Early WSU Scouting Report
Posted: August 25th, 2012, 11:35 am
In this post I am going to try and present an unbiased view of the 2012-13 Shockers for those that are interested and I hope that other fans will add similar posts. This is not a "look how good the Shockers will be" thread, but an August preview of what to expect from each position.
Point Guard:
Malcolm Armstead is a 6-0 200 lb senior transfer from Oregon. He was a RS last year but is expected to run the show this year. He is known for his defense (2.2 spg over two seasons in the PAC-10) and is a savvy leader (4.4 apg). Armstead can also score a little (8.4 ppg) and requires respectable defense from the perimeter (33%). With the departure of Young, Ragland, and Moore, Armstead should be one of the best PGs in the MVC this year.
Backing up MA will be 6-0 180 lb freshman Fred VanVleet. Fred is the highest ranked freshman coming into the MVC this season. He's a winner from the Chicago metro area known as a pass first PG. Not super quick or a great scorer, but is a very mature player. Division I defense and athleticism is still a question mark.
Shooting Guard:
6-2 200 lb senior Demetric Williams is likely to move from combo-guard to shooting guard. While the name is probably familiar to all on this board, he has not stood out to this point in his career. He is a hustle player that is at his best offensively when he's attacking the basket, but is a good FT shooter and solid from deep range. Demetric will be asked to carry a greater scoring load this year versus his junior season (5.5 ppg).
6-2 210 lb sophomore Tekele Cotton will also look to expand his role from his freshman season (10 mpg, 3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.6 spg). Tekele is a high basketball IQ guy that earned his PT with his defense. He will need to be more aggressive on offense if he wishes to maintain court time.
Small Forward:
A pair of highly decorated and highly recruited juco transfers will attempt to fill the void left by the graduation of Toure Murry and Ben Smith. Cleanthony Early (6-7 220 lbs) is a raw athlete that can do it all. He put up monster stats against lower tier competition (20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 blocks) and dominated the field at the JUCO top 100 camp. He has a steep learning curve and is very raw early in his junior season. The speed at which he adjusts to D-I will greatly effect his impact this year. 6-6 210 lb wing guard Nick Wiggins is known as a scorer from deep and at the rim. He is further along than his counterpart, but defense is still in question. If the Shockers are going to score efficiently this year, it will likely depend on the success of these two players.
Power Forward:
6-8 240 lb senior Carl Hall will is expected to lead the team in the paint this year. He plays with incredible energy and strength and can defend as well as any forward in the league. Hall should rebound better with the graduation of Garrett Stutz, but will have to develop a mid-range game if he is going to improve on his 8 points per gave as a junior.
Jake White will be the primary back-up to Hall and he has the size (6-9 240 lbs) and skills to be effective in his sophomore campaign. White was a step slow in his freshman season and a repeat of that will hamper his performance.
Center:
7-0 260 lb demi-God Ehime Orukpe will finally have an opportunity to prove himself as worthy now that Stutz and Durley have graduated. His positioning and hands are still below average and any effectiveness he has will be due solely to his freakish athleticism.
6-9 260 lb JUCO transfer Chadrack Lufile was brought in to add much needed depth to the post, but many believe he could get the starting nod early in the season. Lufile is athletic and strong and capable of scoring out to 15 foot. The combination of the two Shocker centers (and Carl Hall) should make Wichita State the best defensive front court in the Valley, but scoring could be anemic.
Deep Bench:
JUCO AA Joe Mitchell left the University of Ohio to walk-on at his hometown university. Joe is a scoring PG that could be in the mix at either guard position. Ron Baker is already a pick-up game legend and is the Shockers best pure shooter. As a redshirt freshman, Ron is still trying to establish himself in the rotation. Evan Wessel is returning after an unimpressive freshman campaign but is looking to increase his minutes. Derail Green comes to campus as a 6-8 180 lb SG from Texas. A redshirt year to put on weight is very likely.
Point Guard:
Malcolm Armstead is a 6-0 200 lb senior transfer from Oregon. He was a RS last year but is expected to run the show this year. He is known for his defense (2.2 spg over two seasons in the PAC-10) and is a savvy leader (4.4 apg). Armstead can also score a little (8.4 ppg) and requires respectable defense from the perimeter (33%). With the departure of Young, Ragland, and Moore, Armstead should be one of the best PGs in the MVC this year.
Backing up MA will be 6-0 180 lb freshman Fred VanVleet. Fred is the highest ranked freshman coming into the MVC this season. He's a winner from the Chicago metro area known as a pass first PG. Not super quick or a great scorer, but is a very mature player. Division I defense and athleticism is still a question mark.
Shooting Guard:
6-2 200 lb senior Demetric Williams is likely to move from combo-guard to shooting guard. While the name is probably familiar to all on this board, he has not stood out to this point in his career. He is a hustle player that is at his best offensively when he's attacking the basket, but is a good FT shooter and solid from deep range. Demetric will be asked to carry a greater scoring load this year versus his junior season (5.5 ppg).
6-2 210 lb sophomore Tekele Cotton will also look to expand his role from his freshman season (10 mpg, 3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.6 spg). Tekele is a high basketball IQ guy that earned his PT with his defense. He will need to be more aggressive on offense if he wishes to maintain court time.
Small Forward:
A pair of highly decorated and highly recruited juco transfers will attempt to fill the void left by the graduation of Toure Murry and Ben Smith. Cleanthony Early (6-7 220 lbs) is a raw athlete that can do it all. He put up monster stats against lower tier competition (20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 blocks) and dominated the field at the JUCO top 100 camp. He has a steep learning curve and is very raw early in his junior season. The speed at which he adjusts to D-I will greatly effect his impact this year. 6-6 210 lb wing guard Nick Wiggins is known as a scorer from deep and at the rim. He is further along than his counterpart, but defense is still in question. If the Shockers are going to score efficiently this year, it will likely depend on the success of these two players.
Power Forward:
6-8 240 lb senior Carl Hall will is expected to lead the team in the paint this year. He plays with incredible energy and strength and can defend as well as any forward in the league. Hall should rebound better with the graduation of Garrett Stutz, but will have to develop a mid-range game if he is going to improve on his 8 points per gave as a junior.
Jake White will be the primary back-up to Hall and he has the size (6-9 240 lbs) and skills to be effective in his sophomore campaign. White was a step slow in his freshman season and a repeat of that will hamper his performance.
Center:
7-0 260 lb demi-God Ehime Orukpe will finally have an opportunity to prove himself as worthy now that Stutz and Durley have graduated. His positioning and hands are still below average and any effectiveness he has will be due solely to his freakish athleticism.
6-9 260 lb JUCO transfer Chadrack Lufile was brought in to add much needed depth to the post, but many believe he could get the starting nod early in the season. Lufile is athletic and strong and capable of scoring out to 15 foot. The combination of the two Shocker centers (and Carl Hall) should make Wichita State the best defensive front court in the Valley, but scoring could be anemic.
Deep Bench:
JUCO AA Joe Mitchell left the University of Ohio to walk-on at his hometown university. Joe is a scoring PG that could be in the mix at either guard position. Ron Baker is already a pick-up game legend and is the Shockers best pure shooter. As a redshirt freshman, Ron is still trying to establish himself in the rotation. Evan Wessel is returning after an unimpressive freshman campaign but is looking to increase his minutes. Derail Green comes to campus as a 6-8 180 lb SG from Texas. A redshirt year to put on weight is very likely.