The Huskies Men’s Basketball team returned home the other night and regrouped with a 66-63 win over the San Diego Toreros.
After watching the game, the Huskies are still trying to find their stride and identity that they can depend on this season.
Here are a few quick observations about the team…..
Noah Dickerson Stayed Out Of Foul Trouble
In the early part of the season thus far, one area that has hampered the Huskies has been senior forward Noah Dickerson‘s inability to stay out of foul trouble. During their win the other night against San Diego, Dickerson was able to manage his fouls and stay out of foul trouble, which was a major reason the Huskies were able to finish the game with a win down the stretch. With Noah in the game regularly and not on the bench with foul trouble, the Huskies were able to have a physical presence in the paint and get some easier scores when it counted.
The Huskies Had Zero Assists From The Point Guard Position
One thing that has been evident this season is the low number of assists the Huskies are averaging per game at 10.3. That is a direct reflection of the Huskies shooting woes from the outside, which was especially seen during their win over Western Kentucky. You can’t garner more assists if you don’t put the ball in the basket. Last game against the Toreros. senior point guard David Crisp finished the game with 0 assists while freshman backup point guard Elijah Hardy did not play. The Huskies will have to get more production from the point guard position in terms of distributing the ball and getting assists.
Nahziah Carter Is Becoming The “Spark Plug” Off The Bench
Coming into this season, finding a consistent player off the bench on a nightly basis, was something that head coach Mike Hopkins was searching for. With some young talent on the bench, game experience and reliability can be an issue until the “light bulb” turns on. During the last two games, sophomore forward Nahziah Carter has taken his game to another level and provided that much-needed boost off the bench for Hopkins. Going up against Auburn, Carter scored 16 points and was tied as the leading scorer and he also notched 11 points against San Diego the other night. The sky is the limit for Carter this season!
The Need For Dominic Green To Find Last Year’s Magic
Last season, senior forward Dominic Green really made a big leap forward and became a productive piece to the puzzle. When the Huskies are able to hit open shots from the outside, then it completely opens up the paint for Dickerson to operate. At this point in the season, Green has totaled only 10 points in three games so far which is an average of 3.3 point per game. Green is the best “pure shooter” on the team and before the season, Hopkins called him one of the best shooters he has ever coached. With the Huskies being limited with pure shooters, it is critical that Green find’s his former magic soon.
Coach Hopkins Will Have To Get The Freshman Newcomers More Minutes
Recently during one of his press conferences, Hopkins said that freshmen usually don’t make an impact until January when the conference season begins. He was referring to the learning curve at the college level for freshmen to get used to the speed of the game, etc. In order for these newcomers to be productive in January, they will need to see more valuable minutes during the non-conference schedule so they can develop. The three new freshman players have a combined 15 minutes of game action so far. Bryan Penn-Johnson (6 minutes), Elijah Hardy (3 minutes) and Jamal Bey (6 minutes) need to be thrown into the fire more regularly!
