Wichita St. Shockers

THE LOWDOWN

Head Coach: Mark Turgeon
2003-04 Record: 21-11 (12-6 MVC)
MVC Finish: t-2nd
Key Losses: G Matt Clark (5.0 ppg), G Aaron Hogg (8.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), G Fridge Holman (10.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.8 apg), F Bret Wise (4.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Postseason: NIT: Lost to Florida State 91-84 in the first round

RETURNEES
(returning starters in bold)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Pts.
5 Randy Burns G 5'11" Sr. 12.4
4 Jamar Howard F 6'5" Sr. 13.8
33 Rob Kampman F 6'8" Sr. 9.0
3 Cameron Ledford G 6'0" Jr. 0.9
10 Adam Liberty G 6'2" So. 1.4
45 Paul Miller C 6'10" Jr. 8.6
0 Nick Rogers G 6'2" Jr. 0.0
52 Zach Simmons F 6'7" So. 0.0
42 Calvin Walls F 6'7" So. 0.7
Complete 2003-04 Team Stats
FRESH FACES
No.Name Pos. Ht.
  Kurt Bangle F/C 6'8"
  Matt Brauer G 5'11"
2 PJ Couisnard G/F 6'3"
12 Zach Green C 6'10"
  Sean Ogirri G 6'2"
32 Kyle Wilson F 6'8"

Mark Turgeon hopes a lesson his team learned the hard way last season will pay benefits in 2004-05. The Shockers were the consensus preseason pick to win the Valley championship and were considered a potential NCAA tournament team. But they wound up in a second-place tie in the regular-season race, lost in the semifinals of the league tournament and wound up playing in the NIT for a second straight year.

"We didn't handle things as well as I would have hoped," Turgeon said. "It was a new experience for this group to be considered the team to beat, and when things didn't go our way early in the season, we panicked."

In spite of falling short of expectations, the Shockers continued to make progress in Turgeon's fourth season in Wichita. The Shockers went 9-19 in his first season, 15-15 in his second season, improved to 18-12 and made the NIT in his third, and posted a 21-11 record and returned to the NIT last season. The gradual improvement leaves Turgeon with a clear vision of what his team must do to continue moving forward. "Making the NCAA tournament is the logical next step for this group," he said. "That has to be what we play for this year."

The Shockers are banking on the return of four starters, including All-Valley performer Jamar Howard, to provide the leadership necessary to reach the field of 65. Howard is the league's most athletic player, a true force on both ends of the court.

Howard is joined by two other players -- guard Randy Burns and forward Rob Kampman -- who will be starting for a fourth consecutive season. Kampman is steady but unspectacular, while Burns is sometimes spectacular but not always steady. Also back is 6-foot-10 junior Paul Miller, a productive big man in a league known more for its guard play.

The Shockers lost point guard Fridge Holman and sixth man Aaron Hogg, whose effectiveness last season was hindered by knee problems. Wichita State has a group of solid reserves back, but coaches are looking to players who redshirted last season to make substantial contributions. The best of that bunch might be 6-8 Kyle Wilson, who sat out last season after playing 18 games as a freshman in '02-03 at Illinois. Zach Green, a 6-10 center, also has a chance to make an impact this season.

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