Mens Basketball: Shepherds Role Defined - Long vs. Fant - Off My Court - Grind it Out athleticnetwork.net/site.php?pageID=37&newsID=16312 Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, Jan. 28, 2014 _______________________ He played barely more than a minute in the first half of last Saturday’s loss to Western Kentucky. But he logged nine of the second half, mostly during a stretch in which UL furiously pressed and trapped to get back into the game after being down by as many as 16. So just what does backup point guard Kasey Shepherd have to do to get back in the regular rotation of Ragin’ Cajuns coach Bob Marlin? UL director of basketball operations Mike Murphy, fielding questions at a usual weekly media gathering because Marlin was sick Monday, was asked just that. “Kasey understands his role,” Murphy said. “And, you know, basketball is such a game of matchups – probably more so than any other sport. “Depending on what the other team has on the floor, time and score, schematic situations – that determines who we play. It’s just situational basketball. “And Kasey’s done a real good job of taking advantage of the situations he’s been in,” Murphy added. “He hasn’t shot the ball as well as of late, but … he really gives us a lot of punch offensively coming off the bench.” Shepherd actually is UL’s top 3-point shooter this season at 54.2 percent (26-of-48), and his 53.5 percent from the field is tops among all Cajuns, including bigs, who average more than five minutes per game. The sophomore from Houston was 3-for-9 from the field including 1-for-5 on trey tries in a win two games ago at Troy. But in 12-8 UL’s last five games besides that he’s 11-for-17 including 5-for-9 from 3-point range and has two outings with no misses. LONG VS. FANT: After Western Kentucky game-high scorer George Fant scored a couple of quick inside buckets in the first two minutes of Saturday’s second half, UL scoring-leader Shawn Long took an early seat. Marlin explained why afterward. “They were going right at him,” he said. “Fant, he was having his way with him. And Shawn didn’t want to get in foul trouble. “He (Long) has got to be stronger than that. But I thought he came back and gave a great effort on the glass.” Long finished with a 13 points, seven-plus below his second average, and 11 boards. Fant had six boards to go with his 25 points. OFF MY COURT: On Saturday, Marlin and WKU coach Ray Harper practically met at halfcourt when a heated Marlin got ticked because of where he thought Harper was when calling a critical second-half timeout that negated a would-be Cajun steal. “Get off my court,” Marlin mouthed on ESPN2 coverage of the game. A baffled Harper later asked for further explanation, and Marlin again said in no uncertain terms he didn’t want him stepping onto the floor during play. It wasn’t the first time an opposing head coach did that last week, though. It also happened when Georgia State, coached by Ron Hunter, got a game-high 33 points from standout sophomore guard R.J. Hunter in its win over UL on Thursday. “They played 6-on-5,” Marlin said after that loss. “His (R.J. Hunter’s) dad was on the floor half the night.” GRIND IT OUT: UL starting point guard Elfrid Payton doesn’t seem overly concerned that Cajuns twice scored 13.6 fewer points per game than what was their average heading into those losses last week to Georgia State and Western Kentucky. “Conference games are grind-it-out-type games,” he said. “It’s more in the halfcourt – and we’re just gonna have to execute in the halfcourt.” UL’s scoring average dropped 1.4 points after it managed just 70 points in each of the two losses. STAT LEADERS: At a combined 39.8 points per game, Long and Payton continue to be the country’s top-scoring duo. Long is seventh in the nation in rebounds at a Sun Belt-high 10.9 per game, 1.3 behind UNLV’s Roscoe Smith. The Morgan City High product also is fifth nationally in total double-doubles (11), 15th in blocks per game (3.05) and 25th in points (20.2). Payton ranks 14th in steals per game (2.5), 15th in assists (6.1) and 31st in points (19.6). The Cajuns’ Sun Belt-high 82.3 points per game rank 18th nationally. VMI leads at 87.9. DOWELL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Texas-Arlington senior guard Reger Dowell, who is averaging an SBC-high 21.6 points per game, was named Sun Belt Player of the Week on Monday. The transfer from Oklahoma State averaged 21.5 points in wins over Troy and South Alabama. He was injured and out when UTA visited UL earlier this month.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 23:36:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015