Wichita State Shockers men's basketball
Encyclopedia
The Wichita State Shockers basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of Wichita State University
in Wichita
, Kansas
. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference
. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2006
, where they beat the #10 seeded Seton Hall Pirates from the Big East, and upset the #2 seeded Tennessee Volunteers from the SEC to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The Shockers were upset in the Sweet Sixteen by the George Mason Patriots
. The Shockers then made it to the College Basketball Invitational
tournament after the 2008-09 season, their first post-season appearance since their NCAA tournament run in '06. The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team plays their home games at Charles Koch Arena
(10,572). The Shockers are currently coached by Gregg Marshall
, who replaced current Texas A&M
coach Mark Turgeon
before the 2007-08 season. Under Marshall, the Shockers have one College Basketball Invitational
appearance and two back-to-back NIT
appearances (2010 & 2011), with an NIT championship in 2011.
by a score of 37-10. During this inaugural season, the Wheatshockers only won two games. Several years later, interest began to grow in the Wichita State Shockers basketball program. As a result, a new stadium was erected on the campus of WSU. Memorial Gymnasium was opened on January 15, 1921 in a game against the American Legion of Wichita. The gym was later renamed Henrion Gymnasium in 1926. That same year, Wichita State joined the Central Conference in athletics.
Perhaps one of the earliest successful teams in WSU history emerged the following year. Led by First-Team All-American Ross McBurney and Second-Team All-American Harold Reynolds, the Wheatshockers finished the 1927 season with a 13-1 record and a second-place finish behind conference champions Pittsburg State University
. Wichita State Athletics struggled throughout the 1930s due to the Depression and Stock Market Crash
. The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team continued to gain national prominence throughout the rest of the 1930s and 1940s.
and Cleo Littleton in 1951. Littleton was by far the top basketball player that Wichita State had seen. He averaged 18.2 points per game as a freshman, a school record that still stands today. Littleton was the first player west of the Mississippi to score 2,000 points in a season and is one of only four Wichita State players to have his number retired. He was also one of the first African-American players in the Missouri Valley Conference
, which it joined in 1945. Littleton averaged 19 points per game during his career and he still owns 7 school records. Due to this success, Wichita State decided to construct a new home for the Shockers. Through appropriated money by the WU Board of Regents, Wichita State was able to construct a new field house for the men's basketball team, costing $1.4 million. On December 3, 1955, the Shockers played their first game in WU Field House in front of more than 9,000 fans.
After the departure of Cleo Littleton, Wichita State lost some national prominence, yet still remained highly-respected by teams across the country. Dave Stallworth entered the program in the 1961-62 season. Nicknamed "The Rave", Stallworth became the Shockers' first consensus All-American in 1964. He finished with a career scoring average of 24.2 points per game and was second on the all-time scoring list with 1,936 points. During his 13-year stint at WSU, Ralph Miller became the winningest coach in Shocker basketball history, collecting 255 victories. Miller is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and currently ranks as the eighth-winningest coach in college basketball history.
team led by Henry Iba
, the Shockers headed to the Final Four
in Portland
. There, the Shockers were matched against the defending national champion UCLA Bruins
. After a hard-fought game, the Shockers were defeated 108-89. The Shockers played a third-place game against Princeton University
, losing 118-82. The rest of Coach Thompson’s career at WSU would be a struggle, and the Shockers would not see a national ranking for 15 years, but Thompson would coach one of the most versatile players in WSU history. Around this time, Warren Armstrong
played for the Shockers and made big contributions throughout his career. During his sophomore season, Armstrong set two school records, averaging almost 12 rebounds a game while setting a Shocker single-game assist mark with 12. Blessed with superior leaping ability and an uncanny ability to see the whole court, Armstrong was a team player who would rather pass to an open teammate than take his own shot. Warren Armstrong would later enjoy a productive career in the ABA, but only after becoming a three-time all-Valley performer from 1966-1968. Armstrong holds four of WSU’s 10 triple double games (double-figure points, rebounds, assist, or blocks).
During the next 10 years, Shocker basketball did not enjoy quite the same amount of success that it enjoyed in the 1960s.
