The Sunflower v.123 i.17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018 • VOL. 123, ISS. 18

THESUNFLOWER.COM

WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1896.

Orman denies rumors, says he will not drop out of governor’s race

BY MATTHEW KELLY

Independent Greg Orman has heard plenty of rumors that he’ll soon drop out of the Kansas governor’s race. He denies them all.

“I’ve heard about two dozen [rumors], but I will tell you, they’re all untrue,” Orman said. “We are in this race ‘til the end.”

Republican Kris Kobach and Democrat Laura Kelly remain in a dead heat with less than three weeks until Election Day. A recent Remington Research Group poll shows the race to be a statistical tie between the two major-party candidates.

Another poll conducted by Emerson College showed Orman polling at roughly 9 percent. Orman, who nearly unseated Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts as an independent in 2014, rejects the notion

that he’s merely a kingmaker in the governor’s race.

“I actually see a lot of momentum coming our way,” Orman said. “I continue to be confident that we’re going to pull it out.

“A vote for me isn’t a vote for Kobach or a vote for Kelly. A vote for me is a vote for Kansas,” Orman said.

In an interview with KAKE, FiveThirtyEight editor in chief Nate Silver speculated that Orman is pulling more votes from Kelly than Kobach.

“If [Orman] were to like drop out, that could significantly change the race, and probably he is a factor helping Kobach,” Silver said.

FiveThirtyEight’s governor’s forecast gives the Republican secretary of state a 2.3 percent advantage over the Democratic state senator.

Kobach has already drawn

KYLIE CAMERON/THE SUNFLOWER

Independent candidate for governor Greg Orman pictured in the Rhatigan Student Center.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to the Sunflower State to rally on his behalf. On Thursday, former Republican Gov. Mike Hayden

endorsed Kelly, joining every other living former governor of Kansas besides Sam Brownback.

Orman said his is the only vision that will move Kansas forward.

“Secretary Kobach is talking about starving the government.

Senator Kelly has got all sorts of things she wants to spend money on but has no way to pay for them except to raise taxes,” Orman said.

The independent said a vote for either Kobach or Kelly will maintain the status quo in Kansas.

“In my mind, the only way to truly waste your vote is to vote for one more Democrat or one more Republican to run our state, because they’ve clearly demonstrated they don’t have the vision or the innovative ideas or the ways to do it,” Orman said.

“It’s a little sad that we feel like we have to vote for a bad candidate just to avoid a worse one.”

Once a candidate has qualified to be on the November ballot, their name cannot be removed.

Shocker baseball hosts SCREAMage

Screaming into season

KENZIE BORLAND/THE SUNFLOWER

Lambda Pi Upsilon welcomes its new members on their founding line presentation Sept. 24 outside of the Rhatigan Student Center.

MARSHALL SUNNER/THE SUNFLOWER

Tommy Barnhouse (T-Rex) gets a hit during the SCREAMage at Eck Stadium on Saturday. SCREAMage is a WSU baseballhosted event with a scrimmage and variety of other family activities.

SEE SCREAMage PAGE 4

Livesay named new dean of engineering

BY ANDREW LINNABARY

Dean of the Graduate School Dennis Livesay is the college of engineering’s new dean, effective Jan. 1, the university announced Thursday.

Livesay — who also holds the roles of associate vice president for research and technology transfer and professor of chemistry — succeeds Royce Bowden, who resigned June 30.

Selecting Livesay was “the right thing to do,” Provost Rick Muma said, to grow the engineering school to “include more things beyond traditional engineering.”

“Research, technology, data — it’s all going to be focused around that in the future, and Dennis has expertise,” Muma said.

Before coming to WSU, Livesay held positions as professor of bioinformatics and genomics and was the founding director of the bioinformatics and computational biology Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

He started his academic career at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, where he was a faculty member in the chemistry department from 2000 to 2006.

Livesay said his engineering background comes from “computing and various slices of biomedical

JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER

Dennis Livesay, speaks to faculty and staff at an open forum on Monday, Sept.

10, 2018. Livesay, dean of Graduate School, will be the dean of engineering, effective Jan. 1.

engineering.” He said that aligns with his plan of making the college more nontraditional — while also retaining its traditional programs.

“One of the things I’m excited about is being able to bring a broad interdisciplinary approach to engineering,” Livesay said. “There are opportunities for us to move into the cracks between disciplines.”

