Wichita State Athletics

Porter's Career Summary (2020-23):
Crafty point guard could score, distribute, rebound and even protect the rim… 2023 third team all-conference point guard and a member of WSU’s 2021 American Athletic Conference regular season title winner that earned an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament… A cool, calm, collector of stats who will go down as one of the of the most-versatile player to wear a Shocker uniform... Finished his three-year career ranked among the school’s all-time leaders in the unlikely trifecta of blocks-per-game (6th, 1.08), steals-per-game (6th, 1.28) and assists-per-game (8th, 3.63) despite standing just 6-foot-2… Career totals included 643 points, 355 rebounds (4.7-per-game), 272 assists, 81 blocks (most ever by a Shocker guard) and 94 steals… Transferred to WSU in the summer of 2020 after two seasons at Vincennes (Ind.) where he was part of an NJCAA national title winner… Earned a bonus year of eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic put an early end to the 2019-20 season… Averaged just under 13 minutes as a WSU sophomore in 2020-21 while backing up all-conference point guard Alterique Gilbert but emerged as the starter the following year… As a junior in 2021-22 averaged 7.3 points in 26.8 minutes and became the first player in AAC history to rank among the league’s top-10 in both assists (7^th, 3.6) and blocks (8^th, 1.1)… Improved on those numbers as a senior when he averaged 13.5 points and was the only player in the nation to rank among the NCAA’s top-100 in both assists (4.9) and blocks (1.5). He also led the team in rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.5). In one of his final outings, became just the second Shocker in 50 years to record a triple-double, tallying 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a Feb. 26, 2023 win at Tulane.

Individual Career Honors:
Third Team All-AAC (2023)
6x AAC Honor Roll (5x in 2022-23 and 1x in 2021-22)
2x Wichita Eagle Team MVP* (2022, 2023)
2x Warren Armstrong Jabali Assist Leader* (2022, 2023)
Xavier McDaniel Rebounding Leader* (2023)
Ralph Miller Captains Award* (2023)
Most-Improved Player* (2022)
3x WSU Varsity Letterman (2021, 2022, 2023)
     *=WSU Men’s Basketball Team Honor
 
Team Success:
American Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions (2021)
NCAA Tournament qualifiers (2021)
 

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2022-23 (Senior):
Third team all-league selection in the American Athletic Conference… First player in Shocker history to lead the team in rebounding (6.2), assists (4.94), blocks (1.48) and steals (1.52) in the same season… Also paced the team in total points scored (420) but was second in average (13.5)… The only player in the nation to rank among the NCAA’s top-100 in both assists (52^nd,) and blocks (64^th)… Also ranked among the conference’s best in rebounding (12^th), blocks (3^rd), assists (4^th), steals (8^th), assist-to-turnover ratio (6^th, 1.94), defensive rebounds (6^th, 4.94) and minutes (6^th, 33.6)… Per KenPom, ranking third in the league and No. 66 nationally in assist rate (30.5-per-100 offensive possessions)… Finished high on WSU’s single season lists in several categories, including total blocks (12^th, 46), blocks-per-game (12^th, 1.48), total assists (13^th)… Shot 47.8% from the field due to his ability to post up smaller guards and drain mid-range shots… Knocked down 37 threes on 36.3% accuracy and 63-of-92 free throws (.685)… Qualified for the Fall 2022 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (3.0+ semester GPA)... Voted Team MVP by the WSU men's basketball staff for a second consecutive year... Also winner of the Ralph Miller Captain's Award.
 
Notable Performances:

• After scoring in double-figures just eight times as a sophomore and junior, did it 25 times as a senior and topped the 20-point barrier on five different occasions.
• Had five double-double games (three of the point-assist variety).
• Became just the second Shocker in more than 50 years to record a triple-double (along with Fred VanVleet) when he tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a Feb. 26 win at Tulane.
• Finished his career with a pair of dazzling AAC tournament performances, putting up 10 points and 11 assists in a first-round win over Tulsa (Mar. 9) and another 22 points, 11 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Tulane (Mar. 10).
• Led the team in assists in 25 of his 31 games and paced the rebounding 12 times.
• Exploded for a career-high 24 points on his senior day against South Florida (Mar. 5) to go with five assists, five blocks and a pair of steals.
• Became the first player in Shocker history to record a half-dozen-or-more assists in six straight games totaling 43 over a three-week stretch from Feb. 5-26.
• Hit a game-tying layup with two seconds left in regulation to key a double-overtime win over SMU (Feb. 12). He finished the day with 22 points and six assists while playing 47:08 of a possible 50 minutes.
• Flirted with a triple-double in an OT affair against Tulane (Jan. 25) in Wichita, piling up 12 points, 11 boards and eight assists in 43 turnover-free minutes.
• Sank three free throws with 35 seconds remaining and his team down a point to deliver a 71-69 win at SMU (Jan. 19).
• Played the full 40 minutes twice in home games against Cincinnati (Jan. 5) and Tulsa (Jan. 14). In the latter, helped key the largest second-half comeback in Roundhouse history (16 down with 18:26 to play) with 13 points and eight rebounds.
• Missed the AAC opener at UCF (Dec. 28) and played sparingly against ECU (Dec. 31) after suffering an ankle injury in the non-conference finale against Texas Southern (Dec. 22). Prior to that he had scored at least nine points in every non-conference game, including a rune of nine-straight double-figure outputs.
• Handed out nine assists without a turnover in a win over Mississippi Valley State (Dec. 13)… Had four games with at least four blocks: Nov. 21 vs. Grand Canyon (4), Nov. 26 against Tarleton State (5), Jan. 22 at SMU (4) and Mar. 5 against South Florida (5).
• Also had a pair of five-steal efforts at Richmond (Nov. 17) and at home against Memphis (Feb. 23).
• Opened the year with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting against Central Arkansas (Nov. 7).

