The progression of time has allowed the opportunity for Shocker fans to witness great athletes who have shaped WSU memories and manufactured everlasting impressions of Shocker basketball legends.

The 1906 men’s basketball season included the first organized game in school history. The basketball program joined Fairmount Athletics under the tutelage of coach Willis Bates. Bates’ brother Percy played for his brother on the basketball team and excelled in football and baseball.

Playing their first game in the Fairmount Hall basement, Washburn defeated the Wheatshockers 37-10. Victorious in only two games, the season was not a complete loss. The high point was a 30-13 victory over Mulvane High, which was the reigning Sumner County Champion.

Fairmount basketball, although not consistent on the court, began to raise the interest both students and faculty. Following a big loss at Southwestern College in 1908, the athletic association decided that Fairmount needed a gym similar to Southwestern’s.

That same year a temporary gym was constructed along 17th Street and men’s basketball had a new home. The gym was commonly referred to as “The Barn,” and new building rules appeared in the Sunflower: “Thou shall use no slang stronger that ‘Darn’ when making a play that is bum.”

The inconvenience of the temporary gym gave way to expansion and a formal gym that was dedicated on February 12, 1909.

The rate at which the Fairmount men’s basketball program grew hampered both the fans and press from watching the games in comfort. To accommodate all who wanted to watch Fairmount battle opponents, the games were moved to the downtown Forum.

This downtown entertainment facility originally was constructed on South Water and English Streets, where Century II now stands.

The Forum, initially constructed to make Wichita the Convention City of the Southwest, could sufficiently seat 3,800 people for basketball. In 1915, the Shockers played Wichita High School in an exhibition game as a semiformal opening of the Forum.

It was not unusual for the early Shocker teams to play AAU and industrial teams such as the Boeing Bombers, Beechcraft Flyers, and the Wichita Air Force Base.

In January of 1919, plans were made to erect a gym as a memorial to those who lost their lives in World War I. Percy Bates was one of those students to whom the building was dedicated. The new 2,000-seat facility was built on the same site as the old gym.

While not as large as the Forum, it would be located directly on campus, which would generate more student support. The formal opening of Memorial Gymnasium was on January 15, 1921, in a game against the American Legion of Wichita.

The gym was known as Memorial Gymnasium until 1926, when the Sunflower referred to it as Henrion.

Henrion Gymnasium was named after Walter Henrion, a local businessman who owned a chain of drugstores and a construction company. With the use of his company, Henrion built the gymnasium and made a significant financial contribution.

He was one of the great supporters of the University, supporting the athletic programs, and granting financial aid to many students. Henrion played as integral a role in the foundation of Fairmount College as Henry Levitt would later duplicate for Wichita State University.

In 1927, the University of Wichita joined the Central Conference, but only on the condition that it would not interfere with playing the Wheatshocker’s most intense rival, Friends. WU was beginning to open the eyes on a national level, producing talented basketball players.

First team All-American, Ross McBurney and second-teamer Harold Reynolds led the Wheatshockers’ to a 13-1 record and a second-place finish behind conference champs Pittsburg.

The 1927 Parnassus was proud to rate Wichita’s basketball team as the: “Third-best team in the nation--second-best team in the state.”

The Great Depression of the late 1920s strained the university’s budget and the growing sentiment that athletics should not be as important as academics cast a dark cloud over Wichita in the early 1930s. The public was divided, and President Harold Foght was trying to please the students, faculty, regents, and citizens.

Foght enjoyed college athletics and thought a successful athletic program led directly to a university-wide untarnished reputation. The fans seemed to be in support of the reputation associated with athletics and appreciated the publicity that followed successful teams.

Foght labored to keep wealthy athletic supporters happy while trying to justify his stance on the importance of college athletics.

By 1930, the North Central Association had raised questions regarding the amount of payment being received by the athletes and coaches. In order to achieve institutional control over its athletics, WU suspended all athletics and appointed new faculty members as directed by the North Central Association.

