Bears down to eight players heading into game at Wichita St.

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Jehle out for season with break in wrist

Missouri State's basketball team is down to eight available players for Tuesday night's game at Wichita State.

This after Ryan Jehle suffered a broken bone in his right wrist during Saturday night's 84-65 loss at Evansville.



An MRI taken Sunday revealed a broken scaphoid navicular bone, said athletic trainer Ivan Milton. Jehle is out for the rest of the season.

"I remember when it happened, but I'm not really sure how I hurt it," Jehle said.

Jehle said it's possible he fell back onto the wrist as he scored, and was fouled, with 14:39 remaining in the first half. The pain increased as the game progressed, though Jehle wound up playing eight minutes in the first half and 10 in the second half.

He wound up being one of the team's few bright spots in the loss to the lowly Aces, finishing with eight points and four rebounds.

The wrist pain contributed to 1-for-4 second-half free-throw shooting, he said.



The Bears already are without starting center Drew Richards, who's missed seven games with mono, and guard Shane Laurie, out the last three games with a concussion.

They both will miss at least one more game.

Jehle had eight points against Evansville, matching his career scoring high.

Guard Justin Fuehrmeyer said the Bears must play smarter basketball with the depleted roster. Deven Mitchell and Chris Cooks both fouled out at Evansville with Cooks doing so in nine minutes.

The Bears are 1-9 away from home and 0-4 in conference road games.

Their Evansville experience became more miserable when the flight home was diverted, at the last-minute, to Harrison, Ark., due to fog.

A shuttle bus from Springfield was called and the team arrived home about 3:50 a.m. Sunday.

"Everyone is kind of down," Fuehrmeyer said. "We've just got to look forward to our next game and figure some stuff out.

"The biggest thing is we have to stick together as a team. We have to be there for one another in everything we do."

Wichita State also is hurting, down to eight healthy scholarship players. The Shockers are 0-5 in Valley home games.

 

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Notes

? WSU is 0-5 in Missouri Valley Conference home games. MSU is 0-4 in MVC road games. The Bears are coming off an 84-65 loss at Evansville, previously winless in the MVC. MSU shot 37.7 percent from the field. Evansville made 12 of 22 three-pointers and out-rebounded MSU 38-34.

? The Bears are down to eight healthy players. C Drew Richards, who started 15 games, is expected to miss his seventh game with mononucleosis. G Shane Laurie, who started eight, is out with a concussion. Reserve F Ryan Jehle broke his right wrist against Evansville and is out for the season. Neither Richards nor Shane Laurie played in MSU's 71-47 win over WSU earlier this season.

? Lamberth averages 15.9 points in Valley games, boosted by a career-high 27 against the Shockers. He made 6 of 9 threes.

? WSU coach Gregg Marshall has coached against Mitchell twice -- once last season at Winthrop and this season. "I love his motor," Marshall said. "He's a competitor. Every play. Every game."

? Clemente missed one game with a broken little finger on his left hand. Marshall suspects it still bothers him. "He's basically playing with about one-and-a-half hands," Marshall said. "He never uses that left hand. He has a hard time going and getting (the ball) with his left hand."

? RPIs as of Monday: MSU 121, WSU 178

? Senior Matt Braeuer will miss his ninth game due to a concussion. Freshman walk-on Bret Michael, slowed by strained ligaments in his knee, did not practice Monday. He has missed four games.

 

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Injuries have forced Marshall to rush development of Shockers' future


PLANNING AHEAD

Halfway through the Missouri Valley Conference schedule, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall is trying to win against pretty long odds. He is also shaping his roster for the future. He has three scholarship freshmen -- J.T. Durley, Aaron Ellis and Graham Hatch -- who may be part of better times in the future. If they continue to improve. If they meet Marshall's standards. If they weather the frustrations of this season.

With injuries and a roster light on experience, Marshall had no choice but to throw every available body into the battle. Hatch and Ellis both would have benefited from a redshirt season. Durley, who redshirted last season, would benefit from tougher competition for playing time.

"In an ideal situation, none of the three would be playing very much at this stage of their careers," Marshall said. "Their games would be practice, in an ideal situation. Not only are they playing, their play becomes a factor in the outcome."

WSU, losers of six straight games, plays Missouri State tonight and Marshall will again depend on the three freshmen more than he would like. All three have had their moments, despite being thrust into a difficult situation. All three are inconsistent, their minutes and production go up and down from half to half, game to game.

"It's been bumpy," Ellis said. "I'm just trying to keep a positive attitude and trying to work and develop quicker so I can help the team more."

The plus and minus for each freshman is easy to figure out.

? Durley (6-foot-7, 237 pounds) possesses good, sometimes breath-taking offensive skills. He struggles on defense. He scored a season-high 18 points in 16 minutes against Northern Iowa last week. Saturday, he played 11 minutes against Bradley and scored two points.

"He needs to learn how to compete more consistently, defend and rebound," Marshall said.

? Hatch (6-4, 206) gives WSU a much-needed outside shooting threat. The other parts of his game are not as developed. He is coming off two years away from the sport while on a Mormon mission. Injuries pushed him into the starting lineup, much more playing time than he expected.

"Quickness has been my issue, on defense and off-the-dribble moves," Hatch said. "Two years taking off kind of messes with your body a little bit when you're not in it for that long."

? Ellis (6-7, 197) plays behind senior P.J. Couisnard and often receives the least amount of playing time in recent games. Marshall is trying to figure out if Ellis is best as a big wing player or a quick inside player.

"He needs to work to be stronger and more consistent with his shot and more efficient with his ball-handling," Marshall said.

The mental grind of a losing season is not a problem for Hatch. He said the working during his mission in Spokane, Wash., helped him mature and handle adversity. He also said Marshall helps the team stay positive.

"He probably takes (losing) the hardest of anybody, but the next day he's always the most positive," Hatch said. "He does things that show you he really wants to win again. He installed some new offensive things, new ways to score since we're having a hard time scoring. Defensively, he's always looking at tape."

Next season's team will look much different from this one, with at least four new faces and probably more. The second half of the MVC season is also about finding out whom Marshall wants in the program and who wants to remain a Shocker. Marshall said he gave his players a list of things they must do -- improve as basketball players, do the right things off the court and produce when given playing time.

"I'm asking for production," he said. "Those three things we've asked all of them, going forward. If you've got guys going out being knuckleheads out in the community, not being smart, or not giving effort on the court, it's probably not the best decision to let them remain in your program."

Progress abroad -- Ehimen Orukpe, a 7-foot center from Nigeria, is still waiting on exit exam results that will allow him to attend WSU.

He may be able to leave the country and come to Wichita before the results are made public, Marshall said. Orukpe has an appointment with the United States embassy in Lagos next month. He will try to get a student visa.

"It's a step," Marshall said. "He's still not here, but it's better than it was before."