- 2 days ago
Shocker Insider Taylor Eldrdge checks in.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00KFH
00:00Welcome back to Sports Daily, KFH, Brady Bowman with you, along with TJ Cleland, and we have on the line,
00:18we've got Taylor Eldridge, Wichita State Shockers beat reporter for the Wichita Eagle.
00:24Taylor, I'm sure, I can't see you, but I'm sure you're rocking a Hawaiian this morning.
00:30Yeah, every Wednesday.
00:33TJ, you believe him?
00:35I do, I believe him very much. Taylor is known for wearing two things, of vibrant suits to Shockers games
00:41and Hawaiians on a Wednesday morning.
00:43Taylor, is tonight a suit night for a scrimmage? How do you handle a charity scrimmage?
00:50Man, we'll see, we'll see how I'm feeling, but probably not. I've been a little lax over recent years, so
00:58we'll see though.
01:00He's following the Paul Mills train, the coaching carousel, or the coaching trend of not wearing suits on the sidelines.
01:06Taylor isn't as well.
01:07Taylor, we do have a scrimmage tonight against Murray State. Let's start there.
01:11First of all, with Murray State, obviously you see all the rankings coming out in the preseason prognosticators.
01:18Tell you that Murray State should be good. They beat somebody really good overseas in an international scrimmage, I believe,
01:23that they had.
01:24But, I mean, they should win the Valley. They're favored to win the Valley, I believe, right?
01:29Yeah, you know, most predictions have them first or second.
01:33In the Valley, you know, you look at those mid-major power rankings, they're always on the, you know, top
01:3920 list.
01:41So they are a very quality program, you know, tournament caliber.
01:45So, you know, both opponents this week, you know, VCU really good out of the A-10 as well.
01:51So, you know, WSU has, you know, two of the best, you know, non-power conference teams in the country
01:58coming to Coke Arena this week.
02:00So, yeah, two pretty good measuring sticks.
02:04Taylor Eldridge, Shocker's beat writer for the Wichita Eagle, joining us on this Swine Show Wednesday edition of Sports Daily.
02:10And, Taylor, it's crazy how time flies.
02:13I was telling TJ earlier we're past midway of the high school football season.
02:17We're looking at week six of college, week five of the NFL.
02:21It's amazing how time flies.
02:23Here we are ready to watch the Shockers after an offseason of a lot of anticipation,
02:28after a season that ended with a lot of anticipation and good vibes.
02:32What are you expecting to see tonight?
02:34What are you looking for most?
02:37Yeah, you know, I think it's probably the newcomers, you know, just to see what they're about.
02:43You know, Jordan Freisen, Jahari Long, you know, Bryce Hurd looks really good at Shocker Madness.
02:49So guys like that, you know, I think I'm more curious about.
02:53You know, it sounds like it's going to be pretty scripted.
02:56They're obviously, you know, I think both teams aren't going to be playing to win.
03:00And this is more about experimentation, getting, you know, certain lineup combinations out there,
03:07seeing what guys look like.
03:10So, you know, I don't think you can take away a ton, but just seeing those guys out there
03:15in a competitive environment, that's going to be curious for me because, you know,
03:21I really like the film on all three of those guys.
03:24I think WSU did a really good job of finding guys in the portal and, you know, they already did,
03:31you know,
03:32such a good job of retaining the talents, have so much, you know, firepower coming back from last season.
03:39So, you know, they needed help with the guards and they went out.
03:44I think they went three for three, but we'll see, you know, what they look like when the bullets start
03:50flying
03:51and, like, when the lights turn on.
03:53So that's a completely different thing than looking good in summer.
03:58So tonight, you know, we finally get to see some of those newcomers,
04:02and I think that's what I'm going to be paying attention to the most is how those three new guys,
04:07at least the three new guards, what do they look like in a new environment?
04:11So, you know, it is, as you tweeted out yesterday, it is a 40-minute scrimmage compared to last year.
04:17I was trying to, you know, confusingly explain the ODO followed by the 10-minute followed by more ODO.
04:24You kind of watched it and you walked away saying, was that good or was that bad?
04:28I don't really know what I just watched.
04:30It is in a game format.
04:32While you did say that there's a minutes restriction that all these guys will play,
04:36but, you know, seeing them play in the lineup combinations, I think,
04:40is the most interesting of with all the guys they did bring in,
04:43how much stock can we put into who we see on the court together for how long, et cetera, et
04:48cetera?