First, the faculty elected Dr. John Rydjord, head of the History Department as Chairman of the Athletic Policy Committee.

Second, Dr. Hugo Wall, head of the Political Science Department was elected Chairman of the Committee on Student Aid and Remission of Tuition.

Although not involved in any North Central Association games in 1934, Shocker basketball still compiled a 14-10 record. The first half of the season the basketball team played in the Wichita City League, a league filled with former college and high school stars. The second half of the season, the team traveled to Mexico on a goodwill tour. This trip was sponsored by the student body, and the Shockers compiled a record of 5-3.

Shocker basketball didn’t change much until Cleo Littleton and Coach Ralph Miller era of the 1950’s.

In fact, the Shockers were still practicing in Henrion Gym. But in 1953, amidst the excitement brought on by the great play of Littleton and great coaching of Miller, President Harry Corbin and the WU Board of Regents proposed appropriating money that would pave the way for the construction of a new arena.

Members of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce endorsed the proposal for the University of Wichita Field House unanimously, as it was deemed “timely, desirable, and much needed” by the directors of the board. Soon plans were underway for the new Field House, to be located on campus, as the Kansas State Senate passed the bill without amendment and without debate.

So the Roundhouse was reality, which was built in just over a year, the state-of-the-art arena would cost $1.4 million.

In 1955, the WU and Littleton would play on the Forum court for the last time. The final game of the era was played on Feb. 22, as the Shockers defeated Oklahoma A&M, 41-39, and somehow packed in 4,000 spectators. On Dec. 3, 1955, more than 9,000 fans welcomed the first basketball game in the WU Field House. It was formally dedicated on Dec. 7, 1955, at the WU-Kansas game, and was presented to Corbin by Sam Brolund, chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents.

That same season, the NCAA first-round playoffs were hosted in the Roundhouse.

Littleton was the best basketball athlete the university had witnessed. He averaged 18.2 points as a freshman, which is still a school record. He was the first player west of the Mississippi to score more than 2,000 points, and is now one of only four Shocker players with their number retired. Littleton was also one of the first African-Americans to play basketball in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Despite having to stay on the bus and eat, and not being able to play in some gymnasiums, Littleton still holds seven school records. WU compiled a record of 71-43 during the 1951-55 seasons in which Littleton averaged 19.0 points per game. The 1953-54 edition of the Shockers won a school-record 27 games.

The post-Littleton era saw a drop in national prominence until Dave Stallworth entered the program.

Still, some of Ralph Miller’s most talented players came through the system. Guard Joe Stevens finished a then-second behind Littleton’s all-time scoring mark with 1,295 points. Al Tate was a dominating rebounder, averaging 10 boards a game.

Gene Wiley became one of the premier shot-blocking big men in the country with a school- record 80 blocked-shots in 1961-62. Wiley currently holds the top six blocked-shot games in WSU history.

The great players Miller had on the court in the late 1950’s did not stop Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson in one Levitt Arena history-making game. The “Big O” put on a remarkable show of basketball skill on March 1, 1958, scoring an arena-record 50 points.

Although the late 1950’s were not as productive on the court, the early 1960’s would form a foundation of better things to come.

The 1960-61 squad compiled a record of 18-8, which was the best mark since Littleton left WU.

One of the finest victories ever in the Roundhouse came on February 16, 1963. The Shockers were facing the two time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats, who had won 37 consecutive games. Wichita was led by Stallworth, who hit 14 of 22 shots, and an incredible 18 of 23 from the line.

Nicknamed “The Rave,” Stallworth finished the game with 46 points and finished his career with a scoring average of 24.2 points.

Stallworth had exhausted his eligibility by midway through his senior year and did not participate in the second half of the 1964-65 season.

Stallworth became the Shockers’ first consensus All-America player in 1964, and finished then-second on WSU’s career scoring list with 1,936 points. Miller summarized Stallworth’s standout career by saying, "Stallworth was the best all-around offensive player I have had the privilege of working with.”