Despite this lack of success, the Shockers faithful witnessed the play of Terry Benton, then the best rebounder in school history. From 1969-1972, Benton, from Wichita High School East
, would simply dominate opposing teams on the boards.
Johnson was a top 10 recruit as a senior out of New York’s Haaren High School. Recruited by Coach Harry Miller, Johnson began his stellar career at WSU in 1975, averaging 11.2 points a game and shooting almost 52 percent from the field. Smithson enjoyed the presence of Cheese his first full season with the Shockers in 1978-79. Johnson’s senior season would be one remembered for many years to come. He averaged 22.2 points while playing 35 minutes a contest. A fan favorite, Johnson played his last game in front of the Shocker faithful on February 17, 1979. With family and friends in the stands, Cheese poured in 27 points and added 13 rebounds, distinguishing him with WSU’s basketball immortals.
In 1980, Wichita State was placed on two-year probation which was a shame since the 1981 team had three future NBA players on it - Xavier McDaniel
, Cliff Levingston
and Antoine Carr
.
Xavier McDaniel came to Wichita with an attitude and determination that would eventually make him one of the greatest players in WSU history. Four years later, X had posted 2,152 points placing him second in all-time scoring behind Littleton, while setting the school record with 1,359 rebounds.
“X” had arguably the best season ever by a collegiate player, becoming the first NCAA Division I player to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding by averaging 27.2 points and 14.8 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.9 percent from the field.
In 1986, allegations and declining support by the school and city forced Gene Smithson out as head coach. In nine seasons, Smithson collected 155 wins, placing him second behind Ralph Miller on the WSU all-time list. He averaged almost 20 wins a season, and was the first coach to guide WSU to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
was hired as the new WSU basketball coach. Regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in the game, he had spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame
, Iowa
, and Arizona
before taking over the program at Rice, and building it into a 20-game winner in five years. Although Thompson’s years as coach at WSU did not produce winning records, he did have two transfer guards and a young forward who excelled. Jimmy Bolden transferred to WSU for his senior season from St. Mary’s College and averaged a team best 13.4 points a game in 1992-93. L.D. Swanson then stepped in at point guard during his senior season, and was known as the “go-to” guy.
During the 1994-95 season, Swanson made three game-winning shots at or near the buzzer to bring a brief frenzied atmosphere back to Levitt Arena. Playing almost the entire game every night, Swanson averaged 14 points and a WSU career record 38.4 minutes per game, and led the Shockers to a 13-14 record, best in six years. Also in 1994-95, sophomore Jamie Arnold became the first Shocker to lead the MVC in rebounding since Xavier McDaniel in 1984-85. Arnold also led the MVC in field goal percentage that season with 51.3 percent, and was the first Shocker to do so since Neil Strom shot 59.0 percent in 1974-75. He also became WSU’s 30th player to score more than 1,000 points in his career despite missing 23 games from his sophomore to senior seasons for injury and suspension.
Even though a few individual performances were outstanding, Thompson did not bring a winning season to Wichita.
, native Mark Turgeon
on March 11, 2000, to man the head coaching position. Turgeon guided the Shockers to a 9-19 record during his first season at the healm. Including the claim that the 2001 freshman class is one of the best recruiting classes in recent school history. In Mark Turgeon's second year Wichita State began its resurgence with a combination of several veterans and newcomers to compile a 15-15 record in 2001-02. Meanwhile, as the renovation and reconstruction of Levitt Arena loomed at season's end, the Shockers completed their 47th season in the arena as Shocker fans had known it.
Helped by an 11-3 record in Levitt Arena, WSU’s overall record in the arena rose to 502-185 since it opened during the 1955-56 season. WSU also reached win No. 500 against SMS Feb. 9, while more than 5.7 million fans filed through the "Roundhouse" gates. WSU’s 15 overall wins also marked the most since the 1997-98 season, while the 11 Levitt wins marked the sixth time in the last eight years that WSU registered double-figure wins at home. Eight regular-season Valley wins also marked the most since 11 in 1997-98. In 2002-03, Wichita State's 18 overall wins marked the most since the 1988-89 season. In addition, the Shockers' 12-4 home record, and 12 regular-season Valley wins were the most since the 1982-83 season. That year was when WSU was 17-1 in loop play, and won its last regular-season Valley title. With three-straight wins against Austin Peay
, SMS
and Illinois State during the season, WSU bested its 18-win total of the previous season, and finished with 21 wins, the second most in the Mark Turgeon Era and the most since the 1986-87 season when then-coach Eddie Fogler coached his team to a 22-11 record and a first-round NCAA game.