04:50Yeah, you know, I don't know if you can put too much into it because, you know,
04:54you look at who's not playing, you know, they're not going to have Kenyon Giles or Mike Gray,
05:00and both of those guys, you know, if they're eligible and available,
05:05are going to play a huge part on this team, especially at the guard position.
05:09So, you know, that opens up a lot of minutes that would normally go to those guys.
05:15So, you know, I've been told that TJ Williams will be back from an ankle injury,
05:20but I would imagine if he's facing, you know, if he's still coming back from that,
05:25he's probably not going to play a ton.
05:26So, you know, that's more minutes for a guy like Nunu Jones, that point guard,
05:32a guy like Tyrus Wraithan Mays, you know, a redshirt freshman who's looking to make an impact.
05:39So I think guys like that, this is an opportunity for them to show the coaching staff,
05:44you know, what they can do, guys that are really going to be pushing for playing time.
05:49And, you know, let's be real, you know, Wichita State doesn't know if, I mean,
05:54this could be a glimpse of the future because they might not have Kenyon Giles or Mike Gray.
06:00That's a real possibility.
06:03You know, obviously Giles is eligible.
06:05He's just dealing with a sprained ankle right now,
06:08but it's possible that his court case goes the other way.
06:12It's possible Mike Gray doesn't get the waiver he needs to play.
06:16So this could be a glimpse of what it's going to be like going into the future.
06:20Of course, WSU hopes that to have both of those guys and, you know,
06:25the roster would be even more loaded with firepower if both those guys can play.
06:30But I think it's a real opportunity, like I said, for guys like Nunu Jones,
06:36Tyrus Wraithan Mays, you know, guys like Joy, the three-point champion from Shocker Madness.
06:43Guys that are kind of like on the fringe of the rotation going into the season
06:47that want to show that they can, you know, show what they can do
06:52and try to earn more playing time.
06:55Taylor Eldridge, Wichita Eagle with us on Sports Daily on this Hawaiian shirt Wednesday
07:00as Wichita State Shockers get going with the first minutes, not official,
07:05but first time we'll see him on the court to start this season.
07:09And on Giles, Taylor, do you know the significance of this ankle sprain?
07:15You know how long it might sideline him just based on that?
07:18And who do you see being on the hardwood first for the Shockers, Gray or Kenyon Giles?
07:25Yeah, well, like as it stands right now, you know, Giles, just because he's eligible,
07:30you know, Mike Gray needs a waiver so he cannot play until he gets that.
07:34And, you know, no timeline on that stuff.
07:37You know, they're working with the NCAA and, you know, that's up in the air.
07:43And I think that's more of a question mark than what Wichita State let on
07:48because, you know, just listening to Paul Mills, you know, talk at the end of last season
07:54sounded like a foregone conclusion.
07:56You know, that's why Mike Gray did not do Senior Day activities
07:59is because they all thought that this was a slam dunk.
08:03And it turns out that it wasn't a slam dunk.
08:07And now it's a real possibility that he doesn't get a play this year.
08:10So I don't think the ankle sprain is anything too serious for KG, you know,
08:16enough to keep him out, you know, in early October.
08:18But, you know, obviously there's still a month to go before the start of the season.
08:21So I would imagine he's still going to be, you know, on track to play, you know,
08:27if this was a real game, but, you know, because it's just a scrimmage,
08:31they know who they have in KG, you know, he's going to sit out.
08:35I would imagine he probably doesn't play Saturday, too.
08:37I don't know that for sure.
08:38We can ask after the game tonight.
08:41But, you know, that's a big part of the offense because, you know, if he plays,
08:47he is, you know, a huge part of what Wichita State will look like on offense.
08:52Probably not going to be as drastic as last year's team.
08:55But I do think they're going to rely on him heavily if he is eligible.
09:01So as it stands right now, I think KG more likely to play for WSU than Mike Gray.
09:07But obviously WSU hopes they can get both of them.
09:10We can look back at what we have seen since we've officially had Shocker Madness in the books this past
09:15weekend.
09:15I think, Taylor, one of the biggest, I mean, most notable things you took away from Shocker Madness,
09:21as did I, is that the scrimmage started and Jarrett Valencia was out there and nobody thought he was going
09:26to be out there.
09:27Is he going to play tonight?
09:28What do you think where he is?
09:30Is he going to play a game once the games start counting?
09:34Yeah, it doesn't sound like he will.