During his 13-year stint at WSU, Ralph Miller became the winningest coach in Shocker basketball history, collecting 255 victories. Miller is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and currently ranks as the eighth-winningest coach in college basketball history.

The success of Wichita basketball seemed to be headed in the right direction, but Miller decided to leave the school in March, 1964, and accept a position at Iowa.

Gary Thompson, a former player and assistant coach under Miller, accepted the head coaching duties and led Wichita State University to its first No. 1 ranking on Dec. 14, 1964.

In 1964-65, after winning the MVC, the 19-7 Shockers earned another berth in the Midwest Regional. By defeating Southern Methodist and Henry Iba’s Oklahoma State squad, the Shockers were headed to Portland and the Final Four. There, the Shockers would take a somewhat reluctant place in basketball history. Thompson had made it very clear that the Shockers were going to be the underdogs: “I don’t think we can win at Portland, but the boys think we can and they may make me believe it.”

The first test would come in the form of the UCLA Bruins. From the start, it was apparent that the Bruins were too much for the Shockers, winning 108-89.

UCLA, which was the defending national champions, would eventually defeat the Michigan Wolverines for their second-straight national title. Following the defeat at the hands of UCLA, the Shockers played in a third-place game against Princeton.

The Tigers were led by Bill Bradley, who turned in a Final Four record-setting performance against the Shockers. In the 118-82 blowout, Bradley made 22-of-29 shots, 14-of-15 foul shots, and collected 17 rebounds. The game would put WSU in the record books in a way not exactly one would like to talk about. Bradley, Princeton’s Rhodes Scholar, broke Oscar Robertson’s seven-year-old Final Four record with 58 points.

The rest of Coach Thompson’s career at WSU would be a struggle, and the Shockers would not see a national ranking for 15 years, but Thompson would coach one of the most versatile players in WSU history.

Warren Armstrong would later enjoy a productive career in the ABA, but only after becoming a three-time all-Valley performer from 1966-1968. Armstrong holds four of WSU’s 10 triple double games (double-figure points, rebounds, assist, or blocks).

During his sophomore season, Armstrong set two school records, averaging almost 12 rebounds a game while setting a Shocker single-game assist mark with 12. Blessed with superior leaping ability and an uncanny ability to see the whole court, Armstrong was a team player who would rather pass to an open teammate than take his own shot.

Accomplishments at Wichita State have not occurred without formidable work done by those associated with athletics, and guidance from individuals who support athletic endeavors. Henry Levitt not only supported Wichita as a community, he loved WSU athletics.

Levitt chartered the Endowment Association, sponsored an AAU basketball team, served the university as a member of four boards and clubs, and pushed for improvements like the new Cessna Stadium and the Field House. He was named to the Helms Basketball Hall of Fame in 1966 for his early contributions to the sport. He was a special friend of the university, and his friendship was underscored by his willingness to work on its behalf.

After the death of Levitt in 1968, president Clark Ahlberg recommended that the WSU Field House be renamed in recognition of Levitt’s contribution to athletics.

During the next 10 years, Shocker basketball did not enjoy quite the same amount of success that it enjoyed in the 1960’s.

Despite this lack of success, the Shockers faithful witnessed the play of Terry Benton, then the best rebounder in school history. From 1969-1972, Benton, from Wichita East, would simply dominate opposing teams on the boards. On February 6, 1971, Benton pulled down a school-record 29 rebounds in a game against North Texas State. During his junior season, Benton snatched 20 or more rebounds in seven games. With a career 16.8 rebounds per game, Benton once grabbed 69 rebounds in a three-game conference stretch. Earning all-MVC honors in 1971-72, Benton finished his career with 1,003 points and 963 rebounds.

In the 1970s success returned under Coach Gene Smithson, who wanted to instill both mental toughness and extra effort to his team. Commonly known as MTXE, this slogan became a rallying cry for his teams. The 1978-79 season was Coach Smithson’s first year as the Shockers’ leader, and he implemented up-tempo style with constant defensive pressure on the ball.

