Isaac Abidde relishes first taste of crunch time in Wichita State basketball’s SMU win

For nearly his entire time on the Wichita State men’s basketball team, Isaac Abidde has had to wait.

When he opted for a redshirt season with the Shockers over a gap year at a prep school last fall, Abidde had to wait.

When this year rolled around and he was finally eligible to start playing, Abidde had to wait his turn mostly on the bench for the better part of the first two months of the season.

This past Sunday, Abidde had no time to wait. For the first time in his brief career, the wiry 6-foot-9 freshman was on the court for WSU when the game was being decided, quite the welcome-to-the-AAC moment coming on the road at SMU.

“I’ve been playing basketball my whole life, so it didn’t feel like too much pressure to me,” Abidde said. “Next time I just have to step up and make my free throws.”

Abidde’s first experience in crunch time came with mixed results: He was beating himself up for missing three of four free throws in the final two minutes, but he also scored an impressive three-point play, grabbed a crucial rebound in the final seconds and put the finishing touches on WSU’s 71-69 win over SMU.

Not too shabby for a 19-year-old still trying to find his way at this level. The Shockers (10-9, 3-4 AAC) return home to play Tulane (12-7, 5-3 AAC) in an 8 p.m. game Wednesday at Koch Arena broadcast on ESPNU.

“I don’t know if it was a breakthrough,” said Abidde, who had not played in the final 10 minutes of a close game in the second half before Sunday. “I don’t know what the coaches have in store for me, but I’m just going to keep working hard in practice every day, stay up and stay confident.”

Even though he had never seen Abidde respond to pressure-filled moments near the end of close games, WSU head coach Isaac Brown trusted his gut and decided to give the Albany, Georgia, native an opportunity at power forward when he subbed him in with 9:23 remaining in the second half.

Because of his limited exposure, WSU fans only know Abidde as a high-flying dunker. But in practices, he has shown to be an adept three-point shooter and promising defender with his athleticism and length.

He knows the offensive sets and his responsibilities in team defense in practice, but executing at a high level during actual game action is something different. It’s a learning process, like it is for any redshirt freshman, but that process feels like it was accelerated after Sunday’s 12 minutes.

“That’s huge for a guy like Isaac Abidde because now he knows he can go in the game and make some plays for us,” Brown said. “That and-one he had, that’s nothing but a confidence-builder. And then he stepped up at the end and got a tough rebound for us. I’m so proud of him.”

Watching from the WSU cheering section in the lower section of Moody Coliseum, Pauline Abidde, Isaac’s mother, beamed with pride.

She has watched her son’s basketball journey every step of the way. She knows how much hard work Isaac has invested in the game. She knows about the late nights at Koch Arena he puts in on the shooting machine and the natural struggles that come with waiting so long for a shot.

“I always tell him that his destiny is what it is and there’s nothing that’s going to get in the way of it,” Pauline said. “I was just so happy for him because I know what it means to him to be able to contribute, to be a vital part of the team.”

But with her son on the floor for crunch time, that meant some nervous moments for the mother. Pauline’s stomach churned when Isaac missed two straight free throws with 1:54 remaining in the game.

“I know how hard he can be on himself missing those free throws,” Pauline said. “And I know he can make them. I’ve seen him make so many free throws in a row, to the extent where he almost can’t miss. He’s so good at free throws, but I told him after that, ‘You’re in the game now and I know it’s a pressure situation, so you’ve just got to let it go and move on.’”

To make matters worse, right after missing the free throws, Isaac was whistled for a foul, giving SMU two free throws to continue its tidal wave of momentum.

It would have been understandable for him to be overwhelmed in the moment: WSU had just coughed up a 13-point lead in a little over two minutes, SMU’s home crowd was rocking and he had just made back-to-back mistakes in his first appearance in crunch time.

On the court, Abidde calmed himself by thinking of the advice his mother always told him before games.

“Don’t let the last play affect the next play,” Abidde said. “Just keep playing hard.”

With WSU clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds, SMU’s Zach Nutall attempted a go-ahead three that was halfway down before swirling out. Normally, this would be a precarious situation for WSU; the Shockers rank dead-last in conference play in their defensive rebounding success rate.

But when his team needed a defensive rebound the most, Abidde was there to secure the rebound. After being fouled, he slapped the ball and then slapped five with veteran James Rojas, who gave him an approving chest bump. It didn’t matter he was only able to split his free throws with 8 seconds left, as SMU’s final shot missed badly.

“That was just all heart,” Abidde said. “I knew I had to get it. I couldn’t let them get another chance. I just had to get it, that’s all it was.”

Abidde’s modest stat line of four points and two rebounds belies just how invaluable the experience should prove to be for the rookie.

After struggling to make an impact on the team for the first two months, Abidde has begun to earn Brown’s trust through his practice habits. He has now found a spot in the rotation as a reserve power forward, playing in an average of 11.6 minutes per game in WSU’s last five games.

Abidde flashed his potential on the three-point play near the end of WSU’s 15-0 run in the second half. He was isolated just inside the arc on the right wing, as he took two hard dribbles to the left, spun back to the right and powered his way through a foul to finish the basket. WSU’s bench erupted in celebration and the players on the court thumped Abidde’s chest, a recognition of the significance of the moment, not only in the game but for Abidde himself.

With the team winning its third game in the last four and his role increasing, it was hard for Abidde not to be optimistic about the future.

“It was a big win and it felt great because we worked hard for this,” Abidde said. “But I got to make my free throws.”

Tulane at Wichita State basketball preview

Records: WSU 10-9, 3-4 AAC; Tulane 12-7, 5-3 AAC

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

TV broadcast:

ESPNU

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM

KenPom says: WSU 72, Tulane 71

Series: WSU leads 6-2 (4-1 in Wichita)

Projected starting lineups

Tulane Green Wave

Coach: Ron Hunter, fourth season, 48-53

Wichita State Shockers

Coach: Isaac Brown, third season, 41-28