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Carl Hall (February 26, 2013) |
There are four seniors on Wichita State, and all of them have a different journey to their final year with the Shockers.
Malcom Armstead walked on from Oregon and had to sit out last year only to thrive in 2013. 7-footer Ehimen Orupke went through every logistical hurdle with the NCAA to finally make an impact for Wichita State in his senior year. Carl Hall was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after a heart condition sidelined him for a stint in junior college. And Demetric Williams will leave school as the winningest player in Shocker history with 105 wins.
And all of them will be celebrated together on Senior Night against Evansville, Wednesday night. Tip off set for 7 p.m.
A win will give them a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title. If Creighton loses to Bradley, then the Shockers win it outright. The four seniors would be integral parts of possible back to back MVC Championships.
Armstead led the team with 20 points in their latest win, a 94-79 decision over Detroit Saturday in the final Bracket Buster game for the Shockers. The one-off game is going away after this season. It was all part of a five game win streak for Wichita State that has them playing at one of their best stretches of the season.
The Shockers are receiving 35 votes in the latest Associated Press Poll, 12 in the Coaches Poll, but haven't been back in the Top-25 rankings since they slipped out during their three-game slide.
Hall has been impressive all season, leading the team in double doubles and rebounds. Williams has been a uniting force for the team, keeping them together during that three-game slide, but no one has been as impressive as Armstead. On top of the 20 he scored against Detroit, he had 18 against Indiana State, he's score 40 points over the last three games combined. He hasn't had a single digit output in that time.
Armstead is making the most of his only season with the team since transferring in from Oregon. He sat out last year, only participating in practice and is having his best run at the end.
It will no doubt be an especially emotional time before the game, as all senior send offs are.
