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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743778493547.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Wichita State Athletics
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Wichita &amp; Shocker Nation: On behalf of 270+ student-athletes and 100+ coaches/staff within Shocker Athletics, thank you for your support of our young people and programs.&nbsp; We cannot overstate our gratitude and appreciation as your provision and protection make our department-wide growth possible.&nbsp; Narrowing our focus, this letter is intended to provide you with detailed information regarding the status and growth of our men's basketball program. Wichita desires, expects and deserves a nationally competitive (Top 25) Men's Basketball program that improves the city's economy, attracts visitors and contributes to a thriving community.&nbsp; The current era of college athletics brings unprecedented challenges, and our growth is directly tied to raising additional funds to compete in this new "NIL/Revenue Share" environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Since January of 2023, privately funded NIL/Revenue Share resources to support men's basketball have grown 518% and Wichita State has developed a reputation of character and integrity in the NIL/Revenue Share environment.&nbsp; Based upon accessible trustworthy data, our current secured resources to support the 2025-26 season position Shocker Men's Basketball in a highly competitive place within our league. However, the standard for Wichita State Men's Basketball is much higher.&nbsp; Analyzing NIL/Revenue Share data for the programs participating in the 2025 NCAA Sweet 16, it is reasonable to conclude that while we've witnessed substantial short-term growth in our resources,&nbsp;our current 2025-26 NIL/Revenue Share allocation needs an additional $1 million dollars to elevate overall roster talent/depth and compete at the national level of excellence we've all come to expect. We are laser-focused on positioning our program for success in 2025-26 and beyond.&nbsp; We desire to exemplify an extraordinary level of transparency as it relates to the current and future states of our program, so that you may draw confidence in both our&nbsp;direction&nbsp;and desired&nbsp;destination. Regarding&nbsp;direction, our program has completed two full seasons under the leadership of Coach Mills.&nbsp; We do&nbsp;not&nbsp;evaluate the following results as reaching the intended destination, rather, we assess these results only as an indication of the direction we are heading:
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<li><dfn><a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/paul-mills/1241" rel="smarttag" rev="1241">Paul Mills</a></dfn>&nbsp;currently ranks 3rd&nbsp;all-time in total wins for a Shocker head coach through his first two seasons, behind Eddie Fogler's 42 wins (1986-88) and Gary Thompson's 41 wins (1964-66).</li>
<li>Coach Mills' first two seasons represent the best first two seasons our program has experienced in 37 years, all in a more competitive American Athletic Conference and more challenging Transfer Portal/NIL/Revenue Share environment.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The 2024-25 non-conference win total (10) is our highest in five (5) years and we returned to the post-season for the first time in four (4) years.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Coach Mills and staff have developed and recruited All-AAC talent, while returning the Shockers to their roots of being the best rebounding team in the conference in 2024-25.</li>
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Concerning the&nbsp;destination, the standard set throughout our program's 118-year history (1906-2025) defines success:&nbsp;18 regular season and/or post-season conference tournament championships; 16 NCAA appearances including 8 rounds of 32, 6 Sweet 16's, 4 Elite Eights and 2 Final Fours.&nbsp;We share your desire for excellence, and we are committed to advancing a winning cause that is much bigger than ourselves.&nbsp; All of us expect league championships, NCAA Tournaments, Sweet 16's (and beyond), and our charge is to align resources to meet those expectations. Additionally, we maintain a distinct advantage over our peers given we are not raising NIL/Revenue Share resources to support a football program.&nbsp; Wichita is a city and community of excellence!&nbsp; We are a commercial, financial, medical, cultural and entertainment hub for Kansas. Beyond distinction as the largest growing city in the state of Kansas, Wichita boasts an exceptional combination of a thriving and diverse economy with strengths in manufacturing, agriculture, engineering, healthcare, aerospace, energy, retail and education.&nbsp; Most important, Wichita's greatest strength is in the people of our community who through innovation and ingenuity spark a flourishing job market, vibrant culture and strong family-friendly environment.&nbsp; Having the distinct pleasure to engage with countless Wichitans, we understand and share your desire for a premier basketball program.&nbsp; Please join us in providing the necessary resources to align our program with&nbsp;national&nbsp;excellence as&nbsp;#WeFightForWichita.&nbsp; &nbsp; In partnership, &nbsp; <img src="https://goshockers.com/images/2022/8/15/Kevin_Saal_sig_black.png" alt="Kevin Saal Signature" width="259" height="54" /> <dfn><a href="https://goshockers.com/staff-directory/kevin-saal/1498" rel="smarttag" rev="1498">Kevin Saal</a></dfn> Wichita State University &ndash; Director of Athletics</div>

🏀 WSU AD addresses men's basketball program