There wasn’t a better player to orchestrate this style than Lynbert “Cheese” Johnson. Johnson was a top 10 recruit as a senior out of New York’s Haaren High. Recruited by Coach Harry Miller, Johnson began his stellar career at WSU in 1975, averaging 11.2 points a game and shooting almost 52 percent from the field. Smithson enjoyed the presence of Cheese his first full season with the Shockers in 1978-79. Johnson’s senior season would be one remembered for many years to come. He averaged 22.2 points while playing 35 minutes a contest. A fan favorite, Johnson played his last game in front of the Shocker faithful on February 17, 1979. With family and friends in the stands, Cheese poured in 27 points and added 13 rebounds, distinguishing him with WSU’s basketball immortals.

MTXE brought consecutive 20-win seasons, two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and two appearances in the NIT. Smithson won more than two-thirds of his games, and clearly recruited some of the most talented players in the history of WSU basketball. The recruiting class of 1979 included a talented group of players led by the “Bookend Forwards,” Antoine Carr and Cliff Levingston.

Carr was a local standout while attending Wichita Heights High School. He became the Shockers’ third All-American in 1983, and averaged 22.2 points a game during his senior season. Carr finished his career with 1,911 points while shooting 55.7 percent from the field and set a school record with 47 points against Southern Illinois in the final game of the 1983 season.

Levingston came from San Diego to star in Wichita. His impact was felt immediately after leading the team in scoring his freshman and sophomore seasons. With averages of 15.7 and 18.5, Leving-ston was named first-team all-MVC in 1981 and again in 1982. Following his success throughout his first three seasons, Levingston decided to forgo his senior year and entered the NBA draft.

The 1980-81 Shockers compiled a 26-7 record and advanced to the final eight before losing to Louisiana State 96-85, in the championship game of the NCAA Midwest Regional in New Orleans.

On the way, directed by Randy Smithson at guard, the Shockers defeated Kansas 66-65, in the “Battle of New Orleans.” The Shockers finished with the second-best record in history, and Smithson was named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament team. During the four-year span from 1980-1984, WSU produced a 92-29 record.

Gene Smithson had the basketball program and the City of Wichita in a state of euphoria. With achievement also came the NCAA and the announcement of an investigation into WSU basketball.

Amidst the allegations, there was one bright spot that gave Shocker fans hope for the future. He would simply be known as “X.”

Xavier McDaniel came to Wichita with an attitude and determination that would eventually make him one of the greatest players in WSU history. Four years later, X had posted 2,152 points placing him second in all-time scoring behind Littleton, while setting the school record with 1,359 rebounds.

“X” had arguably the best season ever by a collegiate player, becoming the first NCAA Division I player to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding by averaging 27.2 points per game and an incredible 14.8 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.9 percent from the field.

In 1986, allegations and declining support by the school and city forced Gene Smithson out as head coach. In nine seasons, Smithson collected 155 wins, placing him second behind Ralph Miller on the WSU all-time list. He averaged almost 20 wins a season, and was the first coach to guide WSU to back-to-back 20-win seasons.

In March of 1986, Eddie Fogler led a new period of Shocker basketball. Fogler, a former North Carolina assistant to Dean Smith, brought impressive credentials to Wichita. Working under the best high school basketball coach and arguably the greatest college coach of all time, Fogler built a program of his own.

During his tenure at WSU, Fogler collected 61 wins and became the first WSU coach to defeat both Kansas and Kansas State in the same season. After postseason trips to the NCAA and NIT, Fogler left WSU after three seasons to become the head coach at Vanderbilt.

Mike Cohen, an assistant coach under Fogler, was hired on April 5, 1989, to lead WSU. Cohen’s biggest victories came in the same week. WSU defeated 12th-ranked Alabama on December 3, 1991, marking the first victory over a ranked team in almost two years. Two days later, WSU defeated Oklahoma State, 72-69. Cohen’s success was brief, and victories came few and far between. With 10 games remaining in the 1991-92 season, Cohen announced his resignation, effective at the end of the season.

