3:37 remaining: MSU 64, WSU 48. Gregg Marshall continues his desperate search for consistent players. Prime example would be guards Clevin Hannah and Toure Murry. Good against Drake, especially in the first half. Eight points combined tonight.

7:37 remaining: MSU 58, WSU 38. WSU is getting hammered on the boards, which used to be the one thing it could count on as a positive. MSU is up 26-18 and owning the offensive glass.

11:07 remaining: MSU 50, WSU 34. The Bears won the race to 50 quite easily.

14:36 remaining: MSU 43, WSU 26. Shockers are frustrated and embarrassed, as well they should be. Things starting to get chippy on both side.

Halftime: MSU 37, WSU 24. Considering the opponent, worst half of WSU’s season. Eleven turnovers.

Add Will Creekmore to the list with a three with four seconds to play in the first half.

• Centenary – Nick Stallings, three, 3 seconds to play
• Siena – Erik Harris, layup, 2 seconds
• Texas Tech – John Roberson, three, 8 seconds
• Gardner-Webb – Aaron Linn, jumper, buzzer
• Creighton – Josh Dotzler, layup, 1 second
• Drake – Josh Parker, three, 1 second

7:46 remaining: MSU 22, WSU 14. MSU is winning with this game with defense. Any pass that isn’t crisp is headed the other way for a layup. Eight turnovers for WSU.

11:58 remaining: MSU 16, WSU 12. Chamberlain with two threes and Stutz with two baskets in the lane. WSU survived its early problems.

15:07 remaining: MSU 14, WSU 5. WSU starters benched.

WSU starters - Hatch, Griskenas, Durley, Murry, Hannah. MSU – Creekmore, Cooks, Knapp, Laurie, Fuehrmeyer.

JQH Arena is as good as billed, although I haven’t seen it with a crowd yet. It looks like a building that is small enough to have a good atmosphere and seem like a college game. It also has all the amenities such as luxury suites and an baseline version of WSU’s Champions Club that overlooks the arena. The concourse history display is interesting. The Bear Wear shop has an outside entrance, which is something I think would have been handy for Koch Arena’s souvenir store.

It is hard to rank the MVC arenas because they come in two categories – on campus and off campus. I have a strong bias toward on campus. Yet, Omaha’s Qwest Center and Peoria’s Carver Arena are two of the better places to see a game in the MVC.

I put WSU, MSU, Creighton, Illinois State and Bradley into the group with a great situations. SIU Arena is in desperate need of a facelift, and one is planned. WIth the right upgrade, it should be a perfect setting for basketball. Drake and Northern Iowa are in solid shape, although neither arena stands out as particularly intimidating or attractive. Evansville and Indiana State arenas are average – neither great nor in bad shape. Neither attracts particularly large crowds.

• The commitment of Johnny Coy puts a shine on today for WSU. I talked to former Shocker L.J. Goolsby, who coached Coy in the summer of 2007. He described Coy as a good shooter who can stretch defenses. He also called him a good shot-blocker (which I did not expect) and rebounder. On a team with good talent – Travis Releford, Marcus Denmon, Steve Moore – Goolsby said Coy was one of their top three offensive options. It is certainly a bonus for WSU to get him several weeks of practice before next season.
• Mike Kennedy is doing his 900th consecutive basketball broadcast. That is a lot of trips to Terre Haute.

Around the MVC

• Tonight’s game may be a race to 50 points. MSU needs help from every healthy body.
• UNI is off to its best MVC start in 18 seasons as member.
• The MWC-MVC Challenge will be a lot more fun when it can be played in a short time period. WSU needs to stay out of 9th and 10th place to participate again.
• Drake is at Illinois State tonight in the big MVC game.
• SIU coach Chris Lowery says his team is 2-1 in its fresh start. Creighton is also in a better mood after a road win.

37.7 remaining: DU 72, WSU 69. Hook by Durley. How much can Drake run off?

52.3 remaining: DU 72, WSU 67. What is it about Drake’s matchup zone? The Bulldogs don’t appear to be playing tough defense in the sense of in-your-face-grind-it-out defense. But it works against an opponent that is indecisive. Durley turned his back. Templeton made the steal. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.

