defensively.
“We’re not going to be the most offensively skilled team in the country, so we need to generate a lot defensively,” Mills said. “First of all, we need to limit you (the other team) to one shot. And then secondly, we do need to generate some offense through defense, simply because it isn’t as if we’re putting a lineup out there that’s going to be able to shoot one through five.”
Kenny Pohto, Wichita State’s primary backup post player last season, departed in the transfer portal. Mills brought in Meeks and senior center Matej Bošnjak for depth at the big man position.
In contrast to Ballard, Mills said Meeks and Bošnjak provide a “different dimension.” Meeks is a solid outside shooter, while Bošnjak is a better post-up scorer than Ballard.
Bošnjak, who came to Wichita State from Croatia, was given clearance to play by the NCAA on Friday afternoon. Meeks is dealing with a knee injury, although Mills expects him to return at some point this year.
Without Meeks, Mills said returning senior forward Ronnie DeGray III will spell Ballard at the center position, a position DeGray played on occasion last year.
“I do think that we can play different ways,” Mills said. “When you have Quincy on the floor, it’s different than having Matej and Ronnie on the floor. Now, defending is the bigger issue, you know, without one of those guys. But to be honest with you, we don’t really go one-on-one in the post much.”
Team depth
Last year, Mills played about seven to eight players per game. With the additions this year, he said the team’s rotations might include 11-12 players.
“We’re two-deep at every single spot,” Mills said. “Practices have been great. I kind of talk to the guys often about the proverb of ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ And so the better that we can get guys to be challenged day in and day out.”
Beverly said that all players “really deserve to play,” which could improve the team’s versatility.
“We have a lot of high-level athletes,” he said. “And then on top of that, really, we’re a team so far that shares the ball really well. We move the ball, and we have people that can make shots as well. So just really having an all-around team that can do a little bit of everything, but really get after it on the defensive end, finishing those possessions and rebounds.”
Expectations
Bell said expectations are heightened in year two under Mills. He said the team has a “competitive edge” they didn’t have last season.
“Just that willingness not to, you know, be OK with losing a lot,” Bell said. “Be OK with just taking a backseat to certain things, just trying to go out there, be the first to the floor, play physical basketball.”
Mills often touts the value of the KenPom rankings, a catch-all metric created by Ken Pomeroy that is often used by betting markets to create point spreads. Last year, Wichita State was ranked 141st out of 362 teams in the country in the preseason. This year, the Shockers came in at 101st.
Mills said fans expect Wichita State to play in March Madness every season. Many Wichita State players feel the same way.
“I do think you have to schedule in order to give yourself a chance along those lines, and I feel like we’ve done that,” Mills said. “But at the end of the day, you have to win games … We’re just trying to go 1-0, and we’ll worry about that. But I do feel like every program’s goal is to get to March, but this is one where it’s more of an expectation.”
Wichita State beat Emporia State, 99-53, in an exhibition game on Sunday. The Shockers will attempt to go 1-0 in the regular season when it kicks off on Nov. 4. WSU will take on Western Kentucky University on the road. Tipoff against the Hilltoppers is scheduled for 7 p.m.