In 2004-05, Wichita State continued to excel, reaching the third game of the Postseason NIT
, and taking the Shockers to back-to-back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since 1987-88-89, when it went to two NCAAs followed by an NIT. WSU's 2004-05 team went 22-10 overall, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference, and were ranked in the top 30 for nine weeks. The Shockers' 9-0 start tied for the best in school history, while WSU won its first postseason game since 1989. Head Coach Mark Turgeon then left Wichita State on April 10, 2007, after a seven-year run and a 128-90 record as the third-winningest coach in Shocker history behind Ralph Miller and Gene Smithson. On April 14, 2007, Gregg Marshall was announced as 26th head men's basketball coach at Wichita State.
is the current Wichita State Shockers men's basketball coach and is currently in his third season with the Shockers. Marshall previously coached at Winthrop University
for nine seasons. In his first season (2007–08) the team finished with a record of 11-20. In his second season they posted a 17-17 record. The following season (2009–2010), the Shockers went 25-10 culminating with an NIT tournament appearance. The invite was due in large part to their strong 16-1 home record. Their only loss at home that year was in the NIT against Nevada.
. Their combined record is 8–9.
s. Their combined record is 8–11.
. Their combined record is 1–1.
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2006
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
, where they beat the #10 seeded Seton Hall Pirates from the Big East, and upset the #2 seeded Tennessee Volunteers from the SEC to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The Shockers were upset in the Sweet Sixteen by the George Mason Patriots
George Mason Patriots men's basketball
The George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represents George Mason University and competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of NCAA Division I...
. The Shockers then made it to the College Basketball Invitational
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tournament...
tournament after the 2008-09 season, their first post-season appearance since their NCAA tournament run in '06. The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team plays their home games at Charles Koch Arena
Charles Koch Arena
Charles Koch Arena , popularly known as The Roundhouse, is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. It is home to the Wichita State Shockers men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams....
(10,572). The Shockers are currently coached by Gregg Marshall
Gregg Marshall
Gregg Marshall is the current head basketball coach at Wichita State University.-Education:Gregg Marshall graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a B.A. degree in Economics/Business in 1985...
, who replaced current Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball
The Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college basketball. The Aggies play home games at Reed Arena, a 12,500-capacity arena in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University....
coach Mark Turgeon
Mark Turgeon
Mark Leo Turgeon is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Turgeon previously served as head coach at Texas A&M for 4 years.-Personal:...
before the 2007-08 season. Under Marshall, the Shockers have one College Basketball Invitational
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tournament...
appearance and two back-to-back NIT
Nit
* The egg of a louse* Head lice * A trivial detail; the object of nitpicking* Nit , a unit of luminance equivalent to one candela per square metre...
appearances (2010 & 2011), with an NIT championship in 2011.
History
The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team began play in 1906 under head coach Willis Bates. During this time, the sports teams were known as the "Wheatshockers". The first official game was held in the basement of Fairmount Hall. Wichita State lost to Washburn UniversityWashburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
by a score of 37-10. During this inaugural season, the Wheatshockers only won two games. Several years later, interest began to grow in the Wichita State Shockers basketball program. As a result, a new stadium was erected on the campus of WSU. Memorial Gymnasium was opened on January 15, 1921 in a game against the American Legion of Wichita. The gym was later renamed Henrion Gymnasium in 1926. That same year, Wichita State joined the Central Conference in athletics.
Perhaps one of the earliest successful teams in WSU history emerged the following year. Led by First-Team All-American Ross McBurney and Second-Team All-American Harold Reynolds, the Wheatshockers finished the 1927 season with a 13-1 record and a second-place finish behind conference champions Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg State University, also called Pitt State or PSU, is a public university with approximately 7,100 students located in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. A large percentage of the student population consists of residents within the Pittsburg region; the gender proportion is relatively equal...