1:53 remaining: DU 67, WSU 67. Not sure I loved that three by Murry. Give the Shockers tons of credit for coming back. Hannah has tied WSU’s record for threes without a miss. Chad Elstun and Ryan Herrs are the others.

3:55 remaining: DU 67, WSU 59. The Bulldogs seem to rebounding better, which was WSU’s big edge. Drake shut down Murry and Hannah in the second half. Murry has not scored. Hannah has three points. WSU is 6 of 18 from the field in the second half after making 14 of 21 in the first half. The turnover count is at 20.

7:50 remaining: DU 59, WSU 55. WSU is starting to get some baskets inside with Durley against the zone. He has eight points.

11:23 remaining: DU 52, WSU 49. Turnovers continue to mount. Drake is in the bonus, which may be the biggest stat of the game. The Bulldogs are going to drive the ball, draw fouls and make free throws the rest of the game. WSU has 18 turnovers. The matchup zone invites you to make mistakes and WSU is obliging.

15:12 remaining: WSU 45, DU 42. Nightmare start for WSU.Three turnovers. Miss. Two more turnovers.Drake takes a 42-40 lead. WSU comes back on a basket by Mantas and Hannah’s fifth three. Hannah is 5 for 5, one away from equaling WSU’s accuracy record.

Here’s the list on shots in the final seconds of the half against WSU:

• Centenary – Nick Stallings, three, 3 seconds to play
• Siena – Erik Harris, layup, 2 seconds
• Texas Tech – John Roberson, three, 8 seconds
• Gardner-Webb – Aaron Linn, jumper, buzzer
• Creighton – Josh Dotzler, layup, 1 second
• Drake – Josh Parker, three, 1 second

Halftime: WSU 40, DU 36. Bad final minute spoiled the half a bit. Parker three against a zone. Durley walks for no reason. Parker three at the buzzer, another in a continuing series. For 19 minutes, however, nice work by WSU. Making shots makes everything else easier. They didn’t fold when things got tough. Despite the 12 turnovers, they made some nice passes against the Drake zone. Defense looked good until the final minutes. Josh Young, guarded mostly by Murry, is 2 of 7 for eight points. WSU will take that. Murry leads WSU with 18, one away from his career high. Hannah has 14. Will somebody else help in the second half?

3:03 remaining: WSU 34, DU 28. The Shockers have had some nice 18-minutes halves, then failed to finish strong. Hannah is at the line when we return. WSU is giving Drake some problems, a welcome switch for the Shockers. Making 7 of 10 threes never hurts.

6:54 remaining: WSU 26, DU 22. DU’s Josh Parker will be at the line. The Bulldogs are going to try to drive it and use their quickness. Parker on WSU’s Aaron Ellis is a quickness mismatch. WSU is 10 of 14 from the field and 6 of 9 from three. Hannah is 4 for 4. Drake is staying in it at the line – 5 of 7. WSU has no free throws. WSU eight fouls. DU two. A.J. Hawkins picked up three in four minutes.

7:06 remaining: WSU 26, DU 20. Nice response by the Shockers. Things went bad and they held it together.

11:56 remaining: WSU 15, DU 13. The Shockers came out with more emotion and aggressiveness in the early minutes. Now their mistakes are starting to hurt. Three turnovers in their past four possessions and none of them the result of any great pressure defense.

13:55 remaining: WSU 12, DU 8. Hawkins and Clemente are in.

15:48 remaining: WSU 10, DU 5. Murry has eight of WSU’s points on two threes and a layup. WSU can’t ask for much more than this start. Murry is also guarding Josh Young and doing an admirable job.

It is a late-arriving crowd at the Knapp Center for a Sunday night game.

WSU will start Hatch, Griskenas, Durley, Hannah and Murry. Why not? The three new starters earned it with their play on Wednesday. WSU can surround Durley with some shooters and maybe that helps the offense. Maybe Hawkins, Clemente and Stutz come off the bench and get favorable matchups. It is certainly worth a try.

