The 6-foot-6 wing has become the team’s top 3-point shooter in his first year as a starter, making 18 of 37 (48.6%) this season after hitting only 8 of 26 (28.6%) last year.
“He’s not scared,” coach Clint Sargent said admiringly. “There’s a few (3′s) that maybe you wouldn’t like him to take, but I love his fearlessness.
“You’ve got to have that as a shooter. You got to have a little of the blinders on, (forget) whatever happened the previous play and just jump up and shoot the next one with confidence. He has that, which I love.”
He’s not the only Raider with a let-it-rip mentality.
Alex Huibregtse is shooting a nifty 45.6% and Soloman Callaghan 40.9. Brandon Noel was a 40% shooter last season, and after starting 1 of 14 this year, has hit 12 of his last 26.
“We have a number of kids who put in the time. And Brandon, obviously, receives a lot of attention in the post (that create 3-point looks),” Sargent said.
“If we can continue to play off our defense and get stops, as we’ve seen in previous years, our kids know what to do offensively. It’s a large part of how we recruit and how we coach them.”
The Raiders are first in the Horizon League at 38.4%, a notch above last year’s 38.3, which was ninth in the nation.
They’re 36th in Division I so far, but they’ll keep climbing the national ranks if they maintain that percentage.
They went only 32 of 109 (29.4%) in the first five games but have hit 62 of 136 (45.6%) in the last six, including making a school-record 16 in 31 attempts at Oakland last week.
“We’re just hunting rhythm shots, and that can look different each game,” Sargent said. “Oakland is really interior-oriented with how they play defense in their zone. If you’re taking rhythm 3′s, those are great shots.
“I’d still like to, when we play those guys again, establish more of the ‘line of scrimmage’ in the paint. But I just want in-rhythm shots we practice, from confident kids. And if we get those shots, I can live with the analytics being lopsided if we’re getting great ones.”
Sargent was referring to the Raiders being are only fifth in the Horizon League and 218th nationally in attempts at 22.6 per game. But while it would seem to make sense to hoist more — after all, 2 of 6 from 3 is the same as 3 of 6 from 2 — Sargent doesn’t want his team becoming trigger-happy.
“You have to be aware of the analytics, but you can’t lose sight of your personnel,” he said. “I feel like what you do offensively should be personnel-driven first, what your best players do well, and then you go from there.”
He believes the Raiders are at their best when they let 3′s come out of the flow of the offense.
“With how we educate our players on first themselves and then their teammates, you’re just hoping they have that common sense of what’s a good shot for them and what’s a good shot for their teammates,” he said.
ABOUT MARSHALL: The Thundering Herd are 5-4 and were picked to finish 10th in the 14-team Sun Belt Conference. They’re coming off a 78-69 loss at UNC-Wilmington and fell to Toledo at home by 10 and to Purdue on the road by 35.
Forward Nate Martin was a first-team all-league pick. He leads the team with 12.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
The Raiders are only 1-3 all-time against Marshall, losing at home in 2020-21 and on the road in 2021-22.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Marshall at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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