09:36I mean, they let him play the last six minutes of that scrimmage because they knew it was going to
09:43be, like, you know, low intensity.
09:45Nobody's really going, you know, all out.
09:47So, you know, it sounds like Mills said he's still pretty far away from returning to competitive physical basketball.
09:56And, you know, he was able to do something like that.
09:59And that sounds like all that he's been cleared for.
10:02So that's encouraging.
10:03That's a step in the right direction.
10:05Like you said, you know, no one was expecting him to be out there that night.
10:10So that was good to see him back out there.
10:13But in terms of actually playing, you know, competitive basketball, still sounds like he's a ways away.
10:19So not going to play tonight, not going to play this weekend.
10:23You know, probably, I would imagine, is probably going to miss the start of the season.
10:28And I think WSU, you know, that timeline, they're just going to be working to get him back sometime, you
10:34know, probably in December would be my guess for full, you know, you know, we can play him.
10:42He can go full contact.
10:43We can trust him out there on defense.
10:46So I think it is going to be a while.
10:48And, you know, that's an interesting part because he is really the only natural four on the roster outside of
10:55Dylan Batiste.
10:56So, you know, obviously, T.J. Williams played that position last year, split time with Batiste at the four.
11:02But, you know, WSU really wanted to move him more to the three to be able to play both of
11:08those guys together.
11:09And now, I mean, without Valencia, at least to start the season, probably more T.J. at the four.
11:16And that's going to open up some minutes for guys like, you know, Bryce Hurd at the three, I think.
11:21So, you know, obviously, WSU has the talent that they think they have the depth to absorb that.
11:27But, you know, it is interesting that, you know, they don't really have a natural four behind Batiste now, you
11:34know, without Valencia.
11:36So, you know, going back to Chakra Madness as well, what else did you take away from that?
11:40I know that you just wrote a story about Bryce Hurd.
11:43He was one that, you know, when I was watching it, it felt like every trip down he got a
11:47shot off.
11:47Basically, it seemed like, you know, where is he going to fit into this?
11:50And who else kind of caught your eye through Chakra Madness in that scrimmage portion?
11:54Yeah, you know, Bryce Hurd definitely just like how smooth the jump shot looked.
12:00You know, he was running the offense.
12:02You know, it was interesting.
12:03The other team had, you know, Mike Gray and Friesen, the two point guards.
12:07And so that kind of opened the door for Bryce Hurd to kind of run the show for the white
12:12team.
12:13And, you know, that was a part of his game I wasn't really expecting.
12:17You know, he looks, you know, obviously, again, it's low intensity.
12:20They're not like going, you know, crazy hard at each other.
12:23But still, you know, he looked pretty comfortable running the show, having the ball in his hands and making plays.
12:30And, you know, obviously, when defenders would go under screens, he was pulling.
12:35And I think he made like four threes, finished with 16 points, and just looked really good.
12:42And like I said, you know, you can't put a ton of stock into that when it's just, you know,
12:46guys are not going too hard.
12:48But still, you know, just the fact that he was looking comfortable on the ball.
12:53He made a couple of nice reads, you know, playmaking, threw a couple of lobs to Wilberg.
12:58And that was the other thing that caught my eye was that, you know, Mills had said before that, that,
13:04you know, Wilberg, he's a lob threat now in the pick and roll.
13:07And that turned out to be true.
13:09You know, he caught two pick and roll lobs.
13:11And I don't think he had any last year out of the pick and roll.
13:14That had more to do with the WSU personnel running the pick and roll than it did with Wilberg.
13:20But now they have guys like Jordan Freisen and Jahari Long, Bryce Hurd.
13:25Those are guys that can throw those passes now.
13:27So I do expect Wilberg's offensive shot profile to look different this year.
13:33He showed he could step out and hit some threes.
13:35He made two threes in the scrimmage.
13:37So I think he's going to show parts of his game that he wasn't able to showcase last year.
13:43And I think he's in for a big year.
13:46You know, everyone I talked to this year has just raved about Wilberg.
13:50And, you know, after watching him at Shocker Madness, seeing him step out and hit threes, be a lob threat
13:57in the pick and roll, I think he could be in store for a big year.
14:01Yeah, I'm very excited to see what Berg has in store for us this season for sure.
14:06Taylor Eldridge of the Wichita Eagle with us here on Sports Daily on KFH.