• Athletic director Eric Sexton said WSU’s cumulative GPA of 3.18 for the fall semester is the highest in the department’s history. I’ve always thought book-learnin’ was overrated, but apparently Sexton is pretty happy about that stat.
• The “this day in WSU history” tally is impressive for Jan. 11. Warren Jabali 22 points and 23 rebounds vs. Drake in 1986. Terry Benton 23 and 28 vs. Loyola-Chicago in 1971. Michael Wiggins 10-of-10 shooting vs. Drake in 1993.
• Johnny Coy and family are here. By now, he should be able to give admissions tours at both schools.

27.2 seconds: WSU 72, G-W 64. WSU ball after a timeout. G-W’s Linn just made three free throws after Hawkins fouled him. WSU is 12 of 15 from the line.

58.5 seconds remaining: WSU 70, G-W 61. G-W ball after a timeout.

3:59 remaining: WSU 67, G-W 57. Hannah has not played his usual minutes because of foul trouble. He got the crowd roaring with a great effort play. He picked the pocket of a dribbler, then dove for the ball. From the floor, he passed to Stutz for a breakaway dunk and a 64-55 lead. Hannah’s three gave WSU a 10-point lead, which seems to be the barrier it can’t break. WSU needs a few stops to give itself more of a cushion.

4:39 remaining: WSU 64, G-W 57. Shockers shooting 38.3 percent as the missed layups pile up. G-W allowed its previous seven opponents to shoot 44.6 percent from the field. Murry leads WSU with 19.

7:26 remaining: WSU 62, G-W 54. G-W’s Auryn MacMillan, a junior from Australia, is picking on Stutz. He has scored most of his 16 points, it seems, by getting good position on Stutz and scoring over him. WSU is 0 for 3 on lob attempts. It is a good strategy against the zone, but poorly executed.

11:52 remaining: WSU 58, G-W 45. WSU got some things going on offense after G-W cut the led to 49-43. Durley, who has nine points, did most of the damage. He is looking more focused and aggressive than in recent games. G-W won’t win this game because they can’t put together enough stops. But they shoot it well enough to make WSU nervous. WSU is 9-9 from the line. The Shockers are not making layups and short shots in the lane. That is one kind of a problem against Georgetown or Michigan State. It is more worrisome against G-W.

15:22 remaining second half: WSU 49, G-W 39. Shockers can’t pull away. Foul trouble is a bit of an issue. Hannah, Hawkins and Clemente all have three.
Sorry, I’m in limited or no connectivity hell at courtside so blogging is out. It is halftime and WSU leads 41-32. Good offensive half for the most part for WSU, which is what everybody wanted to see. It is an up-and-down game, so coach Gregg Marshall is probably not satisfied with the defense. The Bulldogs are keeping in the game with a few breakaways and threes. Of course, they hit a buzzer-beater.

The Shockers are 7 of 15 from three. Inside, they get shots but aren’t making them. They have missed several shots in the lane and are shooting 42.4 percent overall. They are 8 of 20 inside the arc.

Toure Murry leads WSU with 13 and is playing a lot of point guard. Mantas Griskenas, getting loose by riding a bike in the tunnel, played eight minutes. A.J. Hawkins has eight points. J.T. Durley has five rebounds and looks more energetic than he has in recent games.

“We calculated we will have more practice time for this TCU game, total, than we had for the previous four games combined,” he said. “It’s pretty apparent our offense wasn’t very good. Clevin Hannah is basically having to shoulder the load.”

WSU, coming off Wednesday’s 72-69 loss at Texas Tech, practiced Thursday and Friday. They are off Saturday and return to work Sunday before Monday’s game at TCU.

• Guard Graham Hatch took a bump to the head Wednesday. He sat out Thursday’s practice. He did non-contact work on Friday and expects to do everything on Sunday. Guard Bret Michael is out while recovering from a concussion.
• Forward Gabe Blair practiced for the first time since October on Thursday. Marshall gave an example of Blair’s value. Ramon Clemente tried to power his way to the basket through Blair. Blair swatted his shot.

“Ramon went back up for a shot and all of a sudden he ate some leather,” Marshall said. “Gabe sent it right back in his mug. He adds another big body.”

• Mantas Griskenas, recovering from a sprained ankle, wants to play and says he is healthy. Marshall wants to see more evidence. Wednesday, he put Griskenas in and a Red Raider immediately beat him down the floor for an easy basket.

