A box score can’t describe what’s changed about the offense for the Wichita State men’s basketball team this season in its 3-0 start.
But turn on the film and it’s evident the Shockers are carving out a new offensive identity in the third year under head coach Paul Mills, built on striking earlier in possessions and punishing defenses before they can set up.
That early-offense rhythm will be put to the test on the road Tuesday night, when WSU travels to Boise State for an 8 p.m. Central tip-off at ExtraMile Arena. The game will be streamed on Mountain West Network.
The Broncos (3-1) enter as the heavy favorite and rarely lose at home. For the first time this season, the Shockers (3-0) will have to prove their new identity works when the windows for early offense shrink, the crowd noise grows and the defense they face is good enough to close space quickly.
Wichita State coach Paul Mills congratulates Michael Gray Jr. late in the game against Loyola at Koch Arena on Thursday. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
Early decisions, early shots, early success for Shockers
The root of WSU’s surge lies in how fast the guards are triggering the offense and how clean the Shockers look when they do.
While the overall pace hasn’t dramatically jumped, the timing of WSU’s best possessions has. Off makes or misses, the Shockers are finding advantages in the first eight seconds, when defense are most vulnerable.
This mindset took hold long before the season tipped off. During summer workouts, Mills emphasized that pace wasn’t just about running faster — it was about thinking faster. He pushed his team to value decisiveness over perfection,e ven if the result was messy early on.
“We told them quick decisions are better than right decisions,” Mills said. “Now we’re doing a good job with our off-ball cutting and they understand how to make the right decision. We had to go through a period of time where it was pretty chaotic and you have to live with it and understand it and come back in the film room. But going against a defense that isn’t set with quicker decisions helps.”
That chaotic stretch in July and August became part of the learning curve and the Shockers are reaping the benefits in November. Players are lifting into the right spaces, cutting with timing and reading the floor in rhythm. It’ snot that WSU is hunting the first available shot, it’s that the ball is arriving in advantageous spots before defenses can form a shell.
The numbers back it up: WSU is shooting 55% early in the clock, according to tracking done by The Eagle, going 15-for-26 inside the arc and 8-for-16 on 3-pointers. Add in the points generated at the foul line and the Shockers are scoring 1.37 points per possession (67 points on 49 shooting possessions) — elite efficiency by any level’s standard. That has helped power an offense that is scoring 1.32 points per possession overall in the team’s 3-0 start.
Much of it starts with the two small guards on the team. Dre Kindell’s burst off ball screens forces defenses to bend immediately, creating pocket passes to rolling big men, kick-out darts to shooters or open space for floaters. Meanwhile, Kenyon Giles stretches defenses differently, by being a threat to shoot the moment he takes a screen, even from the logo. Opposing bigs have struggled to get back, get set and then climb to the level of his shot when Giles operates quickly. So far, Giles is 14-for-22 from 3, a blistering start that could create headaches for a conservative Boise State defense that prefers to play drop coverage.
It’s exactly what Mills spent the offseason building toward. He drilled quicker decision-making into his guards and showed them NBA data that shows how valuable early-clock shots can be.
“If you can go against a defense that isn’t set, you’re probably going to be able to (find a good shot),” Mills said. “We’ve simplified things with our spacing. You try to get them to make quick decisions and really encourage that early.”
Before each game, Giles reminds his fellow guards in Kindell and Mike Gray Jr. of a simple message: Be you. It’s helping them play more freely and more aggressively.
That’s the exact kind of messaging that the Shockers want.
“Just being more decisive,” he said of the team’s offensive mindset. “We were locked in way more on the film and how we prepared in practice. We did all of the work and it showed.”
Wichita State’s T.J. Williams goes up for a shot during the first half of their game against Loyola at Koch Arena on Thursday. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
Wichita State basketball finds value in the next pass
WSU’s changes aren’t limited to tempo. The ball is popping, the spacing is cleaner and the extra pass is finally a real part of the offense.
Against Loyola-Chicago, the Shockers piled up 17 assists and just two turnovers, one of the cleanest games in program history.
“You try to get them to understand what’s happening on the court and do they understand the floor-mapping that’s involved and the spacing that’s involved?” Mills said. “I am happy they understand the value of the next pass.”
Gray said the unselfishness is authentic and contagious.
“There’s nobody on the team who is like, ‘Hey, give me the ball. I need the ball,’” Gray said. “(Giles) can make three in a row, but he’s not going to ask for it the next time. We’re going to find him. We just feed off each other.”
On the other end, effort has matched the ball movement. Players are diving on the floor, rotating to cover breakdowns, picking teammates up when they fall.
“We have a really connected team,” WSU junior center Will Berg said. “We play for each other. I think that’s pretty obvious, diving for loose balls, picking each other up, helping each other at all times, keeping each other’s chins up. You can see that on the bench as well. We’ve got guys who don’t play that much who are still engaged and screaming for each other. We just love each other.”
It’s the early stages of leadership forming, a process that Mills is enjoying at the moment.
“I’ve always thought that it’s our job to lead and show them what leadership looks like, then at some point during the season, you hand those guys the reigns,” Mills said. “They need to be able to lead. They’re starting that process. You can see it coming together. It’s fun to watch. But we can’t get caught up in one night that’s good offensively. We’ve got to clean some things up.”
Wichita State’s Kenyon Giles celebrates another three pointer during the second half of their game against Loyola at Koch Arena on Thursday. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
Adversity ahead for Shockers at Boise State
For all the promise shown during the 3-0 start, Mills is careful not to overreact to three home blowouts.
A road trip to Boise State, a perennial contender to reach the NCAA Tournament under head coach Leon Rice, is almost guaranteed to present the team with its first real adversity of the season.
“There’s going to be some adversity that hits us over the course in a year, then you peel back that band-aid and you understand there’s some bruises there that we weren’t necessarily aware of,” Mills said. “It hasn’t happened just yet simply because we’re playing well and we’re shooting it well.”
Gray, too, knows the Shockers’ first road trip will reveal something real.
“(A 3-0 start) gives us a lot of confident, but we’ve got to stay mellow,” Gray said. “We’re going into Boise (on Tuesday) and that’s a big atmosphere. Big-time game. We’ve got to respect every opponent that we have.”
It’s still early, but Tuesday promises to be the most telling night of WSU’s season so far. Boise State has experience, length and discipline that will shrink the early windows WSU has feasted on at home. If the Shockers can still manufacture early-clock advantages, and maintain the connectedness that’s powered their start, it will confirm that this offense isn’t just hot, but evolving.
And when adversity finally does arrive, as Mills predicts, the Shockers will learn something even more valuable on Tuesday.
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Taylor Eldridge
The Wichita Eagle
Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.
