Sitting on the bench out of the rotation and not playing on the court can be a devastating thing to a college basketball player’s confidence and psyche.
When egos become involved, feelings are hurt. Ideally, coaches try to use playing time as a motivator for those not receiving it to work harder. It doesn’t always work that way, but with Wichita State sophomore Asbjorn Midtgaard, it has.
The sophomore 7-footer from Denmark started the season-opener, then played 36 minutes over the next 14 games. But in the last two weeks, Midtgaard has surged for the Shockers (9-11, 2-6 AAC) and is coming off his career-best game of 10 points, five rebounds and two assists entering Saturday’s 1 p.