Marquette’s Froling aims to finish strong
Next season’s Marquette-Creighton matchups will have more personal significance to the Golden Eagles’ Harry Froling.
But that doesn’t mean the sophomore center isn’t taking MU’s game against the Bluejays (19-7, 8-5 Big East) on Saturday any less personally.
“I’m not anywhere near 100% of what I am capable of,” Froling said. “I’m playing a lot below the level I’m capable of. I know that, so I’m trying to get the extra work in now and really attack this week. Hopefully I will pick up my game because I haven’t been playing particularly well.”
Froling’s brother, Sam, is committed to play for Creighton next season.
Sam Froling is busy playing in the under-20 national championships in the family’s homeland of Australia, so the siblings haven’t exchanged trash talk ahead of Saturday’s game.
The Frolings also share a friendship with fellow Australian Jacob Epperson, who has played in five games for the Bluejays since the team lifted his redshirt.
“My dad used to play with his dad and against his dad,” Harry Froling said. “Obviously Epperson came through the juniors and Aussie hoops and all that sort of stuff (that the Frolings also did). (Sam is) a skilled big man that they’ve had a lot of success with in the past at Creighton. So that definitely drew his attention.”
Harry Froling has shown flashes of his talent during an up-and-down season with MU (14-11, 5-8). The 6-foot-11, 250-pounder became eligible in mid-December after transferring from SMU.
“It’s tough just finding your groove in the team and establishing a role,” Froling said of starting his season late. “Establishing your style of play. Because obviously the games in the preseason and non-conference games, that’s really where you start to find your niche and the team starts to really jell. That’s been really the hardest part, just getting into the flow of it.”
Froling is averaging 3.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game. He had his best stretch when he scored a combined 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting against DePaul, Xavier and Villanova from Jan. 15-28.
But he has struggled in the last few games, going scoreless in 32 minutes against St. John’s and Seton Hall. He did grab six rebounds against the Pirates. Reserves Froling and freshmen wings Greg Elliott and Jamal Cain combined for only two points in those two games for the Golden Eagles.
That’s something MU coach Steve Wojciechowski wants to change.
“I think we can certainly get more from the guys coming off the bench,” Wojciechowski said. “I believe in them. They are good players.”
The Golden Eagles will definitely need them to play well against the potent offense of Creighton.
“They’re more of a five-out offensive team than they are a four-out, one-in,” Froling said.
“The five-man, (sophomore Toby) Hegnar, he’s their best three-point shooter. They run a lot of pick-and-rolls. They’ll be one of the best transition teams that we’ll play.
“They’re going to be licking their lips at what St. John’s did with the transition. We’ve got to pick it up this game.”
Froling also wants a strong five games to finish out his first regular season with MU.
“I just want to attack it and start to play my basketball, play how I am capable of playing,” he said. “If I can do that and we can win some games, that’s all I care about. As long as we’re winning.”