| Garner: Improved communication necessary to better Movin' Mavs performance |
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| Written by Travis Detherage, The Shorthorn staff | ||||
| Wednesday, 27 January 2010 09:33 PM | ||||
  Freshman John McPhail, left, shoots over teammate Anthony Pone during the Movin’ Mavs’ Blue and White Scrimmage in September 2009 at Texas Hall. The Blue team, which was made up of mostly first-year players, came back with a 15-point comeback at the end of the game to win 48-45. (The Shorthorn: File Art) The Movin’ Mavs have a record of 7-2, with losses to Illinois and Alabama. Senior forward David Wilkes and senior guard James Patin look to build on solid performances in the first two tournaments of the season, but the play of freshman guard Aaron Patterson in the Missouri tournament has been worth noting. Patterson, in two games, had a combined 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. Patterson also had 18 first half points against Missouri. Head coach Doug Garner said Patterson’s success is due to being more comfortable with the team. “He is getting a lot more comfortable with the guys and they are getting more comfortable with him,” Garner said. “He has also gotten more confident in his shooting and his role in the offense. It helps him when the other players have confidence in him and he has confidence in himself to be a scorer.” During the first half of the season, graduate student guard Tim Caldwell said he not only has been impressed by Patterson but by all the freshman players. “All the freshman have filled in their role and have stepped up and played really well,” Caldwell said. At their most recent tournament in Columbia, Mo., the Movin’ Mavs went 3-1. The only loss of the tournament came after the Movin’ Mavs had just beaten Missouri and were given only 60 minutes of rest before the game against Alabama. The Movin’ Mavs lost by six, but played Alabama again the next day and beat them by 18. In that game the Movin’ Mavs shot 50 percent and Wilkes recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Garner said the loss against Alabama was a wake-up call for his team. “The players did not like losing to Alabama and we came out and jumped on them 20-3 to start the next game,” Garner said. “Our players said ‘whoa, were better than that’ and we came back the next morning and beat them and I was really glad to see that.” With nine more games remaining on the schedule before the national tournament, the Movin’ Mavs hope to improve from the first two tournaments of the season and get ready for two games against Wisconsin – Whitewater, who were the national champions last year. Garner said his team needs to improve on communication before the next tournament. “We have to keep talking on the floor,” he said. “We need to read the floor a little bit better and we have to play better defense.” Sophomore forward Anthony Pone, who looks to keep building on an successful first half of the season, also said the team has to communicate better. “We all have to be on the same page throughout the game from start to end,” Pone said. “Communication is the key.” Views: 566 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 January 2010 09:35 PM ) | ||||
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