The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GSU COACH WANTS MORE LEADERSHIP FROM GUARDS
Following an 84-78 loss to Troy on Saturday afternoon, Georgia State coach Rob Lanier issued a challenge to his talented backcourt, focusing on one crucial area for improvement: leadership.
“I think collectively the guys who play the most minutes and score the most points and have the biggest roles have to start to lead and communicate as leaders,” Lanier said. “It’s an area we need to get better at.”
The Panthers, who were 15-8, 8-4 in the Sun Belt Conference heading into Thursday night’s game at Loui- siana-Lafayette, not only needed backcourt leadership Saturday, but have been trying to develop it through- out Lanier’s first season as coach. Specifically, Georgia State wants its backcourt to grab the reins in late game situations.
The three guards Lanier challenged to lead have become some of the more fearsome players in the conference. Although their court leadership isn’t fully developed, the on-court play of sophomore Justin Roberts and juniors Corey Allen and Kane Williams is the reason for Georgia State’s success.
Allen leads the team in scoring, averag i ng 15.3 points, with Roberts close behind him at 13.4 points and 4.2 rebounds. Williams ranks third in scoring and averages a team-high of 4.4 assists.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” Allen said. “I haven’t had a trio like this since I was in high school. Us working together is great because we’re all great players, and we can make big time shots.”
Roberts and Allen are in their first season of eligibility at Georgia State. Both transferred and sat out last season, with Roberts leav- ing DePaul and Allen moving from Detroit. The guards transferred into former Geor- gia State coach Ron Hunt- er’s program, before Hunter accepted a job as the coach at Tulane. Roberts, who went to the same high school in Indianapolis as Hunter’s son, RJ, credited his relationship with Hunter as a large reason for his transfer.
Even with initial disap- pointment at Hunter’s depar- ture, Roberts saw an opportunity to thrive in Lanier’s system. “I just knew that what- ever happened, that I had to be ready to play my game,” Roberts said. “I took it on as a challenge just to get better and for whoever was going to come in here, to make them play me.”
While Allen and Roberts embraced the coaching change, which included a scheme switch to full-court man-to-man defense, the two have yet to fully assume their leadership roles. The Panthers had lost four conference games heading into Thursday, all by 10 points or less, and were second-place in the Sun Belt standings with eight regular-season games remaining.
However, Lanier feels some of the close losses have been necessary for his developing backcourt to learn from. “Leadership is definitely a big-time work in progress for (Roberts and Allen). They’re both very competitive young men,” Lanier said. “I think they both have a love for the game and a work ethic that’s going to continue to sustain them in college.”
The guard group committed to developing as leaders earlier in the year and have pushed each other in practice, focusing on their on-court communication. “Coach Rob told us that we got that rope when it comes to scoring and other things. Having that rope, actually comes with a responsibility to hold everyone accountable, even yourself,” Roberts said. “With us being guards, we have to be vocal because he’s telling us what to do, and then we’re supposed to tell the rest of the team. Just being more vocal and being more of a leader is really the goal.”