Daishon Smith and others emerge for Wichita State as Shockers continue Canadian tour

The new-look Wichita State Shockers are now halfway through their Canadian exhibition tour. Thus far, they have defeated the University of Quebec-Montreal 107-58 on Thursday and fell, 100-75, to Carleton University. There’s no shame falling to Carleton, of course; they’re winners of 12 of the last 14 Canadian College National Championships.

While these games don’t count for anything, they are significant in their own way. These are, after all, the first two games the Shockers have played without Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker since 2011.

Without them, the Shockers will have to look to some unproven, but seemingly capable, talent.

Veteran guard Conner Frankamp has averaged 13.5 points through the first two games. Frankamp, known for his ability to knock down threes, is making just fewer than 50 percent of his attempts, as he’s gone 4-9 from downtown, in a small sample.

Fellow guard Landry Shamet has also had a decent showing thus far. The sophomore, who saw little playing time as a freshman, has also averaged 13.5 points per game.

One player who has also shined for the Shockers so far is junior guard transfer Daishon Smith. Smith played at East Florida State College and Tallhassee Community College before being recruited by and eventually signing with Wichita State. Smith has put up 10 points in each of the Shockers’ games. Head coach Gregg Marshall is relying on Smith heavily to help replace the ever-valuable VanVleet.

The Wichita State Shockers have two games left in their Canadian exhibition tour. They play McGill University Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. and then face the Indisport All-Stars on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. This will give the Shockers’ coaching staff a better idea of where the team is.

Stay tuned for more updates as their tour continues.