Mocs’ London becoming a leader for Paris
Makinde London now feels comfortable at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
There were times during the 2016-17 basketball season when the 6-foot-11 Nashville resident would showcase skills not seen by many players his size at the Southern Conference level, be it 3-point shooting, drives to the basket or a skilled interior game.
But there were other times when the sophomore at the time seemed lost in an all-senior, experienced lineup for the Mocs that fell apart at the end of the season. They lost eight of their final 12 games to finish the once-promising season 19-12.
Lamont Paris arrived in April, replacing new Massachusetts coach Matt McCall, and quickly went to work on London. His focus was not the skills but the mindset. When asked Monday about the growth of the junior forward, Paris gave a non-physical answer.
“His growth has been less about basketball and more as a person,” Paris said. “He’s maturing. He’s been more consistent with attention to detail, and his
everyday life pretty much from the time I got here to right now, he’s just more consistent.”
London said he’s had to work on that. In the span of just a few months, he’s gone from a sophomore to a leader, with no seniors and five incoming freshmen on the roster. Now instead of receiving knowledge from older
players, he’s being looked to as a beacon of it. But it’s a transition he’s openly welcomed.
“He’s like a role model to me,” freshman Justin Brown said. “I feel like he’s pretty mature, giving wisdom — even when it’s not wanted. He’s probably the hardest player I’ve ever guarded, but I’ve learned a lot from him. When I first got here, one of the biggest issues was I was thinking too much and it was restricting my game, but he always tells me not to think too much, to just play.”
London’s words to Brown were simple to convey, possibly because it was a message his present self would have told last year’s version of himself.
“Last year I was playing, but my purpose kind of got lost,” London said. “Sometimes I was just out there playing, but I think the biggest thing this year has been staying focused and remembering why I’m doing exactly what I’m doing, and when I do that, no matter what it is — in the weight room or on the court — it plays out.
“I’ve evaluated myself more and pushed myself to be more of me and not change to be anybody else, and that’s what’s really going to help me this year. I’m going to focus on being me in all circumstances, and if I do that and do that to the fullest in the right way, I’ll feel like I set the best example for the young guys and hopefully leave some shoes to fill on the way out.”
Last season he averaged 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range. For the Mocs to be successful this season, that production will have to be doubled — at least. But London said Paris’s system is similar to the one used while he was at Xavier, so he feels “in a good place” as far as what’s expected of him.
“I’m just going to attack,” he said. “That’s my mindset and it’s evident in my game. I’m going to be aggressive, but at the same time I’m being more patient. I think things through a little bit more and not just doing things for no reason.
“Everything has a purpose, and I’m making sure I’m executing the purpose. Once I see the purpose, I attack it and don’t leave anything out there. Coach always says it’s better to mess up going 100 miles per hour than to mess up going 5, so I’m going to leave everything out there, learn from my mistakes and keep growing. We’re not going to be perfect early on, but we want to keep growing and taking strides in the right direction, and our end goal will end up coming to fruition.”