Friars not a one-man show
Cooley says PC can win without freshman Reeves
PROVIDENCE — The nerve was clearly struck after the third reference to injured Friar freshman A.J. Reeves during Sunday’s postgame press conference.
“I tell you what, man, you’ve all got A.J. in the NBA already. He’s just an OK player. We have some guys on our roster who do a really good job,” said Ed Cooley. “I love him and he’s growing, but I’m not concerned with A.J. Reeves right now. I’m more concerned with the guys who are going to be playing.
“With his ability to score the ball, there’s going to be give and take in that because fundamentally, there are some things he still doesn’t know yet,” added Cooley, who was ready to combat any perception about the Friars’ season going off the rails without Reeves. “Hopefully him sitting out and watching the game more … he can learn and improve that way as well. He’s a wonderful player and a great kid, but that’s why you have scholarships and that’s why you have depth.”
Even though Reeves is getting around with the assistance of crutches, a protective boot that shields his left foot, and a scooter, Cooley’s larger point is that the loss of a single player – even someone who’s already been named Big East Freshman of the Week three times – can be overcome. You won’t find the coach waving the flag of unconditional surrender, not in a season that still has 20 games remaining before the Big East
“That’s why you have scholarships and that’s why you have depth.” — Ed Cooley, PC head coach
Tournament.
The cupboard is far from bare. The mine has not been stripped of all the gold.
The overriding takeaway from PC’s 87-63 romp over Central Connecticut was that Reeves’ absence was greatly minimized thanks to junior Maliek White and sophomore Makai Ashton-Langford raising their respective offensive games to a higher level. White and Ashton-Langford combined for 26 points, 11 assists compared to one turnover, and 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Cooley hopes that similar production is in the offing as Providence closes out the home portion of the non-conference schedule Tuesday night (7 p.m.) against a University of Albany squad that’s off to a 3-8 start.
After Sunday’s win, Cooley purposely went out of his way to dub White as somebody who’s participated in some high-level games. There’s a degree of truth in those words, yet the Central Connecticut game represented just the second start of White’s Friar career. To figure more prominently in the gameplan represented a major upswing when compared to his usage in prior seasons –11.5 minutes per game as a freshman and d13 minutes as a sophomore. r Against the Blue Devils, tWhite helped PC pass its dfirst Reeves-less test with flying colors, registering a career-high 18 points while handing out six assists. The 6-foot-3 native of Virginia ris perhaps PC’s top defensive guard, a distinction that has endeared White to Cooley to the point where the coach can live with the instances when mistakes crop up.
“I always get concerned with him turning the ball over,” said Cooley. “Every day, I tell Maliek to keep it simple.”
When Ashton-Langford saw his three-point attempt nestle through at 8:30 of Sunday’s first half, a huge relief must have washed over the Friar bench.
Before the injury to Reeves, Ashton-Langford had been relegated to a role that fits the description of a fringe rotation option. In the 10 games the Friars played before taking a break for exams, Ashton-Langford logged 10 or more minutes just twice. On two occasions, he was a healthy scratch.
The smart money is on White seeing more time off the ball as opposed to backing up David Duke at point guard, which was the former’s role before rest was prescribed for Reeves. Enter Ashton-Langford, who just like White now finds himself more involved in Cooley’s attack after limited usage. For the time being, Ashton-Langford is going to have to play. That means he’ll have ample chances to prove his worth.
The eight points and five assists that Ashton-Langford produced in 19 minutes against Central Connecticut should be viewed as a positive step in the right direction. Just like White, the trick will be to make those point and assist totals become the rule rather than the exception.
“I was really happy for Makai. He came in and gave us a big boost. He’s had his moments when he’s been good and his moments when he’s struggled,” said Cooley. “Between Makai, Maliek and Isaiah (Jackson, the redshirt senior who netted 16 points against CCSU), I thought those three guys gave us a lot of hope moving forward. Isaiah is always steady. He’s been our settle-us-down guy the whole season. For Makai and Maliek, (Sunday) was a confidence builder.”
At this stage, how much time Reeves ends up missing remains anyone’s guess. One thing that is certain is that they’ll be no need to cut corners. As Cooley willfully pointed out Sunday, guys like White and Ashton-Langford are scholarship guys too.