Two junior guards, Fred Van Vleet and Ron Baker, have announced that they will return to Wichita State for their senior year instead of entering the NBA draft.This past season, Van Vleet averaged 13.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.5 rebounds, while Baker averaged 14.7 points, 2.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds. The decision to come back for their senior season could be because of head coach Gregg Marshall's decision to stay after accepting a new contract with Wichita State.
Van Vleet and Baker are the foundation of Wichita State's emergence of being a household name in college basketball. Although they did not start, they were both bench players their freshman year on that cinderella team that made it to the Final Four. Their sophomore year, they helped Wichita State to an undefeated season entering the NCAA Tournament (only to be elimated by Kentucky in the second round). This past season, they went to the Sweet 16 and were defeated by Notre Dame.
According to Draftexpress.com, Baker is projected as the 33rd pick and Van Vleet is projected as the 54th pick in next year's NBA draft.
The return of Baker and Van Vleet means we can expect one thing from Wichita State next year, and that is to make another NCAA Tournament run. They will also be getting Conner Frankamp, who is a transfer from Kansas that is a proficient 3-point shooter. Since Northern Iowa is losing Seth Tuttle due to graduation, the Missouri Valley Conference will have Wichita State's name written all over it.