At a press conference on March 24, 1992, Scott Thompson was hired as the new WSU basketball coach. Regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in the game, he had spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, Iowa, and Arizona before taking over the program at Rice, and building it into a 20-game winner in five years.

Although Thompson’s years as coach at WSU did not produce winning records, he did have two transfer guards and a young forward who excelled.

Jimmy Bolden transferred to WSU for his senior season from St. Mary’s College and averaged a team best 13.4 points a game in 1992-93. L.D. Swanson then stepped in at point guard during his senior season, and was known as the “go-to” guy.

During the 1994-95 season, Swanson made three game-winning shots at or near the buzzer to bring a brief frenzied atmosphere back to Levitt Arena. Playing almost the entire game every night, Swanson averaged 14 points and a WSU career record 38.4 minutes per game, and led the Shockers to a 13-14 record, best in six years.

Also in 1994-95, sophomore Jamie Arnold became the first Shocker to lead the MVC in rebounding since Xavier McDaniel in 1984-85. Arnold also led the MVC in field goal percentage that season with 51.3 percent, and was the first Shocker to do so since Neil Strom shot 59.0 percent in 1974-75. He also became WSU’s 30th player to score more than 1,000 points in his career despite missing 23 games from his sophomore to senior seasons for injury and suspension.

Even though a few individual performances were outstanding, Thompson did not bring a winning season to Wichita.

So, WSU turned to one of its own March 18, 1996, to stop the seven-year slide. Randy Smithson, a former guard whose playing days brought WSU’s second highest NCAA finish, was given the reins of the WSU program.

With his father, Gene, they became the second father-son combination to coach at the same NCAA Division I school.

Smithson stopped the slide his first two seasons with back-to-back winning teams, the first such in 10 years, and a jump from seventh to third in the MVC with players he had coached at Butler County CC, and an underclassman that would finish his career in 1999-2000 as the sixth-leading scorer, top stealer and three-point man in Shocker history. As a senior San Antonio native Jason Perez was named the Shockers' first, first-team all-Valley team member since 1989, and was also voted runner-up to MVC Player-of-the-Year honors.

Smithson's two-year flirtation with success turned during the 1998-99 season, and the transfer of hometown product and 20-point man Maurice Evans to Texas, contributed to two-straight below .500 seasons.

After the 1999-2000 season, WSU turned to Topeka, Kansas, native Mark Turgeon on March 11, 2000, to man the head coaching position.

Turgeon guided the Shockers to a 9-19 record during his first season at the healm. Including the claim that the 2001 freshman class is one of the best recruiting classes in recent school history.

In Mark Turgeon's second year Wichita State began its resurgence with a combination of several veterans and newcomers to compile a 15-15 record in 2001-02. Meanwhile, as the renovation and reconstruction of Levitt Arena loomed at season's end, the Shockers completed their 47th season in the arena as Shocker fans had known it.

Helped by an 11-3 record in Levitt Arena, WSU’s overall record in the arena rose to 502-185 since it opened during the 1955-56 season. WSU also reached win No. 500 against SMS Feb. 9, while more than 5.7 million fans filed through the "Roundhouse" gates.

WSU’s 15 overall wins also marked the most since the 1997-98 season, while the 11 Levitt wins marked the sixth time in the last eight years that WSU registered double-figure wins at home. Eight regular-season Valley wins also marked the most since 11 in 1997-98.

In 2002-03, Wichita State's 18 overall wins marked the most since the 1988-89 season. In addition, the Shockers' 12-4 home record, and 12 regular-season Valley wins were the most since the 1982-83 season. That year was when WSU was 17-1 in loop play, and won its last regular-season Valley title.

The Shockers also went to postseason play for the first time since 1989 when they qualified for the 2003 NIT and traveled to Iowa State, while fourth-year Head Coach Mark Turgeon coached WSU to an upset of No. 12 Creighton. That feat marked the first time since the 1990-91 season the Shockers defeated a ranked team.