. Wichita State Athletics struggled throughout the 1930s due to the Depression and Stock Market Crash
Stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
. The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team continued to gain national prominence throughout the rest of the 1930s and 1940s.
Coach Ralph Miller Era
Shocker basketball gained huge success with the arrival of Coach Ralph MillerRalph Miller
Ralph H. Miller was an American basketball coach. A native of Chanute, Kansas, Miller coached at the University of Wichita , the University of Iowa and Oregon State University , compiling a 657-382 overall record in 38 seasons combined...
and Cleo Littleton in 1951. Littleton was by far the top basketball player that Wichita State had seen. He averaged 18.2 points per game as a freshman, a school record that still stands today. Littleton was the first player west of the Mississippi to score 2,000 points in a season and is one of only four Wichita State players to have his number retired. He was also one of the first African-American players in the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
, which it joined in 1945. Littleton averaged 19 points per game during his career and he still owns 7 school records. Due to this success, Wichita State decided to construct a new home for the Shockers. Through appropriated money by the WU Board of Regents, Wichita State was able to construct a new field house for the men's basketball team, costing $1.4 million. On December 3, 1955, the Shockers played their first game in WU Field House in front of more than 9,000 fans.
After the departure of Cleo Littleton, Wichita State lost some national prominence, yet still remained highly-respected by teams across the country. Dave Stallworth entered the program in the 1961-62 season. Nicknamed "The Rave", Stallworth became the Shockers' first consensus All-American in 1964. He finished with a career scoring average of 24.2 points per game and was second on the all-time scoring list with 1,936 points. During his 13-year stint at WSU, Ralph Miller became the winningest coach in Shocker basketball history, collecting 255 victories. Miller is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and currently ranks as the eighth-winningest coach in college basketball history.
Gary Thompson Era
The 1964-65 season was the most successful in Shocker history. On December 14, 1964, Gary Thompson led Wichita State to its first-ever No. 1 ranking. The 19-7 Shockers won the MVC and earned a berth into the Midwest Regional. After defeating Southern Methodist and an Oklahoma StateOklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball
The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represents Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cowboys currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.Since 1938, the team has played its home games in Gallagher-Iba Arena...
team led by Henry Iba
Henry Iba
Henry Payne "Hank" Iba was an American basketball and baseball coach.-Early life:Iba was born and raised in Easton, Missouri...
, the Shockers headed to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. There, the Shockers were matched against the defending national champion UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
. After a hard-fought game, the Shockers were defeated 108-89. The Shockers played a third-place game against Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, losing 118-82. The rest of Coach Thompson’s career at WSU would be a struggle, and the Shockers would not see a national ranking for 15 years, but Thompson would coach one of the most versatile players in WSU history. Around this time, Warren Armstrong
Warren Jabali
Warren Jabali is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association from 1968 to 1975.-Early career:...
played for the Shockers and made big contributions throughout his career. During his sophomore season, Armstrong set two school records, averaging almost 12 rebounds a game while setting a Shocker single-game assist mark with 12. Blessed with superior leaping ability and an uncanny ability to see the whole court, Armstrong was a team player who would rather pass to an open teammate than take his own shot. Warren Armstrong would later enjoy a productive career in the ABA, but only after becoming a three-time all-Valley performer from 1966-1968. Armstrong holds four of WSU’s 10 triple double games (double-figure points, rebounds, assist, or blocks).
During the next 10 years, Shocker basketball did not enjoy quite the same amount of success that it enjoyed in the 1960s.
Despite this lack of success, the Shockers faithful witnessed the play of Terry Benton, then the best rebounder in school history. From 1969-1972, Benton, from Wichita High School East
Wichita High School East
Wichita High School East, known locally as East, is a public, co-educational secondary school located near the center of Wichita, Kansas With a student population of 2,200, it is the largest high school in the state. Originally known as Wichita High School, East was the first of eight traditional...
, would simply dominate opposing teams on the boards.