 

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2021-22 (Junior II):
Took over the starting point guard job and made 24 starts in 25 games, averaging 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in 26.8 minutes… First player in American Athletic Conference history to finish among the league’s top-10 in both assists (7^th, 3.6) and blocks (8^th, 1.12)… Also tied for ninth in steals (1.56) and ranked sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90)… Was at his best in conference play, averaging a league-high 2.14 steals along with 4.1 assists… 1.12 blocks-per-game was the most nationally by a player 6-foot-2 or shorter… Swatted at least one shot in 21 of his 25 games, including a run of 11-straight that was the longest by a Shocker guard in the 42 years that WSU has tracked game-by-game totals… Led the team in three-point percentage (15-of-44, .341)… Voted Team MVP and Most-Improved Player by the WSU coaching staff.
 
Notable Performances:

• Secured his first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the regular season finale against ECU (Mar. 5).
• Tied a school record with seven steals at Memphis (Feb. 27).
• In a battle with No. 14 Houston (Feb. 20), scored 17 points, including all eight of WSU’s double-overtime tallies, capped by a step-back three with five seconds remaining that briefly tied the game.
• Made his AAC Honor Roll debut after stuffing the box score with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals against South Florida (Feb. 12).
• Posted two big performances against Tulane, starting with a career-high 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in the Jan. 12 game in Wichita.
• Supplied 15 points and four steals in the Jan. 29 rematch with Tulane in New Orleans.
• Set a new career-high seven assists (with just one turnover) against Norfolk State (Dec. 11) and followed it up with six assists in 19 turnover-free minutes in a win over Alcorn State (Dec. 14).
• Supplied 11 points and seven rebounds in an overtime loss to eventual No. 1 seed Arizona at the Main Event in Las Vegas (Nov. 19).

 

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2020-21 (Junior):
Appeared in 19 of the 22 games with two starts… Averaged 2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 12.9 minutes-per-game… Finished with a 2.80 assist-to-turnover ratio… Blocked seven shots and recorded eight steals… Saw limited time behind two all-conference guards but contributed in some key spots off the bench… Stepped up with four points and four assists in 12 minutes to spark a second-half comeback against USF in the AAC quarterfinals (Mar. 12), including one of the game’s signature sequences when he blocked a shot in the paint then sprinted out to intercept a perimeter pass for an easy transition layup… Scored six points in a signature road win at Ole Miss (Jan. 2)…  Logged five his seven points in overtime to lead WSU past USF (Dec. 22)... Made his first career start against Emporia State (Dec. 18) and recorded an assist just 13 seconds in -- a Tyson Etienne corner three... Helped seal a win at Tulsa in the conference opener (Dec. 15) with a stepback three in the final minutes and finished with five assists and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
 

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Junior College:
Helped lead Vincennes to an NJCAA national championship in 2019 and a 62-7 record over two seasons… No. 15 in JUCORecruiting.com's Class of 2020 rankings... Drew interest from Indiana, Ole Miss, Oregon, UConn, Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Indiana State but committed to WSU on Mar. 29, 2020…  As a sophomore, ranked 13th nationally in assists (6.5) and also averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.9 blocks… Totaled 127 blocks in two years… Team went 28-5 in 2019-20 with a No. 9 national ranking but was unable to defend its title due to the NJCAA tournament’s cancelation (COVID-19)… Recorded a triple-double (18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) on Feb. 24 vs. Lewis & Clark… Finished the year with seven-straight double-digit assist games, including a season-high 16 in a Feb. 19 win over Lake Land and had two other 14-assist games… Ranked by Street & Smith Magazine as one of the top-25 players in junior college basketball prior to the 2019-20 season… Started 27 games as a freshman and averaged 8.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.1 blocks… Helped lead his team to a 34-2 finish and the national title. Its two losses came by a combined four points and one of them was in overtime… Played for the same program that produced former Shocker Darius Carter (2013-15)… Coached by Todd Franklin.
 
High School:
2018 graduate of Terre Haute South High School… One of 15 players named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s Senior All-State Team… Earned high honorable mention honors on the Associated Press Indiana All-State Team (all classes)… Led his team to the 4A state quarterfinals… Coached by Maynard Lewis
 
Personal:
Born Feb. 26, 2000… Son of Craig Porter Sr. and Rachel Higginbotham… Has four brothers… Sport management major.