By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
FAST BREAKS. . . .
THE 'CATS HAD WON, which had obscured a troubling tendency in their play. But this was a bit like putting mascara over a really ugly zit, and so the issue was addressed as they prepared for their Tuesday night meeting with IUPUI. They talked of their Dec. 3 game with DePaul, which they led by 36 at halftime before getting outscored by 20. And they talked of their game last Wednesday with Chicago State, which they led by eight at halftime before getting outscored by four. And they talked of their game last Saturday with Dayton, which they led by 23 at halftime before again getting outscored by 20. "We went back five or six games and showed our guys the difference between our first halves and second halves," Chris Collins would say. "We really challenged them these last couple days to keep our foot on the gas pedal."
This they did against the Jaguars, whom they led by 15 at halftime and then outscored by seven in the final 20 minutes. "We had addressed it with the coaches. We had addressed it in film sessions leading up to this game," point Bryant McIntosh will later say. "To see it carry over shows a lot of maturity. Carrying things that are going on in practice over into a game is huge. That's what makes a good team a great team."
ANOTHER CHARACTERISTIC of a great team is player ownership, and that is why it is important to note what happened at halftime on Tuesday. The coaches, of course, were prepared to address letdowns in the locker room. But when they reached it, the players were already doing just that among themselves. "That's always the best thing, when they're talking about it and taking pride in it," noted Collins. "I thought we did a great job of continuing to play the same way tonight in the second half."
"It was collective. It wasn't a specific person," said McIntosh when asked which 'Cats were catalyzing the discussion. "We talked about what we wanted to do defensively. We needed to talk more. We needed to have active hands. We needed to take away their threes. That's how they could get back in the game. That's kind of their identity. They'd hit 30 threes the last two games. So for them to hit only six tonight, and a couple were late—we really were able to take away their identity. And then we executed. That's what we were talking about at the half. Putting a full 40 minutes together instead of playing a tremendous half of basketball and then kind of not showing up in the second half."
IUPUI had scored 101 and 109 points in its last two games. On Tuesday the Jags managed only 65 while shooting just 35.8 percent overall (24-of-67) and 27.3 percent on their threes (six-of-22). So, yes. This night the 'Cats did show up for each half.
McINTOSH went just three-of-10 from the field, and Scottie Lindsey went just four-of-11, and an ailing Vic Law went just one-of-five. So each of the 'Cats three leading scorers suffered through a gelid night. But here, off the bench, Gavin Skelly scored a team-high 19 and corralled 11 rebounds and had six blocks; and freshman guard Isiah Brown scored 15 and handed out four assists; and the veteran forward Nathan Taphorn scored a dozen and grabbed four rebounds and had three assists and a block. "That's who we are," Collins would say of his team's egalitarian offensive approach. "We're at our best when our assists-to-made-baskets ratio is high. Look at the stat sheet tonight. We had 31 made field goals and 23 assists. That's when we're at our best. We have to share it. We've got to spread the wealth. We're not a one-on-one team. When we get stuck at times is when we try to go one-on-one and break things off and not run our offense. But I think we're a really fun team to watch when we're sharing it and the spacing's good and we've got a lot of guys who can score. Plus it's a fun way to play."
"We love it. We come off the bench with a lot of energy," Skelly said of his bunch. "That's the great thing about our team. We have multiple people— I think all eight of us could start. I think Coach knows that too. Coming off the bench—teams don't prepare for guys coming off the bench with a lot of energy and being high-level players able to score and make plays. I love coming off the bench. It's awesome."
SKELLY'S BLOSSOMING has been evident throughout this season, and Taphorn has long been a wise and reliable hand. So what was most notable here was the controlled performance of Brown, whom Collins has force fed playing time even as the young freshman often caromed about the court in overdrive. There was a reason for this. Brown can create one-on-one, a talent any team needs when the shot clock is running down. "Scoring's a skill that translates from level to level, and we're going to get in the league where coaches are pretty darn good. They do a good job of scouting you and taking away your strengths and what you like to do," Collins would say, explaining why he stuck with Brown even as he made freshman errors.
"You get a number of possessions now, especially with the shorter shot clock, where you're in the final eight seconds and you need somebody to create something. The thing I think Isiah's done— he's slowing down a little bit now. He was just going real fast for awhile. The thing about it is I didn't want to rob him of his aggressiveness because that's who he is. So there's got to be a teaching— he's really embraced watching film, seeing the things we're talking about. What we've talked about to him more than anything is let the game find you. At the end of a clock, if you've got to go get it and make something happen, that's good. But in the early part of a possession, let the ball find you, let the game come to you. So, yes. He's a real important guy for us as we move forward because of his ability to create shots and scoring opportunities."
THE FINAL WORD HERE shall be offered up in praise of the redoubtable Sanjay Lumpkin, who encored his 14-point, 14-rebound effort against Dayton by going for 13 and 13 against the Jags. "He's hungry," McIntosh said of his board work. "It feels like the ball's just landing in his hands. But when it's not doing that, he's attacking with great passion and drive. I feel every time the other team misses a shot, he's going to get the rebound, and sometimes I feel I'm in his way to get the rebound."
"I love Sanjay. You guys know that who have covered us," Collins finally said, his emotions obvious. "Sanjay's a winner. We're better because we're on Sanjay's team. I'm better because I'm on Sanjay's team. He's got a warrior's heart and a warrior's spirit, and he'll do anything he needs to do to help the team win. It's an amazing example for any player that aspires to be good. Just be a winner. Be someone who makes winning plays. That's what he does for us. He's our rock. He's our soul. I just love the fact that he's being rewarded now after everything he's put into this program. He's a main part of the foundation of why we are here today. He's one of those core pieces that has helped our program go from where it was to where it is. He's just been incredible."