Harry Miller Era
Wichita State went 97-90 from 1970 to 1978 under Harry Miller. They had several notable players during those years including Rich Morsden, Cheese Johnson, Cal Bruton and Bob Elmore. They made it to NCAA tournament in 1976 and lost by one point in the first round despite outplaying eventual national runner up Michigan. It was a memorable performance by Cal Bruton the 5-9 sparkplug of the Shockers who held first team All-American Ricky Green to only 5 points.Gene Smithson Era
In the 1970s success returned under Coach Gene Smithson, who wanted to instill both mental toughness and extra effort to his team. On February 6, 1971, Benton pulled down a school-record 29 rebounds in a game against North Texas State. During his junior season, Benton snatched 20 or more rebounds in seven games. With a career 16.8 rebounds per game, Benton once grabbed 69 rebounds in a three-game conference stretch. Earning all-MVC honors in 1971-72, Benton finished his career with 1,003 points and 963 rebounds. Another terrific player at this time was Lynbert "Cheese" Johnson.Johnson was a top 10 recruit as a senior out of New York’s Haaren High School. Recruited by Coach Harry Miller, Johnson began his stellar career at WSU in 1975, averaging 11.2 points a game and shooting almost 52 percent from the field. Smithson enjoyed the presence of Cheese his first full season with the Shockers in 1978-79. Johnson’s senior season would be one remembered for many years to come. He averaged 22.2 points while playing 35 minutes a contest. A fan favorite, Johnson played his last game in front of the Shocker faithful on February 17, 1979. With family and friends in the stands, Cheese poured in 27 points and added 13 rebounds, distinguishing him with WSU’s basketball immortals.
In 1980, Wichita State was placed on two-year probation which was a shame since the 1981 team had three future NBA players on it - Xavier McDaniel
Xavier McDaniel
Xavier Maurice McDaniel , nicknamed the X-Man, is a retired American National Basketball Association player who, at 6 ft 7 in, played both small forward and power forward, and former head coach of the Riders Slamball team.-College:While at Wichita State, McDaniel was the first person to...
, Cliff Levingston
Cliff Levingston
Clifford Eugene Levingston is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. Levingston starred at Wichita State University before being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1982...
and Antoine Carr
Antoine Carr
Antoine Labotte Carr is a retired American basketball player. A 16-year NBA journeyman, he was known for the goggles he wore onto the court.-Early life:Antoine Carr was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
.
Xavier McDaniel came to Wichita with an attitude and determination that would eventually make him one of the greatest players in WSU history. Four years later, X had posted 2,152 points placing him second in all-time scoring behind Littleton, while setting the school record with 1,359 rebounds.
“X” had arguably the best season ever by a collegiate player, becoming the first NCAA Division I player to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding by averaging 27.2 points and 14.8 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.9 percent from the field.
In 1986, allegations and declining support by the school and city forced Gene Smithson out as head coach. In nine seasons, Smithson collected 155 wins, placing him second behind Ralph Miller on the WSU all-time list. He averaged almost 20 wins a season, and was the first coach to guide WSU to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Scott Thompson Era
At a press conference on March 24, 1992, Scott ThompsonScott Thompson
Scott Thompson is a Canadian television actor and comedian, best known for his time as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall.-Personal life:...
was hired as the new WSU basketball coach. Regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in the game, he had spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in...
, Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, as a member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. They currently play in 15,500-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with the school's women's basketball, wrestling, and...
, and Arizona
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
before taking over the program at Rice, and building it into a 20-game winner in five years. Although Thompson’s years as coach at WSU did not produce winning records, he did have two transfer guards and a young forward who excelled. Jimmy Bolden transferred to WSU for his senior season from St. Mary’s College and averaged a team best 13.4 points a game in 1992-93. L.D. Swanson then stepped in at point guard during his senior season, and was known as the “go-to” guy.