Also in 2002-03, the Shockers' 6-1 start in the Valley season was the best since the 1984-85 season when the squad started 9-1, while WSU's win at Bradley marked the first time in history that the Shockers defeated both Illinois State and Bradley on the road in the same season.

In addition, WSU's win in Springfield, Mo., against SMS was its first in that town since the 1955 season, and the first in Hammons Student Center.

WSU's 12 home wins were also the most since the 1988-89 season when the Shockers won 13 home games, while WSU's five road Valley wins are the most since the 1997-98 season when the Shockers won five road Valley games. The last time they won six road games was 1984-85 when the squad went 6-4 on the road.

Despite the loss of lone senior leader Craig Steven to graduation, Wichita State was again poised to create some new "firsts" in 2003-04.

In 2003-04, Wichita State (21-11) played host to Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State in Charles Koch Arena, having earned its second-straight NIT tournament berth and ninth overall.

On the road in 2003-04, WSU was 9-6, which included a 6-3 regular-season Valley road record, a 1-1 non-conference road record and a 2-2 neutral record at the season-opening Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands and a one-game Valley Tournament.

WSU went 7-3 in true road games, and had a win at Manhattan College, who was four points from a Sweet Sixteen berth in the NCAA Tournament .

Additionally, WSU won 12 regular-season Valley games for the second-straight season, and junior forward Jamar Howard, the Valley’s Preseason Valley Player-of-the-Year and runner-up to Valley Postseason Player-of-the-Year, led the Shockers in scoring at 13.8 points per game

With three-straight wins against Austin Peay, SMS and Illinois State during the season, WSU bested its 18-win total of the prevoius season, and finished with 21 wins, the second-most in the Mark Turgeon Era and the most since the the 1986-87 season when then-coach Eddie Fogler coached his team to a 22-11 record and a first-round NCAA game.

In 2004-05, Wichita State continued to excell, reaching the third game of the Postseason NIT, and taking the Shockers to back-to-back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since 1987-88-89, when it went to two NCAAs followed by an NIT.

WSU's 2004-05 team went 22-10 overall, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference, and were ranked in the top 30 for nine weeks. The Shockers' 9-0 start tied for the best in school history, while WSU won its first postseason game since 1989.

The 2004-05 season was highlighted by three seniors who completed their Wichita State careers with a 76-48 record, three postseason appearances, three home postseason NIT games and several individual honors.

2005-06 - A Special Season

    The magical season was somewhat unexpected, with the departure of four starters from the previous year, coupled with a pre-season fifth place predicted finish in the conference by the soon-to-be-proven-wrong experts.

    But, a Missouri Valley Conference championship and a Sweet Sixteen appearance are two of the many accomplishments the 2005-06 team will be remembered for by Shocker Fans for many years to come.

    It took six years for Mark Turgeon and his staff to deliver a Valley championship to the Shocker faithful, a feat that had not been done in 19 years, only to top it all off by their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 18 years.

    It all began with a early-season appearance in the South Padre Island Invitational Tournament, allowing seven members of the current Shocker team to return to their home state of Texas.  Ironically, the highlight of the tournament was actually a loss.  Wichita State took on an Illinois team that played in the National Championship game just eight months before.

    After being in control for the entire second half, a shot in the lane by the Illini, coupled with Karon Bradley’s last second half court shot, which was ruled to have come after the buzzer, the Shockers lost by a point.

    Yet, they gained tremendous respect and confidence for their effort.

    Coming home to Wichita, there was another big time program to face...this time from the Big East Conference, Providence College.  It was the first-ever Big East team to play in Wichita and Charles Koch Arena was again sold out.  Behind Kyle Wilson’s 19 points and 17 from Sean Ogirri, the Shockers shot a blistering 57 percent from the field and beat the Friars, 82-74.