“We shouldn’t be positioning different flavors of ourselves like they’re a threat to each other. In

fact, we can get something where the whole is greater than the parts if we work together. If we think about badges and micro masters and other new forms of education, there’s value in them.

“Some view it as a threat to the traditional model. I see it as a way of saving the traditional model.”

Of the four finalists for the dean position, Livesay was the only candidate who already worked at WSU.

Members of Lambda Pi talk integration into WSU’s Greek community DRAKE ROBINSON

The Chi Colony of Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc., joined the ranks of the Greek community at Wichita State earlier this year.

Last month, the organization held a new member presentation at the Rhatigan Student Center. Some of the members shared their thoughts about why they chose to join the organization and what they see in the group’s future.

Raquel Diaz said joining the sorority gave her the chance to get involved on WSU’s campus activities, meet new people, and make friends. Diaz said the existing fraternities and sororities on campus “had open arms” and have been welcoming to the new sorority, inviting their members to social gatherings going on in the community.

Adriana De La O, another Lambda Pi Upsilon member, said she decided to join the sorority because she wanted to be “a part of an organization” that she “fully committed herself to” and “work to better the organization as well.” She said she learned about the sorority when the expansion director gave a presentation this spring. De La O said she enjoyed the new member presentation because it helped her “break out of her shell” and the WSU community’s support for Lambda Pi Upsilon was encouraging.

Julisa Martinez said she joined the organization because

she “wanted to be a part of something new.” As a business major, Martinez said she believes she will be able to make a positive impact in forming and expanding the sorority.

Martinez said the founding line presentation was energizing to her because of the WSU Greek community’s support.

She said Lambda Pi Upsilon is planning several events with the rest of the fraternities and sororities that she is looking forward to. As far as the activities that the sorority has been involved in to date, there have been a few significant events like a take the League Seminar and a leadership summit for ODI this week, but since the organization is still new, it’s still establishing upcoming events and programs.

The three sorority members said they want people to know that Lambda Pi is all-inclusive.

As an organization, Lambda Pi Upsilon has a Latina-based tradition, but is open for all women to join.

Adriana said the main goal of the sorority is to “empower women to feel their best self and to be more involved on campus.”

She said she hopes to attract a variety of women on campus to the sorority. Martinez said she wants potential new recruits to know that their input will matter, and that because the organization is new, new recruits will be able to help shape Lambda Pi to make what they want out of it.

INSIDE

LOSING CULTURE

SHOCKTOBERFEST

NEW HOME

Check out the WSU community’s hot takes.

Beloved Wichita establishments keep closing their doors.

Pumpkin Run and Trunk or Treat kicked off Shocktoberfest festivities.

WSU Rowing finally gets a boathouse.

OPINION • PAGE 2

OPINION • PAGE 2

CULTURE • PAGE 3

SPORTS • PAGE 4

OPINION LINE

OPINION/CULTURE

2 | MONDAY OCT. 22, 2018

www.thesunflower.com

THE STAFF EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief Matthew Kelly

www.thesunflower.com

Gentrification robs Wichita of its cultural identity

Digital Managing Editor Andrew Linnabary Visual Managing Editor Madeline Deabler

OPINION LINE

News Editor Jenna Farhat Culture Editor John Darr Sports Editor Evan Pflugradt Photo Editor Selena Favela Sports Photo Editor Joseph Barringhaus

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ADVISING

Faculty Adviser Amy DeVault

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Send letters to the editor to editor@thesunflower.com or submit at thesunflower.com. Please keep letters to 400 words or less. All letters are edited for clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes.

Our Mission

The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learnig experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

KENZIE BORLAND COLUMNIST

I

was young when Joyland closed, but even as a kid I knew that the closing of the beloved amusement park was huge. In the last year especially, we’ve had our fair share of sad goodbyes with beloved Wichita places. So many spots are gone, changed, or no longer accessible.

In just the last year, the people of Wichita have witnessed the closing of Value Center, Mead’s Corner, The Palace movie theater, Starlite DriveIn, Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, and the complete destruction of Natzger Park.

The things that made Wichita special are being bulldozed and replaced by luxury apartments and big food chains — leaving little resources left for lower/middle-income people in the city.

