Bigger role for the big man? Remains to be seen | College News

If you have got a participant blessed with uncommon traits who can take over a sport on each ends of the court docket, you employ him as a lot as potential, proper?

Right?

Maybe not.

Two days after UCLA’s Aday Mara put each inch of his 7-foot-3 body to wonderful use in opposition to Wisconsin — making all seven pictures in scoring a career-high 22 factors, taking part in lockdown protection, grabbing rebounds and repeatedly getting hacked by overmatched counterparts who had no selection however to foul him — his coach stated the sophomore middle’s utilization would proceed to be situational.

“It would be great if Aday would average 22 the rest of the year,” coach Mick Cronin deadpanned Thursday of Mara’s breakthrough after getting used sparingly over the first half of the season, “but I also think — you know, look, that just happens.”

Cronin identified that ahead William Kyle III, additionally combating for a bigger role, loved a related breakout during UCLA’s latest victory over Iowa, making six of seven pictures, solely to cede taking part in time to Mara in opposition to the Badgers as a result of Cronin figured the latter sport was a higher matchup for Mara.

So, no, Mara’s big exhibiting was not an aha! second for his coach, routinely main to a bigger role for the tallest participant on the group, regardless of Mara making each shot and eight of 11 free throws whereas grabbing 5 rebounds and blocking two pictures in a season-high 21 minutes.

“It just gives you more options,” Cronin stated. “What it does is, be able to reinforce to Aday what you’re capable of — we won two games, we got production from two [big] guys, and I was saying that we’ve got to coach them better and get them to play up to their capability.”

Based on his latest sample, anticipate Cronin to give Kyle more minutes in opposition to smaller, quicker groups whereas that includes Mara more in opposition to greater groups that don’t characteristic as a lot athleticism.

Cronin appeared like he nonetheless was dedicated to beginning Tyler Bilodeau at the 5 spot as an alternative of pairing Mara or Kyle with Bilodeau, who has struggled defensively. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard took the uncommon step of mentioning Bilodeau by title, alluding to his issues defending ball screens, whereas discussing the Badgers’ offensive success.

“We were able to knock down some threes early,” Gard stated, “with Bilodeau.”

Cronin stated going with more dimension as an alternative of a entrance line that features the 6-9 Bilodeau and 6-8 ahead Eric Dailey Jr. has its drawbacks.

“Some teams play four guards, which makes it really hard,” Cronin stated. “But what we have been working on since Will’s been back [from an unspecified medical procedure] that you saw in the Iowa game was Will guarding the perimeter and Tyler guarding the bigger guy because Will’s faster on the perimeter, so we can do that. Tough to do with Tyler and Aday except that we were able to do it against Wisconsin because of their lineup.

“But there’s other ways to try to do some things to be able to play if you want to play those two guys together and the other team’s smaller. There’s some things that we’re working on.”

Neither Bilodeau nor Dailey hesitated when requested how a lot they favored taking part in alongside Mara.

Said Bilodeau: “It’s great to have him out there. He’s so dominant in the post. We see it every day in practice. We know we can always go to him and then too defensively, he’s such a big presence down in the paint.”

Said Dailey: “I love playing with Aday. I mean, it’s easy to play with a 7-3 player. Easy to throw him lobs. I’ve been doing that all year, just throwing him passes that, you know, he can finish. And it’s been helping us just, you know, it gives a different dynamic to our offense and our defense, as well, just having him be the protector. We just gotta keep him going.”

Kyle staying prepared

With Mara dominating, Kyle didn’t play in the second half in opposition to Wisconsin till Cronin inserted him for defensive functions with 30 seconds left.

Trailing by two factors, the Badgers had a likelihood to tie the rating or take the lead. Kyle made sure neither occurred.

Measuring Wisconsin guard John Blackwell’s each transfer, Kyle had the difficult process of defending in opposition to each a shot and a lob to 7-footer Steven Crowl.

“He was kind of focused on the rim a little bit,” Kyle stated of Blackwell, “so I was kind of waiting for him to jump into the air because, like, when you jump into the air it’s kind of tough to make that pass. … So, once I kind of saw him going into the air, into his shot, I kind of committed to it — and I didn’t expect to block it, I just tried to contest it and then, luckily, blocked the shot and it was just a big play.”

Trap sport?

Washington has misplaced 5 consecutive video games and is 1-7 in the Big Ten. However, the Huskies (10-9) might be poised for a big efficiency, significantly on their home court docket, of their sport in opposition to the Bruins (13-6, 4-4) on Friday evening in Seattle.

Alaska Airlines Arena is the place Washington defeated Maryland and misplaced to Illinois solely after faltering in the closing minute. Cronin stated he anticipated Huskies guard D.J. Davis to be absolutely recovered from a latest ankle harm and middle Franck Kepnang to play after lacking the final 17 video games following a knee process.

“They’ve gotten much better,” Cronin stated of the Huskies, who misplaced by 11 factors to the Bruins in December at Pauley Pavilion. “If they make some shots, they’re dangerous.”