“I can’t use him at 90 percent,” Marshall said. “I can’t have him get loose during the game. He’s got to get loose before he goes in the game.”

Rivals.com weighs in with the opinion that WSU point guard signee Kenny Manigault is the top recruit in the Valley.

WSU coach Gregg Marshall on his new players:

• Manigault (6-4, Pinewood (S.C.) Prep) – “Kenny is a strong, physical and athletic point guard that is pass-first. He has great reach and jumping ability and can touch the top of the square on the backboard.”
• Jerome Hamilton (6-7, Worth County (Ga.) – He gets out in transition and is strong. He’s also a ball-getter in the mold of Ramon Clemente, and is a tremendous athlete that likes to dunk it.”

For the women, guard Jessica Diamond (5-foot-7), center Jazimen Gordon (6-2), small forward Michelle Price (6-1) and forward Chynna Turner (6-0) are officially Shockers.

Coach Jody Adams on her new players:

• Diamond (Houston Nimitz) – “Her mid-range game is among the best I’ve seen and that’s a lost art in the game of women’s basketball. She has three-point range and has the ability to run the point, so she is extremely versatile.”
• Gordon (West Memphis, Ark.) – “Her ability to play around the rim is something that really excites you as a coach. To have that type of athleticism around your basket for second shots and to board the ball on the defensive end is something that will help us immediately.”
• Price (Kingwood, Texas) – “She has range, and is great with her back to the basket. Michelle is extremely explosive and could have as many offensive boards as she does defensive boards.”
• Turner (Eisenhower, Houston, Texas) – “She can score from three-point range, and with her back to the basket. Chynna has a really nice high shot, and can flex from the four to the three which can give us really good size on the fringe at this level.”

Don’t expect news out of the volleyball camp. Coach Chris Lamb, as usual, is going to play it quietly with his recruits, some of whom will be scholarship players and some walk-ons. Nebraska setter Chelsey Feekin is one player expected to sign during this week. Some of these newcomers may be what is known as “preferred” walk-ons, where they redshirt next fall and earn a scholarship the following year. If you look at WSU’s roster – two seniors and seven juniors – it is easy to figure Lamb has little money this year and much more to give out in the the future.

Here’s a volleyball update from Eagle prep writer Joanna Chadwick: All-Metro pick Brianna Kaiser of Valley Center is on board. So is Haley Dotson of Andover and libero Lindsey Engel of Andale.

Volleyball, I have learned today, is a sport where some secrecy about signings is sometimes part of the routine. I guess there are several reasons for keeping walk-ons and scholarships (volleyball teams are allowed 12 full rides) private. One could be for competitive reasons. Alerting other recruiters to whom is walking on may make that player a target of a school with a scholarship to spare. The difference between volleyball and other sports, such as basketball, would be that walk-ons are necessary to field a team in volleyball. In basketball (with 15 scholarships for women and 13 for men), walk-ons are not as important.

I think. Now you know what I know about volleyball recruiting. These are the things that become important when the team is ranked 11th nationally.

This is way more time devoted to volleyball recruiting than I ever thought possible. If we hear of more, and I think there are more out there, we will pass it on. I can’t promise much more than that. Lamb cannot talk about walk-ons. If he is hesitant to identify scholarship players from walk-ons, WSU won’t issue a release and he won’t talk about any of them.

I think.

Softball: Sammie Shook of Derby signed today.

Around the MVC:

• Brandon Sampay played well for Illinois State in Tuesday’s exhibition victory. The Redbirds stand a much better chance of contending if Sampay is healthy and in shape. Osiris Eldridge and Champ Oguchi also scored big.
• SIU opened with a win over Division II California (Pa.) The Salukis play UMass tonight at SIU Arena.
• Creighton sophomore Kenton Walker plays better than he practices.
• Our Hungarian correspondent (more accurately our Wichitan who knows Hungarian) reports that former Shocker P.J. Couisnard continues to play well for Soproni. He scored 24 in a recent victory. Former Wichita South and Kansas State player Manny Dies recently joined the roster.

Read the story here.