Mead’s Corner was forced to close because of rising rent prices. That leaves almost nowhere left in the downtown area to get an affordable cup of coffee. Value Center, the

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once-major thrift store downtown and a safe haven for college students looking to get affordable used clothing, was also forced to close because of the rent hikes in recent years.

The Palace and the Starlite DriveIn, which provided cheap movie alternatives to the expensive Warren and AMC, are also no more. The iconic Lawrence-Dumont Stadium is getting bulldozed by the end of the year in exchange for a $29.5 million renovation.

As these beloved establishments vanish, I think it’s important to ask ourselves some questions. Is the growth and prosperity of Wichita worth it when people are getting left behind? Is it worth it when resources

are being stripped away from those who are lower or middle-income? Is it worth it when we are losing places with significant history to this city?

I witnessed gentrification in its most extreme form during the time that I lived in San Francisco, California. The city, the one that I fell in love with from the second I stepped foot there, lost its culture and uniqueness in just three years as the tech industry moved into the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

In my experience, the only people who like the gentrification happening in Wichita are the ones benefiting from it. It’s not worth the “growth” when the city you love is no longer recognizable.

Wichita’s newest concert venue is modern, energized

ELLA DOMINGUEZ MUSIC CRITIC

With a gorgeous neon sign in the front and a massive inflatable pumpkin in the back, Wave is hard to miss. Located in Downtown Wichita just minutes from Old Town, Wave is a brand new concert venue that had its grand opening Friday.

What this venue lacks in parking and security, it makes up for in a positive atmosphere and aesthetics.

Featuring both an indoor and outdoor stage that can fit up to 3000 concert-goers, Wave provides the type of large-scale art venue that Wichita was missing. Both stages are equipped with professional-level tech, boasting brand new speakers and stage lights.

With a name like Wave, I expected a place that was modern and energized. My expectations were more than met. The staff was friendly, the facilities were clean and well-kept, and the quality of

music was impressive. At Wave, there is space for every type of music lover. You can hang out at a table towards the back with a drink, or you can rage like mad in the front. I chose the latter. Days later, my body is still sore from dancing so much.

The opening night featured a lineup of impressive local talent.

Familiar names such as Team Tremolo, The Cavves, and Kill Vargas all had strong showings.

By giving Wichita artists a place to showcase their skills, Wave is already off to a great start.

Logan Bush, drummer for Kill Vargas, said Friday’s grand opening “incredible.”

“Way better than anything I could have expected,” Bush said.

Kill Vargas always draws a crowd, and Friday night was no different. Fans could easily mosh without having to worry about breaking chairs, denting walls, or shattering ceiling lights — a major problem for Wichita shows that aren’t in an actual concert venue.

“Seems like there’s 800 people here right now,” Bush estimated.

“It’s super cool to see people just out to support local music and local venues.”

When asked what Wave could potentially mean for the Wichita music scene moving forward, Bush

Practice what you tweet “The midterm elections are extremely important. The low voter turnout is embarrassing. Everyone should be registered to vote.” “I would get more involved, but I have too much stuff going on. My vote doesn’t really count. I’m sick of politics. I don’t have enough time to canvas.”

This administration has uncovered many broken aspects of the U.S. government. It has also uncovered a very serious flaw in its citizenship — a strong desire for attention by calling for action, but not desiring to take part in the actions themselves.

That would require more than writing a few sentences on Twitter from the comfort of your smart phone or the occasional impassioned post on Facebook decrying the complacency of the eligible voting population while also saying you don’t want to canvas your community because you don’t have enough time, or because that would require walking.

You can send a 280-character rallying cry to your followers, but you can’t ask your neighbor if they are registered to vote, or if they would like to sign up for an advanced ballot.

You can ‘like’ a post by James Thompson or Ron Estes, but you are much too busy to volunteer and actually support their

I think I’m pregnant.

After 84 years of baseball, historic Lawrence-Dumont Stadium is set for demolition.

Making a Wave

Legal

The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. The opinions expressed in The Sunflower editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters and editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, publications board, student body or university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

I really hope that Jaiden Soupene, liberal arts & sciences senator, is reconsidering his reasons for idolizing Susan Collins right now. There’s nothing “levelheaded” or “pretty moderate” about Collins throwing support behind a sexual predator and a rushed confirmation vote.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR campaigns. You can denounce the faceless masses you say aren’t registered to vote, but you would never dare ask them if they would like to register. That would require adding a name, a face, a voice, an opinion, and maybe the smallest bit of confidence.