14:10And Taylor, going into this season, you know, it's been a while since the Shockers have had this type of
14:16expectation.
14:17You know, the expectation is to win the conference this year.
14:20And it really sky's the limit, get back in the tournament.
14:23It's been a while since we've had those sort of, I guess, goals and feeling very good about those goals
14:29in a while.
14:30How do you feel like the team's handling that pressure?
14:33Do you sense, I guess, what are the vibes in the locker room?
14:37How do you think the program is dealing with these expectations this year?
14:42Yeah, I think it begins with the returners.
14:44And, you know, the advantage of having 11 guys back from last year is that they remember that disappointment of,
14:53you know, having that title race down the stretch, coming up just short at home.
14:58They remember going down to, you know, Birmingham and losing that tournament championship game, you know, one game away from
15:08returning to March Madness.
15:09And they were right there.
15:11They remember going to Tulsa in the NIT quarterfinals and coming up just short there and, you know, getting down.
15:18I think they were down like 25 points, something like that.
15:21Came all the way back and took the lead and then lost at the end.
15:25So they were right there for a lot of special moments.
15:28And they just came up just short.
15:30And a lot of those returners, you know, they are fired up to, you know, right those wrongs and to
15:37take Wichita State over the hump and, you know, be the ones that get Shocker basketball back to national relevance,
15:45to NCAA tournaments and, you know, get the town fired up again.
15:50And, you know, they've done a good job of getting the fan interest.
15:54I think, like you said, I mean, there's a lot of expectations.
15:59People are fired up about Shocker basketball going into a season, you know, more than any I can remember since
16:06the COVID era would be my guess.
16:08And so I think, you know, the returners are the ones leading the way.
16:13And then you look at who they brought in from the newcomers, you know, Jahari Long used to winning.
16:19You know, Bryce Hurd, you know, just came from a really good Dayton team.
16:22You know, Jordan Freisen, you know, won a state championship in high school, a really good D2 player early in
16:28his career.
16:29So, you know, those guys expect to win as well.
16:32And I think they're going to be added to the mix.
16:34And, you know, I think it just so much of this just depends on who's eligible and who's not.
16:40Like we kind of talked about, you know, if they have Kenyon Giles and Mike Gray, you know, now we're
16:46talking about, you know, 25 plus wins, you know, favorites in the American.
16:51You know, real chance to get into the top 25 and make some noise.
16:56But if they don't have KG and they don't have Mike Gray, you know, suddenly this looks a lot different.
17:03Still a really good team.
17:05Still an American contender.
17:07But I don't think they would be the runaway favorite if they don't have both of those guys.
17:12The American is pretty solid this year.
17:14And just because, you know, the analytics and the projections have Wichita State number one, that doesn't mean that's going
17:21to be like as easy as it sounds.
17:23You know, the American is still pretty good at the top.
17:25It's going to be a dogfight, you know, whenever you go on the road.
17:28So, you know, they have their hands full.
17:30But I think they're embracing those expectations.
17:33And because they have so many returners from last year, they are highly motivated to get Wichita State basketball back
17:41on that scene.
17:42Taylor, I'm going to ask you two rapid fires.
17:44One, give me the starting five that will start in the scrimmage tonight.
17:49Ooh, that's a good one.
17:50Let's go, you know, let's go Fryson, Jahari Long, Bryce Hurd, Dylan Battee, and Wilberg.
18:01T.J. to the bench.
18:02Williamberg, that's right.
18:03He's coming back from injuries.
18:06I don't know if he'll be thrown right out there.
18:09But, yeah, that's a good question going in.
18:11I think T.J. would be if it's like a real game.
18:14I could see that.
18:15Okay, we also have Taylor Eldridge of Varsity, Kansas in with us.
18:18Who's winning the Holy War this week, Taylor?
18:20They're undefeated Holy War.
18:21Man, yeah, it's finally getting Carroll back to that level.
18:26Can't go against Capen, though.
18:28You know, they are just such a machine.
18:29They are, yeah, you know, Ken Huff is so good.
18:33I'm going to go Capen, but I think there's real hype.
18:36Hopefully we'll get a great game.
18:38It'll be fun.
18:39Taylor Eldridge, Wichita State at Varsity, rider for Wichita Eagle.
18:44Thanks, as always, for dropping by.
18:46And have a great rest of your week and weekend, Taylor.
18:48All right, thanks for having me on.
18:50All right, we'll be back.
18:51We'll wrap up for Sunday.