During the 1994-95 season, Swanson made three game-winning shots at or near the buzzer to bring a brief frenzied atmosphere back to Levitt Arena. Playing almost the entire game every night, Swanson averaged 14 points and a WSU career record 38.4 minutes per game, and led the Shockers to a 13-14 record, best in six years. Also in 1994-95, sophomore Jamie Arnold became the first Shocker to lead the MVC in rebounding since Xavier McDaniel in 1984-85. Arnold also led the MVC in field goal percentage that season with 51.3 percent, and was the first Shocker to do so since Neil Strom shot 59.0 percent in 1974-75. He also became WSU’s 30th player to score more than 1,000 points in his career despite missing 23 games from his sophomore to senior seasons for injury and suspension.
Even though a few individual performances were outstanding, Thompson did not bring a winning season to Wichita.
Mark Turgeon Era
After the 1999-2000 season, WSU turned to Topeka, KansasTopeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, native Mark Turgeon
Mark Turgeon
Mark Leo Turgeon is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Turgeon previously served as head coach at Texas A&M for 4 years.-Personal:...
on March 11, 2000, to man the head coaching position. Turgeon guided the Shockers to a 9-19 record during his first season at the healm. Including the claim that the 2001 freshman class is one of the best recruiting classes in recent school history. In Mark Turgeon's second year Wichita State began its resurgence with a combination of several veterans and newcomers to compile a 15-15 record in 2001-02. Meanwhile, as the renovation and reconstruction of Levitt Arena loomed at season's end, the Shockers completed their 47th season in the arena as Shocker fans had known it.
Helped by an 11-3 record in Levitt Arena, WSU’s overall record in the arena rose to 502-185 since it opened during the 1955-56 season. WSU also reached win No. 500 against SMS Feb. 9, while more than 5.7 million fans filed through the "Roundhouse" gates. WSU’s 15 overall wins also marked the most since the 1997-98 season, while the 11 Levitt wins marked the sixth time in the last eight years that WSU registered double-figure wins at home. Eight regular-season Valley wins also marked the most since 11 in 1997-98. In 2002-03, Wichita State's 18 overall wins marked the most since the 1988-89 season. In addition, the Shockers' 12-4 home record, and 12 regular-season Valley wins were the most since the 1982-83 season. That year was when WSU was 17-1 in loop play, and won its last regular-season Valley title. With three-straight wins against Austin Peay
Austin Peay
Austin Peay was Governor of Tennessee from 1923 until his death in 1927.-Biography:Peay, a native of Kentucky, moved to Clarksville, Tennessee and opened a law practice in 1896. He was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1901 and re-elected in 1903...
, SMS
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
and Illinois State during the season, WSU bested its 18-win total of the previous season, and finished with 21 wins, the second most in the Mark Turgeon Era and the most since the 1986-87 season when then-coach Eddie Fogler coached his team to a 22-11 record and a first-round NCAA game.
In 2004-05, Wichita State continued to excel, reaching the third game of the Postseason NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
, and taking the Shockers to back-to-back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since 1987-88-89, when it went to two NCAAs followed by an NIT. WSU's 2004-05 team went 22-10 overall, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference, and were ranked in the top 30 for nine weeks. The Shockers' 9-0 start tied for the best in school history, while WSU won its first postseason game since 1989. Head Coach Mark Turgeon then left Wichita State on April 10, 2007, after a seven-year run and a 128-90 record as the third-winningest coach in Shocker history behind Ralph Miller and Gene Smithson. On April 14, 2007, Gregg Marshall was announced as 26th head men's basketball coach at Wichita State.
Gregg Marshall Era
Gregg MarshallGregg Marshall
Gregg Marshall is the current head basketball coach at Wichita State University.-Education:Gregg Marshall graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a B.A. degree in Economics/Business in 1985...
is the current Wichita State Shockers men's basketball coach and is currently in his third season with the Shockers. Marshall previously coached at Winthrop University
Winthrop University
Winthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...
for nine seasons. In his first season (2007–08) the team finished with a record of 11-20. In his second season they posted a 17-17 record. The following season (2009–2010), the Shockers went 25-10 culminating with an NIT tournament appearance. The invite was due in large part to their strong 16-1 home record. Their only loss at home that year was in the NIT against Nevada.