This is not a critique of the Sunflower. This is not a rallying cry.

This is a wakeup call. The people who should be ashamed of themselves are you — the Twitter warrior, the knight of Facebook, you who wields the keyboard yet cowers from the shadow of humanity.

Stone up. Take part. Make the difference you electronically cry out for, or shut your mouth and stay in the corner while real people make a real effort in their community to attempt real change.

— Erik Cortez Communication student

said “it’s a lot of opportunity to network and meet promoters that bring in real national bands — a lot of opportunity to come out and see how a real venue functions.”

“It’s not like the Donut Whole.

This is the real deal,” Bush said.

Wave already has multiple events planned for the rest of the season — spanning from classic country shows to 90s-themed raves. If Friday was any indication of how successful this venue will be, I believe Wave will have a very bright future.

We wish The Sunflower would report on the known conflicts of interest instead of the theoretical.

Students who live in the dorms should be required to park further away in the student parking lots because they never move their cars! Free up some of the closer spots!

Hey Shockers! Time to speak your mind at the voting booth.

We Kansans are a fiercely independent and courageous people and we deserve a governor who’ll serve us instead of party bosses. Nov. 6! Go vote!

Jared Kushner is the director of the Office of American Innovation.

I’m surprised how many people can afford eating at Freddy’s, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, or Pizza Hut every day.

Cool beans! I now know the difference between adjectives and adverbs — thanks to my Spanish professor.

Submit anonymous opinions — 40 words or less — via the Opinion Line tab on thesunflower.com homepage, or email them to opline@thesunflower.com.

CULTURE

www.thesunflower.com

MONDAY OCT. 22, 2018

tricks & treats

Pumpkin Run, Trunk or Treat, kick off Shocktoberfest

BY ELLA DOMINGUEZ

S

hocktoberfest kicked off this weekend with a sprint. Early Saturday morning, hundreds of people gathered together to participate in Wichita State’s annual Pumpkin Run 5K. Costume highlights included a huge, inflatable pineapple, a kid dressed up as a hot dog, and a giant squirrel. While this has always been a family fun event featuring crafts, music, and a dancing pumpkin, this year, Pumpkin Run went the extra mile.

Every three years, Pumpkin Run hosts a competition to select a new charitable partner. When members of Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc. found out about this competition, they leapt at the chance and ended up winning for their

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local philanthropy, ICT SOS, an organization dedicated to combating human trafficking in Wichita.

For the next three years, one dollar from every registered runner will be donated directly to ICT SOS. Another Shocktoberfest tradition, Trunk or Treat, took place Saturday afternoon. Hosted

by Student Involvement, Wichita families participated in a safe and fun trick or treating experience as various student organizations and academic departments sponsored cars and gave out free candy to all the kids craving a sugar rush.

Participation this year hit an all-time high and left organizers scrambling to find enough candy for everyone. After a last-minute candy dash, every munchkin with a sweet tooth left Trunk or Treat with sore feet and overflowing candy baskets.

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ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

1. A kid slides down the inflatable during Wichita State’s Trunk or Treat event Saturday afternoon. 2. A young girl gets her face painted during WSU’s Trunk or Treat Saturday afternoon.

3. For kids not quite old enough to run, there were crafts and games they could play.

4. Finishing strong, this unicorn power couple crosses the finish line during Wichita State’s annual Pumpkin Run 5K on Saturday. 5. Kids jump on the inflatables during Wichita State’s Trunk or Treat event that took place on Saturday afternoon.

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ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

KENZIE BORLAND/THE SUNFLOWER

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KENZIE BORLAND/THE SUNFLOWER

6. Students representing Gamma Phi Beta wave and hand out candy to kids on Saturday afternoon during Trunk or Treat at WSU. 7. For kids not quite old enough to run, there were crafts and games they could play during Wichita State’s annual Pumpkin Run 5K on Saturday. 8. Kids feed animals at the petting zoo during WSU’s annual Trunk or Treat.

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Oct. 22

Oct. 23

Oct. 24

Oct. 26

WU’S BIRTHDAY BASH

HUNGER GAMES

DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

CHRIS MOON: GHOST HUNTER

Time: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Time: 2 – 4 p.m.

