2021–22 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Shockers, led by second-year head coach Isaac Brown, played their home games at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas as members of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). They finished the season 15–13, 6–9 in AAC play, to finish in seventh place.^[1]

2021–22 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	15–13 (6–9 AAC)
Head coach	Isaac Brown (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Tyson Waterman Lou Gudino Billy Kennedy
Home arena	Charles Koch Arena
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 15 Houston †	15	–	3		.833			32	–	6		.842
SMU	13	–	4		.765			24	–	9		.727
Memphis	13	–	5		.722			22	–	11		.667
Temple	10	–	7		.588			17	–	12		.586
Tulane	10	–	8		.556			14	–	15		.483
UCF	9	–	9		.500			18	–	12		.600
Wichita State	6	–	9		.400			15	–	13		.536
Cincinnati	7	–	11		.389			18	–	15		.545
East Carolina	6	–	11		.353			15	–	15		.500
Tulsa	4	–	14		.222			11	–	20		.355
South Florida	3	–	15		.167			8	–	23		.258
† 2022 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Shockers finished the 2020–21 season 16–6, 11–2 in AAC play,^[2] to win the regular-season championship. On February 26, 2021 then-interim coach Isaac Brown was named permanent head coach, agreeing to a five-year deal.^[3] In the AAC tournament, they defeated South Florida^[4] before losing to Cincinnati in the semifinals.^[5] The Shockers received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Drake in the First Four.^[6]

Offseason

Departures

Wichita State departing players

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes[a]
Alterique Gilbert	3	G	6' 0"	180	Graduate student	Atlanta, GA	Chose not to return to program[b]
Trey Wade	5	F	6' 6"	221	Senior	Marietta, GA	Graduated; transferred to Arkansas[7]
Remy Robert II	10	G	6' 2"	188	Junior	Baton Rouge, LA	Walk-on; transferring
Trevin Wade	12	G	5' 11"	175	Junior	Marietta, GA	Transferred to Eastern Kentucky[8]
Jacob Herrs	14	G	6' 2"	185	Senior	Wichita, KS	Walk-on; graduated and chose not to return to program
Brycen Bush	15	G	6' 0"	172	Senior	Wichita, KS	Walk-on; graduated and chose not to return to program
Jaden Seymour	22	F	6' 9"	205	Freshman	Charlotte, NC	Transferred to East Tennessee State[9]
Josaphat Bilau	40	F	6' 10"	232	Freshman	La Roche-sur-Yon, France	Transferred to New Mexico JC
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler	44	F	6' 9"	250	Junior	Omaha, NE	Transferred to Omaha[10]

1. Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the eligibility of any player in any sport held during the organization's winter season, including basketball. This meant that all players had the option to return for 2021–22.
2. Gilbert was a graduate transfer in the 2020–21 season, having graduated from UConn.

Incoming transfers

Wichita State incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Qua Grant	22	G	6' 1"	195	Senior	DeSoto, TX	Transferred from West Texas A&M. Will have two years of eligibility beginning immediately.[11]
Joe Pleasant	32	F	6' 7"	231	Senior	Overland Park, KS	Transferred from Abilene Christian. Will have two years of eligibility beginning immediately.[12]

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kenny Pohto C	Stockholm, Sweden	Sunrise Christian Academy	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	05/04/21[13]
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (81)
Jalen Ricks SG	Sherwood, AR	Oak Hill Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	06/03/21[14]
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Isaac Abidde PF	Albany, GA	Westover Comprehensive High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	08/18/21[15]
	Recruit ratings: (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved April 17, 2021.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards.^[16]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Houston	98 (8)
2	Memphis	92 (3)
3	SMU	77
4	Wichita State	76
5	UCF	66
6	Cincinnati	52
7	Tulsa	43
8	Temple	37
T-9	South Florida	25
T-9	Tulane	25
11	East Carolina	14

Preseason Awards

• AAC Preseason Player of the Year – Tyson Etienne
• AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team – Tyson Etienne

Roster

2021–22 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Dexter Dennis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Believe Academy Baker, LA G 1 Tyson Etienne 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Jr Putnam Science Academy Englewood, NJ G 2 Chaunce Jenkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Menchville HS Newport News, VA G 3 Craig Porter Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Sr Vincennes University Terre Haute, IN G 4 Ricky Council IV 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 204 lb (93 kg) So Northern HS Durham, NC F 5 Clarence Jackson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Jr Polk State Dublin, GA G 10 Jalen Ricks 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Fr Oak Hill Academy Sherwood, AR F 11 Kenny Pohto 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Stockholm, Sweden G 12 Steele Gaston-Chapman (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Campus HS Wichita, KS F 15 Isaac Abidde 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Fr Westover HS Albany, GA G 22 Qua Grant 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr West Texas A&M DeSoto, TX F 24 Morris Udeze 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Montverde Academy Houston, TX F 32 Joe Pleasant 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 231 lb (105 kg) Sr Abilene Christian Overland Park, KS	Head coach Isaac Brown (Louisiana–Monroe) Assistant coach(es) Tyson Waterman (Winthrop) Lou Gudino (Incarnate Word) Billy Kennedy (Southeastern Louisiana) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: September 21, 2021

