How Corey Washington went from non-shooter to game-winning 3 for Shocker basketball

When Corey Washington was a freshman in college, he didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer at Saint Peter’s.

It wasn’t part of his game and he didn’t have the confidence to shoot from deep.

What a difference two years can make.

It’s hard to believe it was the same player who didn’t hesitate to pull a contested 3-pointer in the final two minutes of a tied game on Monday.

Not only did Washington’s triple ultimately help lift Wichita State to a 70-66 win over Monmouth, it showed just how far he has come in his collegiate career and the work he has invested to improve his game.

“It’s stuff I work on every day,” Washington said. “I was just ready to make the shot.”

It’s been a steady progression from the outside for the 6-foot-5 forward from Little Rock, Arkansas. After not shooting beyond the arc his first year at Saint Peter’s, Washington connected on 24-for-78 for a 30.8% success rate last season.

But he was committed to improving and spent the entire summer and fall working on his outside shot at Koch Arena. The early returns on his improved 3-point stroke have been encouraging, as he has knocked down 5 of 8 shots beyond the arc this season — none bigger than the one he drilled with 1:37 remaining in Monday’s game.

“We tell him, ‘You’ve got to catch the ball thinking shot,’” WSU head coach Paul Mills said. “To his credit, he got the ball in the air with his feet in the air the second that ball hit his hands. He was loaded, ready to get it out.”

It was the kind of shot Washington, whose natural inclination is to attack the basket, would have never even considered hoisting two years ago. He probably would have turned it down last year, too.

But when WSU point guard Justin Hill penetrated the paint and Washington’s defender took a step toward him to cut off the drive, Washington had made up his mind. Even though the kick-out pass was outside of his shooting pocket, Washington bounced his feet in rhythm and shot confidently over the strong contest from Monmouth’s 6-foot-5 junior Madison Durr.

Shocker fans watched with bated breath as the ball sailed through the air. They had been disappointed so many times throughout the night with WSU clanking 13 of 14 long-range attempts before Washington’s shot. But when this one swished, the crowd of 5,582 erupted in unison.

Thirty seconds later, Washington was finishing a fast break with a two-handed jam that secured WSU’s 4-0 start.

“I saw a killer kill,” said WSU guard Harlond Beverly. “It was winning time and he made the shot. That’s what I’m used to. I see it every day. I’m glad (the fans) got to see it.”

It was an euphoric ending that covered for a peculiar performance from the Shockers.

Take Washington, for example. Although he scored a game-high 20 points, the junior forward missed a handful of point-blank shots and committed five turnovers — several in careless fashion.

The Shockers delivered their worst shooting performance of the season, highlighted by 11 missed free throws, against a defense that ranked among the nation’s worst entering the game. WSU’s offense came up empty on at least three straight possessions a total of seven times against Monmouth and its 0.79 points per possession in the first half marked WSU’s worst production of any half this season.

For the first time this season, WSU’s offense came to a grinding halt for a prolonged period. There was a nearly 11-minute stretch in the first half, spanning 21 straight possessions, when the Shockers missed 10 straight shots and went without a field goal.

“We could have been pretty disappointed in allowing an 0-4 team to come into our gym and get their first win,” Mills said. “We’re not going to lose sight of that reality. We have to be a lot better.”

The evening had an inauspicious start when center Quincy Ballard was a late scratch to the lineup to rest an ankle injury. That left WSU with one healthy center in Matej Bosnjak, as senior Zane Meeks is still recovering from a knee injury.

To make matters worse, senior forward Ronnie DeGray III, the emergency option at backup center, injured his left wrist on a fall during the first half of Monday’s game. He played sparingly after the injury, then exited the game with 13:43 remaining in the second half and did not return after being evaluated by WSU trainer Todd Fagan.

Playing without its 6-foot-11 star center and having DeGray limited to just nine minutes, the Shockers allowed Monmouth to win the rebounding battle, 41-34, and gave up 11 offensive rebounds.

“I thought some of it was just who was in the game,” Mills acknowledged.

When WSU found itself shorthanded and locked in a battle with a 16.5-point underdog, Mills placed his trust in veterans. The lineup of Hill, Xavier Bell, Beverly, Washington and Bosnjak played the final 7:44 together without a substitution, winning those minutes 22-14 to erase a four-point deficit and lead the team to victory. The unit played a total of 15:31 together in the game and outscored Monmouth 40-24 in 28 possessions.

After the offense sputtered for the entire game, the closing unit manufactured points on all seven possessions inside the final three minutes of the game to help WSU rally for the win.

“We played our best when our best was required,” Mills said. “Your team needs to find some resolve when it matters and the crowd played a big part in that.”