I talked to L.J. Goolsby, the former Shocker guard who coaches with Kansas City Pump N Run, about players in the area who might be in WSU’s ballpark. William Chrisman (Mo.) teammates Justin Clark (6-4) and Jon Ekey (6-7) are expected to be at the camp. WSU has contacted both. Goolsby also said he believes junior-to-be Mark Braden of O’Hara (Mo.), a 6-3 guard, will also be at the camp.

Some other names of Missouri-Kansas kids that might be worth following for recruiting fans:

• Alex Burks, a 6-4 guard from Grandview, Mo.
• Will Spradling, a 6-3 guard from Shawnee Mission South (and son of former Tulsa player Phil Spradling).
• Dorian Green, a 6-1 guard from Lawrence
• Trevor Releford, a 5-9 guard from the class of 2010 who attends Bishop Miege. He is the brother of Kansas freshman-to-be Travis Releford.

Goolsby said the Shockers are doing a good job in Kansas City, with the signing of center Garrett Stutz the prime evidence. Getting some of the KC area’s best to Koch Arena this weekend is also helpful.

“That’s always a good sign,” Goolsby said.

 

“It’s a long shot,” HCC coach Ryan Swanson said. “I would say right now he wants to go high-major. He’s a high-major player. That being said, I would also not be surprised if he’s interested in talking to Wichita State.”

Maze will visit Saint John’s this weekend. Swanson said Kentucky, Cincinnati and Southern Cal are also interested. Maze played at Oklahoma as a freshman. At Hutch, he averaged 20.7 points and was named NJCAA All-American.

Whether or not WSU lands Maze (What fun is recruiting without dreams?), this story seems to highlight the fact WSU coaches enjoy a strong relationship with the Jayhawk Conference. Swanson said he regularly talks with coach Gregg Marshall and assistant Chris Jans. Several Jayhawk teams, including Hutch, practiced at Koch Arena last season. Hutch came down when the Sports Arena was booked. As Swanson said, it’s a no-brainer to work the jucos in Kansas for WSU. But as WSU fans can attest, it hasn’t always been that way. Jans, a former Jayhawk coach, and the rest of the staff seem to put a priority on the jucos.

As for Maze and WSU, Swanson said the WSU coaches know about his availability. Swanson is not sure how Maze fits in at WSU. He is a point guard, and WSU already has two transfer point guards coming in for next season. Maze, according to Swanson, likes Marshall and Jans. He plays pickup with the Shockers and came to WSU games last season.

“He was impressed,” Swanson said. “He liked the way they played. He knows they’re going to get better.”

In another piece of recruiting news, Blair Academy coach Joe Mantegna said WSU has inquired about 6-9 forward Alex Vouyoukas and transcripts are on the way to Wichita. The Shocker coaches may want to see him play before progressing. He said his player would be very interested, should an offer materialize. Vouyoukas, from Greece, signed with Davidson but was not admitted.

You can read more about him at The Dallas Morning News’ North Texas blog. Sounds like the Mean Green are interested.

Chamberlain played at Raytown (Mo.) High in Kansas City and Seward coach Bryan Zollinger said the chance to play close to home weighed in his decision.

“He’s a point guard that shoots the ball extremely well,” Zollinger said.

Many WSU fans got a look at him in the first round of the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson when he played Chipola and Shocker signee Clevin Hannah. Chamberlain scored 30 points in Seward’s 90-84 overtime win. He went 18 of 19 at the line. Next season, Hannah and Chamberlain will play together. Both play point guard, but both shoot it well enough to spend time off the ball. In my mind, this is kind of a Woodfox-Witter deal like Creighton used last season. Together, they should help WSU’s quickness defensively.

Seward’s site has more on info on the newest Shocker.

He is sure Parker (6-foot-1, 195 pounds) is a player. He is a two-time all-region pick who averaged 9.1 points and 9.5 assists, which is second nationally (and which seems to indicate favorable stat-keepers at home). Parker shoots 47 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three. Harrington calls him an average shooter.

“He’s a very smart player,” Harrington said. “He’s a very tough kid. Hard-nosed. Gritty.”

Parker is from Carbondale, Ill. He is considering schools such as South Alabama, La Salle and Arkansas-Little Rock.