An article in the Thursday, Feb. 25, edition of The Sunflower features Shocker seniors leading up to their finale home game.

Five years ago, Ron Baker made the four-hour drive from Scott City to Wichita and unpacked his belongings into a two-person room in Fairmount Tours with roommate Evan Wessel.

A year later, Fred VanVleet made the 10-hour journey from Rockford, Illinois. Baker sold him on a visit, and the bond grew to three.

Baker and VanVleet took Wichita State on an upward trajectory of victories, including a Final Four trip their freshman season. Wessel did, too, contributing in eight games before a broken finger ended his season.

As sophomores, Baker and VanVleet entered the starting lineup and Wessel contributed off the bench. The three helped write one of college basketball’s most prolific stories, a historic 35-1 season. In their junior season, the three joined the starting lineup and together they rallied 30 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance.

They’ve defeated nearly all obstacles in their way when they step onto the court together, but stepping off the court could be their most difficult obstacle yet.

“I’ve been thinking about it all month,” Baker said. “Walking off the court one last time is going to be tough for me. It’ll be an emotional day from the get-go.” 

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