TERRE HAUTE — It was a play where your heart cried out for Jay Tunnell … or you wanted to pull your hair out.
With just under nine minutes to go in the first half, Tunnell beat his Bowling Green defender in the post, got the feed, and had an open path to the basket.
At that point, it’s almost as if the game morphed into slow motion in the mind’s eye. Even if you’re watching the game as I do with an objective eye, rather than the eye of a fan, you’re thinking, “Just dunk it, Jay. Throw it down. Send an emphatic message.”
It didn’t happen. Tunnell rose to the basket, and instead of dunking it, tried a two-hand drop into the cylinder. Unfortunately for Tunnell, it hit the back of the rim, the Falcons got the rebound, and they scored on their end to extinguish what had been a 21-5 ISU run. Bowling Green cut its deficit to six instead of ISU taking what would have been its first double-digit lead.
Fairly or unfairly, it was a maddening missed opportunity (one that Tunnell probably felt worse about than anyone) that illustrated ISU’s inability to get much out of its interior offense thoughout Saturday’s game. Starting big men Tunnell and Adam Arnold combined to score eight points. Isiah Martin had an off-day offensively, scoring just two. ISU scored just 16 points in the paint, a total that won’t cut it once ISU begins Missouri Valley Conference action next Saturday.
In a system predicated on balance, the Sycamores have struggled to achieve it this season. ISU got away with it Saturday, but only just, and it took better-than-average performances from Marico Stinson and Gabe Moore to get a win. Bowling Green’s zone made it difficult to get the ball inside, but one’s first thought might be that ISU’s posts weren’t aggressive enough to demand the ball, beat the zone into submission with their own force of will, and create the desired balance.
That’s one way to look at it, but ISU coach Kevin McKenna stressed that it’s not that simple. Balance is a two-way street and that Saturday’s lack of offensive performance in the paint, and in other games, is more than just one or two players not demanding their share of the offensive load.
“I think we’re being more aggressive demanding the ball, I think we’re being reluctant passers into the post. We had four or five times where Jay or Isiah had guys pinned deep, but the ball would get deflected or it would get bobbled or something. We’re looking in there, now we have to deliver it and get it in there,” McKenna said. “Passing into the post is an art, we’ve been working on it all week in practice with the coaches and players, we’re getting better, we’re just not where we need to be yet.”
McKenna was asked whether ISU’s penchant for not finishing at the hoop — Tunnell’s miss on Saturday being an example — feeds the reluctance of the ball-handlers to get it inside. ISU has not finished well near the post going back to last season.
“We’ve been talking about being aggressive and getting to the rim. Jay didn’t feel like he could dunk it, so he just tried to drop it in there,” McKenna said. “I’d like to see him dunk it or use the backboard and put it through, but I don’t think our [ball-handlers] are worried about the guys finishing it in there as much as they are worried about turning the ball over. I think our guys have confidence, and I know I have confidence in Isiah and Jay, but we need those guys to get inside shot attempts to keep that defense honest.”
That reluctance to pass off a turn into the post, and McKenna’s reference to fear of a turnover, probably has its roots in a larger issue for ISU … it’s overall confidence. After all, the interior offense might have been unproductive Saturday, but there’s plenty of other games where poor perimeter play was ISU’s downfall while the posts carried the load. It’s part-and-parcel with the inconsistency the entire team has struggled with in its 5-5 start … who can be trusted night-in, night-out?
Moore hasn’t lost confidence in anyone and neither have the coaches. Moore takes a more pragmatic approach to generating points.
“We can get a little bit more balance with an inside presence with Jay, Adam, Isiah or Mick [Yelovich]. We can get more balance, but right now, we need to go with whoever is hot. The coaches have told us that if someone is hot, we’re going to keep going to them. If Rico is hot, he’ll get the ball, if Jay is hot, he’ll get it,” Moore said.
That’s sound advice, the next step is using that hot player to get shots for the others. Right now, ISU is still coming to terms with that, but time has run out on the learning curve … Valley action begins Saturday.
If ISU is to be successful running McKenna’s offense — and to earn a .500 record for the season, the Sycamores can be no worse than 9-9 in the Valley — it has to have balance. The coaches have preached it in practice after practice. Now it’s time for the players to demand performance from themselves and hold themselves accountable for achieving it.
Learning time is over. The ball is in the players’ court now. It’s time for the players to show progress, not just continue to be satisfied with being a work in progress.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com.
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