Wichita State Basketball: Complete Roster, Season Preview for 2014-15 Shockers

The past two seasons have been banner years for the No. 11 Wichita State Shockers, and Gregg Marshall’s bunch won’t be sneaking up on, or shocking, anyone this season.

The Shockers proved their 2013 trip to the Final Four was no fluke a season ago, winning their first 35 games of the season—completing the first undefeated regular season in a decade—before bowing out in the third round to eventual national runner-up, Kentucky.

Wichita State is an extremely talented group, featuring a good mix of returning talent and newly arriving potential impact players, who could help the team make another deep run into March this coming season.

Replacing Cleanthony Early—now in the NBA playing for the New York Knicks— and his 16 points and six boards a season ago will be no small task, but with six players returning from last year’s squad, including three impact guards, Marshall has to be feeling good about his team’s chances.

This is your complete preview and prediction for the 2014-15 Wichita State Shockers.

The Shockers face a tall task—literally—in replacing the production of Early, a 6'8" forward who brought energy and offensive production on a nightly basis and was a key member of their last two tournament teams. They’ll rely on a trio of newcomers to give their frontcourt balance and production.

Tevin Glass (Forward)

Glass comes to Wichita from Northwest Florida State College, where he averaged 12 points and just a shade under six rebounds last season. He’s been described as a slasher who brings a high level of energy to the game, and he was coached at Northwest Florida State by current Shockers assistant coach Steve Forbes.

He’s a very coachable kid, citing Wichita’s coaches pointing out and working on his weaknesses as a key factor in his decision.

Bush Wamukota (Center)

For a team badly in need of a post presence, getting Wamukota’s letter of intent must have seemed like a dream come true for Coach Marshall.

The 7’0”, 230-pound center from Kenya has good size and should provide immediate help on the defensive end. His offensive abilities are very raw, and he’ll have two years of eligibility for Wichita’s coaches to develop him into a big-time presence in the post.

Shaq Morris (Forward)

Morris redshirted last year, suffering from a variety of minor ailments, and he has a big bull's-eye on his back coming into this season. Coach Marshall has remained skeptical about his ability to become a quality contributor, but the early signs—his weight is down and commitment appears up—would seem promising for a forward with a good deal of potential.

The Shockers' uncertainty in the frontcourt will be balanced, and they hope aided, by the presence of three veteran playmakers in the backcourt.

Fred VanVleet (Guard)

There’s nothing particularly special about VanVleet’s game, but he gets the most from what he has and was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and an All-American last season. He just plays mistake-free basketball.

VanVleet can score—which he’ll likely need to do more often this season to compensate for the loss of Early—but he’s as unselfish a point guard as you can ask for, and he distributes the ball well. That could help take some pressure off the new faces up front.

Ron Baker (Guard/Forward)

Baker is a swingman who can shoot the basketball and bang around to get rebounds on the inside. He’s a prime candidate to up his scoring output after averaging 13 points a season ago, and his size allows him to move from guard to small forward, making him versatile.

Tekele Cotton (Guard)

Cotton is extremely athletic, adept on the defensive end and can knock down threes when you need them. He plays well with VanVleet as part of one of college basketball’s best backcourts.

Wichita State's complete roster can be found here, and we'll be analyzing its starting rotation and projected bench contributors. 

Starting Lineup

PG: Fred VanVleet, junior

SG: Tekele Cotton, senior

SF: Ron Baker, junior

PF: Darius Carter, senior

C: Bush Wamukota, junior

Key Bench Players

Tevin Glass (Guard), Shaq Morris (Forward), Evan Wessel (Guard)

The Shockers are very much a "what you see is what you get" team.

Strong backcourt play, led by VanVleet, Cotton and swingman Baker is all but a given, and the real question marks remain up front. If some combination of Wamukota, Morris and Glass can make an impact, this team could be truly special.

Who Will Solidify the Frontcourt?

With Early, Chadrack Lufile and Kadeem Coleby all gone, the Shockers are looking at an entirely new frontcourt. There’s a lot of potential in this group, but unfortunately not much in the way of certainty.

Wamukota is very raw offensively and will need to rebound given his size, Glass will need to provide some energy off the bench and score fast-break points, and Morris will need to show that he can be consistent and stay on the court.

Who Will Replace Early’s Production?

Wichita State has three of the best and most consistent guards in the country, and it's going to need one or more of them to up their scoring to compensate for the players it lost. VanVleet is more your prototypical point guard, but it’s not hard to see how he could combine with Baker and Cotton to drop in a few extra points per game.

Will Depth Be a Problem?

The Shockers were one of the best defensive teams in the country last season. They were top 10 in scoring defense and forced their share of turnovers. But with so many new faces, particularly down low, will they be able to replicate that and keep teams off the glass?

Best-Case Scenario

The Shockers have three guards who are absolutely capable of playing them into contention for another deep run into March Madness. VanVleet, Baker and Cotton are smart, unselfish and know what it takes to win.

VanVleet is the engine, moving the ball around and getting everyone involved in the offensive attack. That should remain consistent, and his presence should also help the less experienced players in the frontcourt acclimate and get comfortable.

This is a team that really shouldn’t have any trouble winning the MVC once again and finding its way to the tournament as a top-three seed. Once it’s there, a run to the Elite Eight or even Final Four is not out of the question.

Worst-Case Scenario

The worst-case scenario for the Shockers is that they get consistent play from their guards but nobody develops in the frontcourt to help them.

There’s going to be a lot of pressure on the new faces to defend the inside and rebound the ball effectively. Players like Wamukota and Glass should be aided by the squad’s veteran leadership, but they’ll need to develop for this team to make a run.

Just winning the MVC and making the tournament is no longer enough for the Shockers, and their worst-case scenario would be a No. 7 or 8 seed, running into an elite program in the third round and going home early.

This team won’t shock anyone, but they’ll continue the best run in program history by delivering another MVC crown and a trip to the Elite Eight.

It’s a little bit unreasonable to expect a team to replicate the success of the previous year when that entails winning its first 35 games, posting the first undefeated regular season in a decade and securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The crazy thing is: However unlikely, all of those are once again in reach for the Shockers.

VanVleet, Baker and Cotton are consistent and unselfish, and their veteran presence should make it easier for the Shockers new bodies on the frontcourt to develop.

Without much in the way of real threats in conference play—Northern Iowa could maybe make some noise—and a non-conference slate filled with decent but not spectacular opponents, Wichita State could well enter the field of 68 on another run.

But they’ll find that the competition in March is just a little more than they can chew. There’s absolutely no shame in making it to the Elite Eight, but it’s still short of their goal, which is where they'll finish.