The young backcourt and the loss of the
top two scorers and four starters from a year ago knock
Wichita
State down the MVC ladder in the preseason. But don’t be
mistaken, this is an athletic, talented squad that, by the time
it matters, could come together and compete with anybody in the
conference. They just have to prove they can do it first.
Who’s Out:
Jamar Howard, Randy Burns, Rob Kampman and Adam Liberty all
started at least 29 games in 2004-2005. Burns led the team with
12.1 points, Howard led in the rebounding category with 5.8 and
Liberty was the assists leader averaging 2.9 per contest.
Liberty opted to transfer, as did Kurt Bangle and Calvin Walls,
neither of whom played last year. That is tons of experience
heading out of Shocker country. Adding to the list is 6-10
center Zach Green, who is ending his career after his third knee
surgery. Green didn’t see much action last year battling through
those injuries, but if healthy, he could have made an impact
this year.
Who’s In:
Karon Bradley didn’t play much for Marquette before transferring
to WSU. The hope is the change of scenery will help Karon reach
his full potential. The 5-11 guard averaged 2.9 points two years
ago with the Golden Eagles and will battle for a starting gig in
Wichita. Junior college transfers Ryan Martin and Jared Young
are a couple of wing players with plenty of potential, but will
most likely see minutes as undersized power forwards. Ryan
Bradley, a 6-10 center, will be backing up returning starter
Paul Miller. Rounding out the group is verbal recruit Wendell
Preadom. The 6-1 combo guard has plenty of experience playing
with D1 quality players coming out of Westbury Christian in
Texas and will battle for some quality minutes off the bench.
Who to Watch:
The backcourt may be young and inexperienced,
but the frontcourt duo of Paul Miller and Kyle Wilson will
provide a sturdy threat under the basket. Miller, a 6-10, 248
pound senior center, will be the big man on campus on multiple
levels. Last year he averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per
contest, the leading returning player in both categories. He
stays out of foul trouble relatively well for a big fella and
when he gets to the line himself, knocks them down with ease
shooting 76.5% last year.
Projected Conference Rank:
Sean Ogirri, P.J. Couisnard and Matt Braeuer
showed flashes of things to come during their freshman
campaigns. Now the backcourt trio will have to step up and prove
that they can do more than come off the bench. If they do, the
MVC is wide open enough for the Shockers to compete for the top
spot, otherwise a 5th place finish is more likely.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Sean Ogirri, Sophomore, Guard, 7.5 points per game
Karon Bradley, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
P.J.Couisnard, Sophomore, Guard, 6.2 points per game
Kyle Wilson, Junior, Forward, 9.8 points per game
Paul Miller, Senior, Center, 10.9 points per game
