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After three seasons of teasing Wichita State fans with potential, Garrett Stutz is delivering production in his last go-round with the Shockers.

The 7-foot senior has emerged as the leading scorer and rebounder on a Wichita State team that will visit Omaha on Saturday with thoughts of ending the Missouri Valley Conference championship race.

A victory against Creighton would give the Shockers a two-game lead with three to play. It also could boost Stutz into strong consideration for an honor few would have associated him with at the start of the season.

Garrett Stutz, Missouri Valley player of the year.

Far-fetched? Consider this: The last player to win the Valley's top individual honor who didn't play for the team that won or shared the championship was Creighton's Kyle Korver in 2003.

Paul Miller was hardly the best player in the league in 2006, but the Shockers won the title that season. So Miller, the leading scorer on a balanced Wichita State team, walked away with the award.

Stutz might not be having a season to compare with Creighton's Doug McDermott or Evansville's Colt Ryan but if the Shockers win the championship, don't be surprised if more than one voter puts him atop his or her ballot.

And that's no knock on Stutz. He's emerged as a star after playing a supporting role his first three seasons. A guy that Kentucky recruited out of high school in Kansas City wasn't a bust, but he also hadn't lived up to the promise many thought he possessed when he joined the Wichita State program.

"People forget that he was a highly touted recruit," Indiana State coach Greg Lansing said. "It's not like Wichita got him without anyone else having interest in him."

In addition to Kentucky, Stutz was pursued by power conference teams such as Kansas State and Iowa State. Nebraska recruited him. So did Northwestern.

He averaged 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds a game in his first year as a Shocker.

"In retrospect, I wish I would have redshirted him that first season," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "But after the first season that I had here, only winning 11 games, I knew we needed to win some games that year.

"If he were a redshirt junior this year, I think he'd be showing up on (NBA) draft boards in a year. I still think he's going to play in the NBA. I can't imagine how good he's going to be a year from now or four years from now."

Stutz made progress as a sophomore, averaging 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. He played well in the conference tournament, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. His junior numbers were comparable to those he posted as a sophomore: 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 rebounds.

He again finished the season strong, helping the Shockers win the NIT and earning a spot on the all-tourney team.

He averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two games Wichita State played in Madison Square Garden. He's followed that up with a breakout final season, averaging 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 82.5 percent from the free-throw line.

He scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 82-57 mauling of Northern Iowa for his league-best ninth double-double of the season. Those numbers weren't as impressive as the 24 and 15 he posted in last Saturday's five-point win against Lansing's Sycamores.

"He's just very, very skilled," Lansing said. "He has tremendous hands, and if you try to go double him before he bounces it, he'll pick you apart with his passing. He's very unselfish, and he's going to make the right play most of the time.

"He's going to be an NBA player, and I think their guys have done a great job of developing him."

Which is easier said than done in a league such as the Valley. Big men like Stutz are in short supply. Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson remembers the trials and tribulations that went along with the development of 7-footer Jordan Eglseder.

Eglseder could hardly stay on the court early in his career but wound up being a solid performer on the Panthers' 2009 and 2010 NCAA tournament teams.

Jacobson said it took a while for Eglseder's mobility and balance to catch up with his size and skills. The coach is seeing the same thing from Stutz this season.

"Guys that size, there aren't very many of them out there," Jacobson said. "Jordan's mobility and balance improved so much in his final seasons, and I think we're seeing the same thing out of Stutz this season.

"I think that's just part of the normal development for a young guy with that size. The only way to make that happen is to work and spend a lot of time improving his strength so that his balance and mobility get better. You can tell Stutz has put in that time and has really worked to become one of the elite guys in our league."

Stutz attended a camp for big men last summer. He's worked hard in the weight room, adding more than 35 pounds since he joined the program as a 218-pound freshman. He's refined his skills.

"To see some of the things he's doing now is amazing," Marshall said. "He's gotten stronger, a little quicker, a little more explosive. And it's been a gradual thing, and I think that's what folks don't understand.

"When you're 7-feet tall, it takes a little longer. I can't even imagine how a guy that big approaches the mundane, everyday tasks we take for granted."

Ask Marshall about Stutz's character, and you'll get a testimonial that makes the young man a candidate to marry your daughter.

"He's one of the finest young men I've been associated with in 27 years of coaching," Marshall said. "His heart is just golden."

Now, Stutz has a game to go along with it.

Contact the writer:

402-679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

twitter.com/PivOWH

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