Outburst Highlights How Tillie Helps Utes Win
Talk about coincidence.
Just the other day, I was asking coach Jim Boylen what he thought of forward Kim Tillie so far. After all, he had heralded the 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from France as a "double-double" type of player for the Utes based on his strong summertime performance, yet Tillie had been averaging a modest 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Then came last night.
Tillie erupted in the 72-48 victory over Utah State, scoring a career-high 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting and grabbing six rebounds in a mere 18 minutes -- which only emphasized the point Boylen made when I asked the other day, that Tillie has been one of the team's most productive players.
"He has helped us win," Boylen said.
The coach pointed out that Tillie has been the Utes' best rebounder per minute, and he still ranks in that position after the Aggie game by averaging 0.31 boards per minute. By contrast, center Luke Nevill averages 0.28 rebounds per minute.
Tillie also has made 19-of-28 shots for 67.8 percent, and already has played more minutes than he did before ending his season prematurely with a broken ankle last season. He has played 96 minutes in seven games so far, after playing just 81 in 11 games before his injury last year.
"He has been ready to play," Boylen said. "I'm sure he wants more minutes, but he has helped us when he's in there -- not with things that always appear in the stat sheet. At Weber, he tipped that ball out for that three-pointer to Johnnie when we were down 16-6 or whatever. He tipped that ball out. It doesn't show up, but I know that it matters."
Just the other day, I was asking coach Jim Boylen what he thought of forward Kim Tillie so far. After all, he had heralded the 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from France as a "double-double" type of player for the Utes based on his strong summertime performance, yet Tillie had been averaging a modest 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Then came last night.
Tillie erupted in the 72-48 victory over Utah State, scoring a career-high 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting and grabbing six rebounds in a mere 18 minutes -- which only emphasized the point Boylen made when I asked the other day, that Tillie has been one of the team's most productive players.
"He has helped us win," Boylen said.
The coach pointed out that Tillie has been the Utes' best rebounder per minute, and he still ranks in that position after the Aggie game by averaging 0.31 boards per minute. By contrast, center Luke Nevill averages 0.28 rebounds per minute.
Tillie also has made 19-of-28 shots for 67.8 percent, and already has played more minutes than he did before ending his season prematurely with a broken ankle last season. He has played 96 minutes in seven games so far, after playing just 81 in 11 games before his injury last year.
"He has been ready to play," Boylen said. "I'm sure he wants more minutes, but he has helped us when he's in there -- not with things that always appear in the stat sheet. At Weber, he tipped that ball out for that three-pointer to Johnnie when we were down 16-6 or whatever. He tipped that ball out. It doesn't show up, but I know that it matters."
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 1:24 PM |
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