    After a pair of two point wins against giant-killer Northwestern State and San Francisco on the road, the Shockers were preparing for a nationally televised game against Michigan State.  Despite a 21-point effort from Paul Miller, the Spartans played a near perfect offensive game and handed the Shockers their worst loss of the season.

    With a week of final exams behind them, a test from UMKC in the storied Municipal Auditorium was on the schedule.  These Shockers passed with flying colors.  With zone-buster Sean Ogirri going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and do-everything swingman P. J. Couisnard scoring nine-straight points early in the second half, the rout was on.

    Miami of Ohio was the last of the pre-season foes.  On a night when Paul Miller joined the 1,000 point club and P. J. Couisnard scored a career high 21 points, Wichita State disposed of the Redhawks 55-46.

    The road to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship began with two home games.  Indiana State came into Charles Koch Arena with an 8-0 record.  Behind a balanced Wichita State attack, the Shockers put away the feisty Sycamores, only to turn around and face another eventual Sweet Sixteen team in the Bradley Braves.  It took overtime; however, the Shockers prevailed behind a balanced attack with four players in double figures and P. J. Couisnard’s career-high 13 rebounds.

    The next two games were against two more NCAA Tournament teams in Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa. After dropping both of those games, WSU was 2-2 in the Valley, facing four of its next five games on the road. The Shockers reeled off six consecutive wins, including the first time ever sweep of the Illinois State-Bradley swing trip.

    On February 4th, before a nationally televised audience, Charles Koch Arena was again rocking as the Shockers beat Southern Illinois in double-overtime behind a dominating game performance by Paul Miller and his career-high 30 points.

    Ten days later the Creighton Bluejays came calling, and what a finish was in store for those in attendance.  Another overtime game was in the cards and, trailing by two with ten seconds remaining, Matt Braeuer hit the game-winning three-pointer.

    Who would know the Bracket Buster foe, George Mason, would become a familiar team to the Shockers, their fans and the basketball world over the coming weeks?  Wichita State fought hard and came up just three points shy of the eventual Final Four opponent.

    And then in one of, if not the most special day in the Mark Turgeon era, the Shockers defeated Illinois State to capture the conference championship outright.  After a semi-final loss to Bradley in the Missouri Valley Tournament, it was then back to Wichita for three days off for the players, a week of practice and the eager anticipation of NCAA Selection Sunday.

    Patience paid off and the Shockers came up on the screen with a berth in the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, against Seton Hall and the Shockers’ first NCAA appearance in 18 years.  Behind Sean Ogirri’s 23 points and a solid team defensive effort, a matchup with the Volunteers of Tennessee was next. WSU’s execution down the stretch on both ends put Wichita State Basketball in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 25 years.

    The nation’s capitol was the venue of the next round and the Shocker nation traveled by air and drove to watch a George Mason rematch.

  When teams are successful, usually individual honors follow.  Junior transfer Ryan Martin was named to the All-Valley Bench Team, and Junior Karon Bradley was on the All-Newcomer Team.  Rounding out the junior class honorees was Kyle Wilson as an Honorable Mention on the All-Valley Team.

    Couisnard garnered two post-season honors as he was named Honorable Mention All-Valley, as well as All-Defensive Team.  Fifth year senior Paul Miller capped off one of the best careers of any Shocker center.  First Team All-Scholar-Athlete team, as well as First Team All-Valley honors are only over-shadowed by being named MVC Player of the Year, the first Shocker to earn that award in 21 years.  He left WSU as the all-time leader in games played with 132 and as the 15th all-time scorer in school history with 1,317 career points.  An Honorable Mention All-America honor by the Associated Press capped his career.

     In addition, Turgeon was named MVC Coach of the Year in a landslide to cap off his sixth season at the Shocker helm. He is the only coach in school history to increase his win total for five straight seasons.

