Young players showing gradual improvement
He still has trouble staying out of foul trouble, and continues to attempt moves that seem far outside his repertoire - like putting the ball on the floor or hoisting long-distance shots.
But forward Daniel Deane is making progress, too.
Once a seldom-used backup, the 6-foot-9 freshman has been playing an ever greater role for the Utes. He played a season-high 24 minutes in place of injured starting center Luke Nevill in the 86-78 loss at Wyoming on Thursday, scoring a season-high 12 points with four rebounds.
"I just like being on the floor," he said. "I feel like I can help us. You can't help from the bench."
Which brings to mind the foul trouble - Deane fouled out against the Cowboys, marking his third disqualification in the last five games (he had four fouls in another game, too). He also committed five turnovers, two of which helped the Cowboys put just enough distance on the Utes in the second half.
But Deane has averaged 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes over the last eight games, after contributing 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes in the first 18 games. At one point against the Cowboys, he kept the Utes close by scoring six straight points.
Deane could play a big role against the New Mexico Lobos at the Huntsman Center on Saturday, too, if Nevill remains out with his hip injury.
And he's not the only one who seems to be showing improvement.
Guard Lawrence Borha enjoyed his best game in a month at Wyoming, scoring 13 points and handing out a career-high seven assists to go with two steals. Turnovers were a problem for him, too - the sophomore committed four, most of them dumb traveling mistakes - but twice made big plays with hard drives to the hoop the resulted in layups and fouls. He has shot 11-for-20 and averaged 6.7 points in 23.5 minutes over the last four games, after having not made a basket in the previous four games.
"We need Lawrence to play with that freeness," coach Ray Giacoletti said. "We have to have somebody else [score]. A good example for Lawrence should have been watching those two other guards tonight - penetrate the ball. ... Do what you do well. Don't do things you can't do."
But forward Daniel Deane is making progress, too.
Once a seldom-used backup, the 6-foot-9 freshman has been playing an ever greater role for the Utes. He played a season-high 24 minutes in place of injured starting center Luke Nevill in the 86-78 loss at Wyoming on Thursday, scoring a season-high 12 points with four rebounds.
"I just like being on the floor," he said. "I feel like I can help us. You can't help from the bench."
Which brings to mind the foul trouble - Deane fouled out against the Cowboys, marking his third disqualification in the last five games (he had four fouls in another game, too). He also committed five turnovers, two of which helped the Cowboys put just enough distance on the Utes in the second half.
But Deane has averaged 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes over the last eight games, after contributing 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes in the first 18 games. At one point against the Cowboys, he kept the Utes close by scoring six straight points.
Deane could play a big role against the New Mexico Lobos at the Huntsman Center on Saturday, too, if Nevill remains out with his hip injury.
And he's not the only one who seems to be showing improvement.
Guard Lawrence Borha enjoyed his best game in a month at Wyoming, scoring 13 points and handing out a career-high seven assists to go with two steals. Turnovers were a problem for him, too - the sophomore committed four, most of them dumb traveling mistakes - but twice made big plays with hard drives to the hoop the resulted in layups and fouls. He has shot 11-for-20 and averaged 6.7 points in 23.5 minutes over the last four games, after having not made a basket in the previous four games.
"We need Lawrence to play with that freeness," coach Ray Giacoletti said. "We have to have somebody else [score]. A good example for Lawrence should have been watching those two other guards tonight - penetrate the ball. ... Do what you do well. Don't do things you can't do."
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 9:28 AM |
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home