Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Illinois Primer
1/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2014
NUsports.com Special Contributor Skip Myslenski offers up some news and notes leading up to Sunday's contest between the Northwestern men's basketball team and Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Drew Crawford: He is the linchpin of the `Cats, their leader, their ballast, their bell cow, and as they prepare to meet Illinois Sunday at Welsh-Ryan, he leads them in both scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 pg). Yet often this season Chris Collins has said that he needs helps, that he is doing so much that he tires as a game goes along. This is mentioned to Crawford and his face hardens, taking on the look of a proud-and-determined warrior. "At the same time, I'm not playing the way I need to to help us win," he then says forcefully.
"It can't be an excuse, `I'm getting tired is the reason we're not playing well.' I need to improve. I need to do what I have to do. My role is to not get tired, to lead the team through the whole 40 minutes. So that's not an excuse. I take it upon myself to play better, and that's something I haven't done in these few conference games. I have to pick it up."
And just what must he do to play better?
"I have to be more efficient. More efficient as a scorer. Get my teammates involved more. My rebounding has fallen off a little bit, so I need to get back and hit the boards. I think I've done a pretty good job defensively. But offensively I need to pick things up."
JerShon Cobb: He is Crawford's primary accomplice, one of the `Cats most-athletic performers, and in their Thursday loss at Iowa, he led them with a game-high 18 points. "I put pressure on myself to do well for the team," he will say when asked if he feels he has to score even more. "I want to do what's best for the team. But I think we're at the point, I trust my teammates. Now we've just got to make shots."
But is he looking to score more, we bluntly wonder.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am," he bluntly answers.
Sanjay Lumpkin: He is the `Cats glue guy, Collins has said this often, the guy who does a little of this, a little of that, a little bit of everything. But in their Big Ten opener against Wisconsin he took just one shot and scored nary a point, and then came three points on five shots against Michigan and three points on five shots again against Iowa. "I just have to be opportunistic," he will say when asked about his offense. "I've never had any plays run for me. I've just made the best of getting rebounds, getting put backs, doing a lot of dirty work. That's always been my role."
But with the offense needing more production, might he start looking to score more?
"Yeah. I think that's the next part of me really helping out this team," he says. "Drew carries a lot of the load for scoring. The same with JerShon. I have to help take some of that weight off their shoulder. That's the next step for me."
Is that a tough step to take as a redshirt freshman?
"I think a lot of the guys trust me," he concludes. "They see me working on my game, so they trust me to take my shot. I've just got to stay confident in myself, keep staying aggressive and the offense will come."
QUICKLY NOTED: Collins lost his voice during the second half of the `Cats Iowa game and so was unavailable for interviews about their game Sunday. But Crawford had this to say about their meeting with their in-state rival: "It's going to be an exciting game. I think the biggest thing is just be ready for the atmosphere, be ready for the excitement in the building. We have to be excited for this game and come in and be ready for a 40 minute fight. That's the biggest thing. Getting our energy up."...The Illini moved into the Top 25 this week, but are coming off a 25-point loss at Wisconsin. They were also beaten by then-No. 15 Oregon and Georgia Tech...Their leading scorer is 6-foot-4 junior guard Rayvonte Rice, who's 18.8 ppg average is also best in the Big Ten...A notable anomaly: The Illini (42.9 percent) and the `Cats (40.7 percent) are the worst shooting teams in the conference. But each has a player who ranks in the Top Ten in field goal percentage: `Cat center Alex Olah is fourth at 57.7 percent (56-of-97) and Illini guard Joseph Bertrand is eighth at 54 percent (68-of-126).
AND FINALLY: The `Cats will wear specially-designed uniforms Sunday that Under Armour created after talking with Crawford, Cobb, Tre Demps and Dave Sobolewski. They feature the team's rallying cry of "Pound The Rock"; iconic images like the Chicago Skyline; and the word "Friday" in honor of the 1995 buddy comedy of the same name. "It's one of the favorites of a lot of guys on the team," Crawford would explain. And why's that? "It's just one of those classic comedies," he said with a smile. "And I like laughing at Chris Tucker (one of its stars)."
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