    Coach Turgeon was quoted late in the year as saying, “The MVP of this Shocker team was ‘The Team.’” All players sacrificed their egos to play unselfish basketball in order to make the whole much greater than the sum of the parts, according to Turgeon.  It started with seniors Cameron Ledford and Nick Rogers.  Playing time was scarce for this duo, but their leadership and influence on this team cannot be measured with statistics.  Both having been in the program for four years allowed them to relate the messages and expectations of Coach Turgeon to their younger teammates.

 There was no way to predict the impact a Shocker advance to the Sweet Sixteen would have on the city of Wichita and their fans.  That question was answered at the airport upon their return from Greensboro after the Tennessee victory – a “Rock Star” welcome awaited the new “favorite sons” and the scene was simply unbelievable.

  The 2005-06 basketball team will be remembered for many things...only the second time in Shocker history for a team to appear in four consecutive post-season tournaments and, most importantly, putting Shocker Basketball back on the national map.......truly a season to remember.

--- 

In 2006-07, Wichita State started the season 9-0, which was a three-way tie for the best Shocker start in history with Wilmer Elfrink’s 1920-21 team and Mark Turgeon’s 2004-05 team. WSU rose to No. 8 in the country during the run with wins at No. 6 LSU and No. 14 Syracuse. After the promising start, WSU finished 17-14 and missed the postseason for the first time in four years.

Senior Ryan Martin and PJ Couisnard were named the Xavier McDaniel Rebounding Award winners as the team’s top rebounders, while Braeuer was named the Warren Armstrong Jabali Assists Award winner.

Junior PJ Couisnard took home the Wichita Eagle Most Valuable Player Award and the KFH Outstanding Defensive Player Award, while freshman Gal Mekel received the Cleo Littleton Most Improved Player Award. Karon Bradley took home the Shafer Dart Most Inspirational Player Award. Each team honor was voted on by the team.Junior Matt Braeuer was named the KAKE TV/Shelley Cox Leadership Award winner.

Head Coach Mark Turgeon then left Wichita State on April 10, 2007, after a seven-year run and a 128-90 record as the third-winningest coach in Shocker history behind Ralph Miller and Gene Smithson.

Gregg Marshall Takes Over

On April 14, 2007, then-Wichita State Director of Athletics Jim Schaus announced Gregg Marshall the 26th head men's basketball coach in Wichita State history.

Marshall, a seven-year NCAA qualifier from Winthrop, started the reconstruction process after Couisnard and Braeuer finished their careers in 2007-08 with two 20-win seasons. Couisnard also completed his career with the 16th-most points in Shocker history.

Wichita State opened the 2007-08 season  winning at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Gregg Marshall's debut as head coach for the Shockers.Shocker fans continued to support WSU, selling out for the second-straight season to bring the streak to 43-straight regular-season games. The Shockers also added UAB and LSU to its list of victories before senior point guard Matt Braeuer was lost to a concussion.

    Braeuer was out for 10 games and in that period, WSU also lost junior college transfer forward Mantas Griskenas to a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) in his right knee.Veteran senior PJ Couisnard carried WSU during the stretch, averaging 13.6 points, but it wasn't enough as the Shockers fell to 9-13 by the time Braeuer could return.

    Wearing a headband for protection, Braeuer returned to guiding WSU, but three Valley overtime losses down the stretch, a loss at Northern Arizona in the Bracketbusters game, a loss at Drake to end the regular season and to Indiana State in the MVC Tournament completed the Shockers' season. Couisnard joined the Shocker elite, scoring 1,303 career points as the 16th-most in WSU history. He also became the only Shocker with more than 1,303 career points, 680 rebounds, 330 steals, and 98 blocks.

In 2008-09, the departure of Couisnard and Braeuer left voids, and with a total of 11 Shockers who were in their first season in a WSU uniform, Marshall coached the Shockers up to pull the program back to .500 at 17-17. Led by hard-nosed rebounding senior Ramon Clemente, junior college point guard transfer Clevin Hannah and freshman scorer Toure Murry, WSU also played in the post season for the first time since 2006 with a berth in the CBI, defeating Buffalo before losing to Stanford to end the season.