By Josh Noel (@Josh_DDH)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — In a season largely devoid of adversity, High Point encountered its share of opposition against UNC Asheville in the Big South tournament semifinals Saturday.
“We handled a lot of toughness; we didn’t break when we got down,” said head coach Flynn Clayman. “We kind of jumped on them twice this season, so credit to Coach (Mike) Morrell. They gave us everything they had, especially after playing late last night.”
The entirety of Saturday afternoon’s game stayed within single digits despite HPU defeating UNC Asheville by 18 and 26 points in the regular season. Clayman admitted this kind of game would have given him greater pause had it fallen in a prior month. Given that the calendar has turned to March, the first-year head coach had full confidence in his team’s ability to produce a gutsy win.
“We had a ton of blowout games this year, but we also dropped a couple close ones early in the season,” said Clayman. “It just shows to the public the character that these guys have behind closed doors. They really want to win for High Point.”
The High Point roster is reflective of the modern college basketball landscape. HPU ranks 36th on KenPom in Division I experience (2.22 years), and eight Panthers came from previous schools. Clayman believes that this roster’s construction is paying dividends at the most important time of the season.
“We have guys who led their team to conference tournament titles last year,” said Clayman. “We wanted to get old, experienced guys who have been through this or been knocking on the door.”
Terry Anderson has been the engine of the Panthers this season, and that trend continued as Anderson contributed 25 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the Big South tournament. Anderson appeared in 26 games last season for HPU, but only averaged 4.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Just a year later, Anderson is averaging 16.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest.
“This year, I just feel like a healthier, more experienced player,” Anderson said. “The whole summer, we were working on my game and I developed more than I did last year.”
Anderson’s late blooming may be a surprise to the casual fan, but Clayman recognized the Deer Park native’s potential before their paths crossed at High Point.
“(Terry) had zero D1 offers out of high school. He didn't even get to a D1 junior college; he was at a D2 JUCO,” said Clayman. “When I went to watch him at my previous school, I was the first college coach to ever visit a practice there. He had a triple-double in that game, and after that game, while I’m trying to drive him back to the airport, his coach sends me a picture of him drenched in sweat. I missed on him the first time, but I’m so happy we got him on the second try.”
Anderson led the way on Saturday afternoon, but the Robin to his Batman was Rob Martin. Martin scored 18 points and dished out five assists, and now faces an opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his career.
“Rob won his regular season last year, and then they fell short in the semifinals,” said Clayman. “Part of why he wanted to come here was he wanted to get through (to the NCAA Tournament).”
Martin made most of his impact by putting the ball through the basket, but the most crucial of those five assists came when he found Chase Johnston for a 3-pointer to give High Point its largest lead at 71-62. Johnston started 32 of 33 games last season for the Panthers, but hasn’t started since December 14 of this season. Martin knew he could rely on Johnston to come through when HPU needed him the most.
“Chase has a great journey and career, so I kept talking to him and keeping him level-headed,” said Martin. “I had two different guys on me, so I told him to shoot with confidence, and he knocked the shot down.”
Owen Aquino, arguably the third-most consistent Panther and the linchpin to both sides of the ball, entered Saturday hobbled by a left hamstring injury he suffered in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against Gardner-Webb. The all-Big South second team honoree started Saturday and played nearly 20 minutes, but he was far from his typical self as he labored through the pain. In Aquino’s stead, Youssouf Singare, a national champion at UConn, logged a season-high 18 minutes and kept the Bulldogs’ interior attack at bay.
“I give Youssouf a ton of credit,” said Clayman. “We’re always getting in foul trouble, and he hasn’t played much this year. He really stepped up for us playing the most he has all season.”
High Point will look to repeat as Big South champions for the first time in program history on Sunday. Clayman was on staff for last season’s first-ever tournament championship as an associate head coach, but he unsurprisingly feels a stronger connection to this season’s team as the head coach.
“I'm so proud to call this my first team,” said Clayman. “This team is now tied for the most wins in Big South history and has a chance to set a record on that tomorrow. To lose nearly all our scoring and have a bunch of new guys come in sacrificing for each other, I want them to be rewarded.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.