NCAA Tournament Results
The Shockers have appeared in 8 NCAA TournamentsNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. Their combined record is 8–9.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 1964 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1964 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 9, 1964, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in Kansas... |
Second Round* Elite Eight |
Creighton Kansas State |
W 84–68 L 94–93 |
| 1965 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1965, and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Portland, Oregon... |
Second Round* Elite Eight Final Four Third Place Game |
Southern Methodist Oklahoma State UCLA Princeton |
W 86–81 W 54–46 L 108–98 L 118–82 |
| 1976 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1976, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... |
First Round | Michigan | L 74–73 |
| 1981 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... |
First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Southern Iowa Kansas LSU |
W 95–70 W 60–56 W 66–65 L 96–85 |
| 1985 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began... |
First Round | Georgia | L 67–59 |
| 1987 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana... |
First Round | St. John's | L 57–55 |
| 1988 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri... |
First Round | DePaul | L 83–62 |
| 2006 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season... |
First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
Seton Hall Tennessee George Mason |
W 86–66 W 80–73 L 63–55 |
- In 1964 & 1965 there were first round games in their regional but the Shockers had a bye to the second round.
NIT Results
The Shockers have appeared in 12 National Invitation TournamentNational Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
s. Their combined record is 8–11.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 1954 National Invitation Tournament The 1954 National Invitation Tournament was the 1954 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket.... |
First Round | Bowling Green | L 88–64 |
| 1962 1962 National Invitation Tournament The 1962 National Invitation Tournament was the 1962 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket.... |
First Round | Dayton | L 79–71 |
| 1963 1963 National Invitation Tournament The 1963 National Invitation Tournament was the 1963 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket.... |
Quarterfinals | Villanova | L 54–53 |
| 1966 1966 National Invitation Tournament The 1966 National Invitation Tournament was the 1966 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 14 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket.... |
Quarterfinals | NYU | L 90–84 |
| 1980 1980 National Invitation Tournament -Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Illinois 84, UNLV 74... |
First Round | UTEP | L 58–56 |
| 1984 1984 National Invitation Tournament -Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Virginia Tech 71, Southwestern Louisiana 70... |
First Round | Michigan | L 94–70 |
| 1989 1989 National Invitation Tournament -Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - UAB 78, Michigan State 76... |
First Round Second Round |
UC Santa Barbara Michigan State |
W 70–62 L 79–67 |
| 2003 2003 National Invitation Tournament -Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player.... |
Opening Round | Iowa State | L 76–65 |
| 2004 2004 National Invitation Tournament -Semifinals & Finals:... |
First Round | Florida State | L 91–84 |
| 2005 2005 National Invitation Tournament -Semifinals & Finals:... |
Opening Round First Round Second Round |
Houston Western Kentucky Vanderbilt |
W 85–69 W 84–81 L 65–63 |
| 2010 2010 National Invitation Tournament -Arizona State Bracket:-Virginia Tech Bracket:-Mississippi State Bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:*2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament... |
First Round | Nevada | L 74–70 |
| 2011 2011 National Invitation Tournament -Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament... |
First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship |
Nebraska Virginia Tech College of Charleston Washington State Alabama |
W 76–49 W 79–76 W 82–75 W 75–44 W 66–57 |
CBI Results
The Shockers have appeared in 1 College Basketball InvitationalCollege Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tournament...
. Their combined record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 College Basketball Invitational The 2009 College Basketball Invitational was a single-elimination tournament of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams that did not participate in the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament or the 2009 National Invitation Tournament. The opening round began... |
First Round Quarterfinals |
Buffalo Stanford |
W 84–73 L 70–56 |
See also
- Wichita State UniversityWichita State UniversityWichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
- Wichita State ShockersWichita State ShockersThe Shockers are the athletic teams at Wichita State University, who compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State is well known for its fan support and its baseball program, which has the highest winning percentange of any college baseball team over the past 31 years...
- Charles Koch ArenaCharles Koch ArenaCharles Koch Arena , popularly known as The Roundhouse, is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. It is home to the Wichita State Shockers men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams....
- Gregg MarshallGregg MarshallGregg Marshall is the current head basketball coach at Wichita State University.-Education:Gregg Marshall graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a B.A. degree in Economics/Business in 1985...
External links
- GoShockers.com Wichita State Athletics official website