Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
When Bill Wampler made his debut for Wright State this season, he was expected to be a defense-stretching 3-point specialist who did little else except ignite the offense from outside.
But though he made 87 treys while hitting 37 percent in two seasons at Drake before transferring, the perception of the junior wing turned out to be all wrong.
Far from a one-dimensional player, Wampler gives opponents fits by being in perpetual motion with or without the ball. He’s still a 3-point threat, but as IUPUI found out in the Horizon League quarterfinals Tuesday, he plays more like former Boston Celtics great John Havlicek than current Golden State sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
“The big key about him is not only can he shoot and pass, but he’s a heckuva cutter,” Jaguars coach Jason Gardner said. “He does a very good job of reading. If you take your eyes off him one second, he’s cutting. That’s something that’s hard to teach.
“It’s almost like passing or shooting or ball-handling — you just have to have a knack for it. He has an unbelievable knack for it, whether the ball is on the wing, the top of the key or the post. He finds himself in a lot of positions to score.”
Wampler tallied a game-high 18 points, going 7 of 9 from the field, in the 71-56 win. He made four 3’s and three other buckets in the lane.
And Gardner’s depiction of him is just what he wants to hear.
“I’ve worked hard at developing my game where I can use the dribble and get to spots where I want to,” Wampler said.
If he starts to become stationary, coach Scott Nagy will remind him to quit being a spectator.
“He really presses me about it. Most of the time when he’s yelling at me, it’s because I’m not moving enough,” he said. “Every time we get movement, we get good offense.”
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