Kalob Ledoux is taken aback when told the statistic.
“Bruh,” the freshman says with incredulity, “that’s crazy. That’s terrible. That’s definitely something we need to fix, soon.”
McNeese State, which averaged 11.4 assists per game in its old offensive system last season, averages just 12 now.
That new offense coach Dave Simmons touted throughout the offseason promoted sharing the basketball. It’s a continuity-style scheme dependent on screens, cuts and motion. If executed correctly, kick-outs and open shots are available to any of the three McNeese guards on the floor — three players to which Simmons bestows almost a perpetual green light to shoot.
Across six games, point guard Jamaya Burr averages five assists per game — admirable for a player Simmons wanted to be more of a distributor in his senior season. Jarren Greenwood chips in 2.3. No other Cowboy averages more than 1.5.
“We still have guys that are thinking about where they’re supposed to be going instead of it coming naturally,” Simmons said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time because we added some more wrinkles to it. It’s a read offense and what you have to do is understand when you can deviate from the pattern. I think that’s the biggest thing, we have to understand that, and we’re getting there with players understanding the freedom of what we do.”
Analytics provide a glaring look at the Cowboys’ hidden prosperity should they distribute the basketball with proficiency.
According to hoop-math.com — a website that produces advanced statistics for each Division I team — McNeese shoots 83.3 percent on assisted 3-point attempts and 35.9 percent on assisted 2-pointers. To compare, the Cowboys shoot 27 percent overall from 3-point territory and 40 percent from the field.
James Harvey, who continued his sophomore slump with a 3-for-10 effort from 3-point territory in last Tuesday’s 80-68 loss at Texas State, has attempted 48 3-pointers through the first five games — 27 more than any of his teammates.
Harvey shoots 92.9 percent on assisted 3-point attempts and 75 percent on assisted twos — the highest of any guard on the team. Thirteen of Harvey’s 14 total made 3-pointers are assisted shots.
Burr and Greenwood, who have combined to hoist just 31 3-pointers, each shoot 80 percent or better on assisted 3-point attempts. Kalob Ledoux, second on the team with 21 3-point attempts, shoots 50 percent on assisted treys. He shoots just 28 percent from 3-point territory overall.
“Man, it’s so much easier,” Ledoux said of those shots. “Look at all the teams we lost to, all the big teams, they all shared the ball really well. That’s the one thing we lack right now. We don’t really create for each other as much as we should, especially on the college level. Because that’s how you win on the college level, creating for other people.”
Ledoux’s assessment carries merit. Memphis, which beat the Cowboys 104-65 on Oct. 22, had 35 assists. Purdue had 23 in a 109-65 win to open the season. Both Louisiana College and Texas State had 18 assists in wins against McNeese.
The Cowboys have had 13 or fewer assists in five of their six games. Twice they had fewer than ten.
“I think our biggest thing is not that we’re taking bad shots, we just have to get better shots,” Simmons said. “When we go to the basket, sometimes we try to shoot over 6-8, 6-9 guys and we have to learn when you can get to the basket, how much traffic is there, who’s helping you and where the kickouts are. That’s the biggest thing — where are your teammates open and where can you deliver the pass to.”
Harvey, still mired in what he termed the “worst slump of my life,” maintains he gets better looks when his feet are set. Teammates concur.
“All you have to do is just wait for the ball to come to you, have your hands ready and shoot the ball,” Greenwood said. “We can get 12 assists to about 20 assists per game … It’s just one of those points that you have to be committed to winning. Sharing the ball is part of winning and you have to be committed to it.”
|
Player |
FG% |
3-point FG % |
Assisted 3-point FG % |
|
Jamaya Burr |
24-61 (39.3%) |
5-14 (35.7%) |
80.0% |
|
Jarren Greenwood |
24-55 (43.6%) |
6-17 (35.3%) |
83.3% |
|
James Harvey |
22-67 (32.8%) |
14-48 (29.2%) |
92.9% |
|
Kalob Ledoux |
20-45 (44.4%) |
6-21 (28.6%) |
50.0% |
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