Time: 6 p.m.

Time: 8 p.m.

Location: RSC East Courtyard

Location: RSC North Patio

Location: Heskett Center

Location: CAC Theater

Cost: Free!

Cost: Register through Community Service Board

Cost: Free!

Cost: Free! for students, $3 faculty/ staff, $5 general

Are you bummed that your birthday only comes once a year? Come celebrate Wu’s Birthday Bash and vicariously live through our friendly and fibrous mascot! There will be games, a WuShock meet and greet, and, of course, birthday cake.

What if the Hunger Games were real, but instead of killing people, they saved lives? The Community Service Board has done their best to make that dream come alive with Shocktoberfest’s Hunger Games. You’ll collect as many canned good and hygiene items as you can with your team, aka your district, to craft a glorious cornucopia. Volunteer as tribute by contacting csb@wichita. edu and registering.

While team registration for the tournament is closed, you can still watch your fellow Shockers humiliate themselves and others in the gymnasium during Shocktoberfest’s Dodgeball Tournament. Hype up and heckle your favorite team to victory as they throw fluffy balls at each other and take everything very seriously indeed.

Paranormal investigator Chris Moon of television and radio fame will be dropping by Wichita State for a hunt of ghostly proportions. He’ll be giving a presentation on boos and spooks before taking a select group of participants on a ghost hunt across campus. If you are into getting scared and educated at the same time, be sure to hit this presentation to get into the Shocktoberfest spirit.

INFORMATION COMPILED

BY JOHN DARR

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SPORTS

4 | MONDAY OCT. 22, 2018

From portajohn to proper home

www.thesunflower.com

BOOS & MOOS

KHANH NGUYEN/THE SUNFLOWER

Head Coach Calvin Cupp talks about the history of the Shocker Rowing Team during the boathouse grand opening Saturday.

WSU rowing finally gets boathouse

BY ANDREW LINNABARY

Calvin Cupp has spent nights with his rowing team sleeping in warehouses, fire stations, and on gym floors.

“We had a portajohn in a parking lot in a trailer,” Cupp said.

But after a decade of working with the city, donors, and other sponsors, the team now has a permanent home.

Cupp and his rowers unveiled the boathouse Saturday afternoon to a crowd of 100 people.

“This is going to be a hub of outdoor and fitness activity,” Cupp said.

“You’ll be able take a paddleboard or canoe out, take a class, have a party here, or some combination of that.”

The boathouse, named Boats and Bikes, houses the rowing team’s fleet of 33 racing shells and equipment. It’s located at the downtown River Vista apartment complex.

The boathouse includes locker rooms, kitchenette, a laundry area, and a charging station for electronics. It’s also built into the riverbank, and features outdoor seating for anyone — not just the rowing team — to enjoy.

The rowing team’s new home has been a long time coming for Cupp, who has been with WSU rowing since the fall of 1999.

Delinda Royse, director of development at WSU, has worked with him 17 of those years.

“What he’s done is very impressive,” Royce said. “They used to store

their boats in an old fire station in town, and then trailer them out and then back in two trips because there were so many.

“That’s the one thing with Calvin — it is about the program. And it is amazing to me how much he has done with so little allocated.”

The rowing team is allocated about $230,000 through student fees, Cupp said. After donations and other contributions, their total budget is about $350,000 — less than half of the $800,000 or so that some Division 1 programs pull, Cupp said.

“And we still beat D-1 programs,” Cupp said.

Being around Cupp for so many years has made one thing clear to Royce: Cupp has dedicated everything to making sure he leaves the rowing team in a better, more permanent place than when he joined it.

“He never quits on his kids — his students, his rowers,” Royce said. “I love it.”

Now the rowers feel more of an expectation to deliver in the season, biology sophomore Emmy Brown said.

“The pressure is on.”

Media arts sophomore John Spurgeon said operating out of a trailer made WSU rowing “feel special” and like an “underdog” compared to other teams, but he definitely loves the new boathouse.

“It’s amazing,” Spurgeon said.

“This makes us more official.”

MARSHALL SUNNER/THE SUNFLOWER

Mason O’Brien (Inflatable Cow) holds Casen Cross (Baby Cow) after the SCREAMage on Saturday at Eck Stadium.