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2021* 6:00 p.m.		Missouri Southern	W 90–58	–	15 – Council IV	6 – tied	4 – Grant	Charles Koch Arena (8,040) Wichita, KS
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Jacksonville State	W 60–57	1–0	16 – Etienne	8 – Dennis	3 – tied	Charles Koch Arena (8,222) Wichita, KS
November 13, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		South Alabama	W 64–58	2–0	19 – Council IV	12 – Udeze	3 – tied	Charles Koch Arena (8,507) Wichita, KS
November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Tarleton State Roman Main Event on-campus game	W 65–51	3–0	15 – Udeze	6 – Udeze	4 – Grant	Charles Koch Arena  Wichita, KS
November 19, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU		vs. Arizona Roman Main Event semifinals	L 78–82 OT	3–1	27 – Etienne	7 – Porter Jr.	3 – Dennis	T-Mobile Arena  Paradise, NV
November 21, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. UNLV Roman Main Event consolation	W 74–73	4–1	28 – Etienne	6 – Udeze	4 – Etienne	T-Mobile Arena (8,624) Paradise, NV
November 26, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN		at Missouri	W 61–55	5–1	18 – Etienne	7 – tied	4 – Porter Jr.	Mizzou Arena  Columbia, MO
December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Oklahoma State	W 60–51	6–1	17 – Council IV	8 – Porter Jr.	4 – Porter Jr.	Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,134) Stillwater, OK
December 5, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU		Kansas State	L 59–65	6–2	19 – Udeze	7 – tied	3 – Etienne	Intrust Bank Arena (14,488) Wichita, KS
December 11, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		Norfolk State	W 71–58	7–2	16 – tied	7 – Udeze	7 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena  Wichita, KS
December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Alcorn State	W 82–63	8–2	15 – Udeze	8 – Pohto	6 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (8,002) Wichita, KS
December 18, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		North Texas	L 52–62	8–3	17 – Udeze	9 – Council IV	3 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (8,277) Wichita, KS
December 22, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		Prairie View A&M	W 102–66	9–3	20 – Etienne	9 – tied	8 – Grant	Charles Koch Arena (8,128) Wichita, KS
AAC regular season
December 29, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at East Carolina	Canceled due to COVID-19[17]					Williams Arena  Greenville, NC
January 1, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS		Memphis	L 64–82	9–4 (0–1)	17 – Etienne	7 – Udeze	2 – Qua	Charles Koch Arena (8,751) Wichita, KS
January 8, 2022 11:00 a.m, CBS		at No. 12 Houston	L 66–76	9–5 (0–2)	11 – Etienne	8 – Jackson	4 – Porter Jr.	Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX
January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Tulane	L 67–68	9–6 (0–3)	20 – Etienne	15 – Council IV	4 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (8,089) Wichita, KS
January 16, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN		Cincinnati	L 57–61	9–7 (0–4)	14 – Etienne	11 – Udeze	6 – Etienne	Charles Koch Arena (8,439) Wichita, KS
January 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Temple	Canceled due to COVID-19[18]					Liacouras Center  Philadelphia, PA
January 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		UCF	W 84–79	10–7 (1–4)	31 – Council IV	6 – Dennis	5 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (8,041) Wichita, KS
January 29, 2022 11:00 a.m., ESPNU		at Tulane	L 66–67	10–8 (1–5)	21 – Etienne	12 – Udeze	4 – Porter Jr.	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,556) New Orleans, LA
February 1, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		Tulsa Rivalry	W 58–48	11–8 (2–5)	11 – Council IV	8 – Udeze	3 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (8,132) Wichita, KS
February 3, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at SMU Previously scheduled for January 23	Canceled due to weather[19]					Moody Coliseum  University Park, TX
February 5, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU		SMU	W 72–57	12–8 (3–5)	20 – tied	8 – Porter Jr.	4 – tied	Charles Koch Arena (8,285) Wichita, KS
February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		at UCF	L 66–71	12–9 (3–6)	26 – Etienne	7 – Etienne	5 – Porter	Addition Financial Arena (4,276) Orlando, FL
February 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		South Florida	W 73–69	13–9 (4–6)	18 – Council IV	7 – Porter Jr.	6 – Porter Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (8,312) Wichita, KS
February 17, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Cincinnati	L 76–85	13–10 (4–7)	17 – Council IV	8 – Porter Jr.	6 – Porter Jr.	Fifth Third Arena (9,655) Cincinnati, OH
February 20, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN		No. 14 Houston	L 74–76 2OT	13–11 (4–8)	17 – tied	10 – tied	4 – tied	Charles Koch Arena (9,070) Wichita, KS
February 27, 2022 1:30 p.m., ESPN		at Memphis	L 57–81	13–12 (4–9)	11 – Etienne	11 – Udeze	6 – Porter Jr.	FedExForum (14,147) Memphis, TN
March 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Tulsa Rivalry	W 72–62	14–12 (5–9)	18 – Etienne	8 – Udeze	3 – Etienne	Reynolds Center (3,450) Tulsa, OK
March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPNU		East Carolina	W 70–62	15–12 (6–9)	20 – Council IV	10 – Porter Jr.	5 – Grant	Charles Koch Arena (8,177) Wichita, KS
AAC tournament
March 10, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPNU	(7)	vs. (10) Tulsa First round	L 67–73	15–13	19 – Council IV	6 – tied	5 – Etienne	Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Source:^[20]

Awards and honors