Injury updates and 15 observations on Wichita State basketball from Shocker Madness

It’s difficult to find a balance in an event like Shocker Madness.

The Wichita State men’s basketball team wanted to put on a good show for the crowd of around 2,000 who spent their Saturday evening at Koch Arena. But the team, which practiced earlier in the day, also couldn’t compete too hard to risk injury.

For the most part, WSU threaded the needle and provided an entertaining intrasquad scrimmage, which saw Justin Hill score five points in the final 30 seconds to lift the black team to a come-from-behind, 24-23 victory over the yellow team. Following the scrimmage, senior sharpshooter A.J. McGinnis won the 3-point shootout title.

“We wanted to see them compete. We didn’t want to just come out here and not be competitive,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said. “You don’t get the opportunity to really work out in front of crowds much (this time of year), so it was good for some of these guys to play in front of a crowd. I know our players appreciated it.”

While Hill took over at the end, including a game-winning, three-point play with 8.9 seconds left, Harlond Beverly was the top player for either side. The senior scored a team-high 10 points and had two assists to lead the black team, which also included A.J. McGinnis, Ronnie DeGray III, Quincy Ballard and Henry Thengvall.

Junior forward Corey Washington scored a game-high 11 points for the yellow team, while adding a block and three steals. He was joined on the yellow team by Zion Pipkin, Xavier Bell, Joy Ighovodja, Matej Bosnjak and Yanis Bamba.

While it was clear the players weren’t at 100% speed for the scrimmage, which included two 6-minute halves, the competitiveness did come out in the final minute. Mills said afterward that those teams have scrimmaged each other this week in practice and will square off again on Sunday in another intrasquad scrimmage, this one featuring full effort from both sides in the only action of the day.

“We put a lot into making sure we have the right combinations out there,” Mills said. “We try to keep them together for three or four days, then we switch it up. We want guys to have an idea of playing with every single person because you don’t know the matchups that might occur in a game.”

Senior point guard Bijan Cortes (ankle) and senior forward Zane Meeks (knee) did not play in the scrimmage, but their injuries are considered minor. Meanwhile, freshman wing T.J. Williams recently had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is expected to miss weeks before returning to practice. Mills confirmed afterward that the injury is not season-ending.

Here are observations by The Eagle about all 15 players on Wichita State’s roster from Saturday’s scrimmage.

Wichita State basketball player observations

Quincy Ballard: Not much action from the half-court offense, but the 7-footer doesn’t need that to still produce highlight-reel plays. He scored his first dunk by running the court in transition, then provided maybe the play of the scrimmage by crashing the glass and finishing a one-handed putback dunk.

Yanis Bamba: Only played the final three minutes of the scrimmage, but showed good effort on defense and a nice touch pass to Corey Washington in the corner that helped spark a bucket.

Xavier Bell: Missed both of his shots, which both came on drives to the basket, but did come up with two rebounds, a steal and an assist. His highlight came early when he provided help defense in the short corner to strip Harlond Beverly, which led to a transition opportunity and basket for his team.

Harlond Beverly: Hard to argue the fifth-year senior wasn’t the best player on the floor for either side. He scored a team-high 10 points, all on crafty moves around the basket, including a pair of impressive left-handed finishes. His one mistake was dribbling into a crowded corner, which led to a turnover, but he more than made up for it with 5-of-6 shooting to go along with a pair of assists.

Matej Bosnjak: Showed good chemistry with freshman point guard Zion Pipkin, as the duo played off each other several times for baskets. He scored once on a roll to the basket, then canned a 15-foot jumper on a short roll to show his versatility. Did try to fit some passes into tight windows that weren’t there and led to two turnovers, but did correctly pick out the cutter for a basket when he caught another pass on the short roll.

Bijan Cortes: The senior point guard did not participate in the scrimmage, as Mills said afterward that Cortes is dealing with a minor ankle injury and is considered day-to-day.

Ronnie DeGray III: The typical steady performance that has come to be expected of the fifth-year senior. He’s not going to do anything flashy, but he’s a solid, fundamental player who typically makes the right play. Had one snafu inbounding the ball, but other than that, fulfilled his role to help the black team win.

Justin Hill: A little too much dribbling early in the scrimmage, but did exactly what you want a veteran point guard to do down the stretch: take over. Hill scored two straight baskets in the final 30 seconds, including a drive while being fouled for the game-winning 3-point play.

Joy Ighovodja: Came out firing and drilled two straight 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the scrimmage, which raised some eyebrows. The first triple came from good off-ball movement by Ighovodja to spot up for a wide open look, while the second was a catch-and-shoot with a hard contest that he drained. Also showed his athleticism on the glass by skying a crowd to come down with an offensive rebound.

Zane Meeks: Did not participate in the scrimmage and was clearly struggling to move when shooting in the 3-point contest. Afterward, Mills said the senior big man is considered day-to-day with a minor knee injury.

A.J. McGinnis: Showed good effort on a block from help defense, but it’s clear his role this season will be to fire 3s. He missed his first two triples, but drained the next one after applying an effective pump fake and side dribble to escape a close-out and then a quick release to burn the 3 before the defender could recover.

Zion Pipkin: Has the tools to be an effective defender right away as a freshman, as he is a true pest defending the ball. Paired well with senior big man Matej Bosjnak in the pick-and-roll game, as he found the Croatian for two baskets and then scored one of his own on a nice no-gather layup over a trailing Quincy Ballard. His lone blemish was missed free throws late that could have better protected his team’s lead.

Corey Washington: The motor never stops for the Saint Peter’s transfer, which was the driving force behind his game-high 11 points. All of his baskets came at the rim, several on sheer effort plays, while he did show some nice touch on one when he cut from the weak side, jump stopped and finished with a tear drop over the 7-footer Quincy Ballard. Shot selection was a bit of an issue with some quick triggers on contested jumpers, but Washington’s effort plays (three steals, one block) ease those concerns.

T.J. Williams: The Wichita native will be out of action for a while after suffering a torn meniscus recently in practice. Mills updated the timeline for his return to practice to “weeks” following the scrimmage.