MARSHALL SUNNER/THE SUNFLOWER

Above, Aric talks to his son, Aiden, during SCREAMage festivities at Eck Stadium on Saturday. Above right, Zari reacts after her getting a temporary tattoo. Right, Mika blows a spider with a straw.

Wichita State volleyball loses third straight after five sets against league’s worst

BY EVAN PFLUGRADT

With eyes set on post-season play, Head Coach Chris Lamb has some work to do as Wichita State volleyball heads into the second half of conference play with a losing record.

WSU volleyball lost to the American Conference’s worst, Houston, in a five-set match Sunday.

Houston entered the contest having lost all eight conference games this season. Houston won the match in the fifth set 15-13, after WSU won the first two sets of the match.

WSU has lost three consecutive games for the second time this season. Friday, WSU lost to Southern Methodist in five sets.

Lamb has repeatedly said he was “frustrated” this season, with the team “still lacking a signature win.”

WSU has nine wins and 11 losses, and has lost five of nine conference games. Just one of WSU’s conference wins — home against Tulane — is against a team ranked in the top half of the conference standings. “[Conference opponents] seem to want this more,” Lamb said on his weekly coaches’ show. “I am not

TAT MAICHAN/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State guard Dexter Dennis responds to a question during an interview at media day on Oct. 16, 2018 at Koch Arena.

JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State’s Tabitha Brown digs a ball during the game against Tulane on Sept. 21, 2018 at Koch Arena.

wired to expect that anybody wants [to win] more than we do.”

This preseason, AAC coaches picked WSU to win the conference after the Shockers went undefeated in their inaugural season. The Shockers are now tied for fifth place in the conference.

WSU lost much of their blocking upfront to a large graduating class last season. Lamb took another hit this season with the absence

of sophomore Emma Wright, who has missed time with a broken thumb. Senior Kali Eaken finished her season last week after leaving with an apparent knee injury.

Megan Taflinger, who has battled a strained abdominal muscle, returned to action in Sunday’s game. Taflinger played in limited action Friday against SMU. Lamb described Taflinger’s condition as “day-to-day.”

Shocker freshman seen in boot

BY MARSHALL SUNNER

A Wichita State’s men’s basketball player could potentially miss playing time.

Freshman Dexter Dennis was seen in a boot in a post on his Instagram story Friday evening.

Text in the video read “MRI.” WSU played a closed scrimmage at home against Oklahoma State Sunday afternoon. It’s unclear whether or not Dennis played in the

scrimmage, which was closed to media members and the public.

Head Coach Gregg Marshall has described Dexter as having a “ready-made Division I body walking in the door.”

Dennis played for Believe Prep Academy in Tennessee last season. He is listed a two-star athlete by VerbalCommits.

He is 6-foot-5 and is expected to split time playing both the shooting guard and small forward positions.

KenPom predicts 18-win season for Shockers

BY EVAN PFLUGRADT

Wichita State is ranked No. 72 in KenPom’s preseason rankings.

The Shockers finished No. 21 in KenPom’s rankings last season.

Gregg Marshall’s team is one of the youngest and most inexperienced in the country. WSU returns just 11 percent of their minutes from last season, and senior Markis McDuffie is the only player to have more than a season of Division-I playing experience.

WSU is the fifth-best American Athletic Conference team in KenPom’s rankings. Southern Methodist (37), Cincinnati (44), Houston (45), and Central Florida (72), were all ranked ahead of the Shockers. The University of Kansas is No. 1 in the rankings.

KenPom’s scouting report has WSU playing five Tier-A games. A game in Tier A represents a top-50 opponent with adjustments for the location of the game. KenPom predicts scores for all games. The projections have WSU losing all Tier-A games.

KenPom predicts WSU to finish with an 18-10 record, winning 11 of 18 conference games. WSU has won at least 25 games for the last nine seasons. If WSU were to finish with less than 20 wins, it would be the first time since 200809, when the Shockers posted a 17-17 record.

WSU was picked by AAC coaches last week to finish No. 8 in the conference. The Shockers finished second in the conference a season ago.

KENZIE BORLAND/THE SUNFLOWER

Markis McDuffie, Dexter Dennis, Ricky Torres and Morris Udeze hang out during media day at Koch Arena on Oct. 16, 2018.