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Willis back to tennis ball regimen to avoid turnovers
With no turnovers Saturday, sophomore guard retries his strategy
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Tre’Von Willis drives around Dijibril Thiam of Wyoming Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels beat Wyoming 83-66.
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del.icio.usUNLV moves to 2-2 in conference play after beating Wyoming 83-66 on Saturday night.
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Ryan Greene and Rob Miech discuss all of the little things that went into UNLV solving its recent issues and coming away with conference victory No. 2 on Saturday night against Wyoming at the Mack. Plus, the guys discuss Dave Hall's presence and the upcoming showdown at BYU.
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He dribbled a tennis ball around campus for three days, committed no turnovers Saturday night against Wyoming and will continue to dribble that tennis ball around the UNLV campus.
Like he always does, Rebels sophomore guard Tre’Von Willis looked at one part of the stat sheet after the 83-66 victory over the Cowboys.
“No ‘T-Os,’" he said of not turning it over once for the first time in 18 games as a Rebel.
“You know what, I felt pretty good. I’m starting to learn. I can say that. As the season progresses, I feel like I’m getting better. I’m still not hitting shots the way I want to, but I’m taking care of the ball.”
Thus, that little green-felt ball is again his best friend.
He dribbled a tennis ball everywhere he went, all around campus, at the start of the season, then he ditched it.
After that sour two-point defeat at Colorado State last Wednesday, Willis dug out that fuzzy green thing from his closet.
“Back to the basics,” he said. “I’ve been emphasizing that and it makes a big difference. No turnovers. We only had eight as a team. It gives us more possessions in a game and a better chance to win.”
Fifth-year coach Lon Kruger has been watching Willis’s evolution as a “power guard,” and he likes what he’s been seeing lately.
“Saturday, he had a real good ball game,” Kruger said. “He took good care of the ball, took command, was still aggressive and didn’t turn it over.”
At the end of November, Willis had a four-game stretch in which he turned it over 16 times. He has committed four turnovers – with 12 assists – over his past three games.
Moreover, Kruger was concerned with Willis’s penchant for piling up fouls early in the season. He was hit with 17 during one four-game stretch.
He committed three against the Cowboys and hasn’t been whistled for more than three in his past 11 games.
Early on, Willis had a knack for bull-rushing through the lane and getting called for charging, a personal foul and a turnover all in one.
But he’s curtailed that practice by pulling up for a little jumper in the lane or picking out an open teammate in the post.
“I’m learning not to pick up cheap fouls,” Willis said. “I’ll do something different sometimes, like slapping up at the ball instead of slapping down, little things like that.
“I’m learning and progressing, trying to stay out of foul trouble.”
Kruger especially wants Willis to avoid picking up a second foul in the first half, so he can be effective with optimum minutes on the court.
Saturday, Willis was hit with a second foul with one minute, 23 seconds left in the first half.
“We want him to go into the second half without that third foul,” Kruger said. “He’s done a good job lately of eliminating that careless foul early … he’s making good progress.”
Kruger wants Willis to opt for a mid-range jumper instead of relying on his 3-point shot so much, and Willis’s shot has been off a bit.
He’s gone 18-for-57 (31.6 percent) in his past six games. He was five-for-15 against Wyoming, which included a two-for-six effort from 3-point range.
“I’ll have better shot selection,” Willis said. “I rushed a couple ‘threes,’ quick ‘threes.’ A couple rimmed in and out. All for all, I like my effort, how I’ve played. I’m taking care of the ball.”
Willis also discounted any fallout from what the Rebels did in the layup line at Colorado State last Wednesday.
He sailed in for a few dunks with his left hand behind his head, and several other Rebels followed suit. It was what the Rebels took offense to in games at Louisville and El Paso, Texas.
Seniors Wink Adams, René Rougeau and Joe Darger have expressed their disappointment with what transpired, and Kruger has talked about his displeasure.
“We weren’t trying to show up anyone,” Willis said. “I felt pretty loose. I was trying to stay warmed up. That was the thing. I was being explosive to the rim. That game, I was the most explosive I felt all season.
“I’m starting to get my legs back under me. I was just feeling good. I was up there dunking a little bit, getting warm. That game was the freshest I felt all year.”
He said it didn’t affect the game in any way and that the Rebels were prepared to play. It wasn’t about showing up anyone, he repeated. UNLV just had a few extra minutes, and ...
“I was feeling good and I wanted to stay in that mode,” Willis said. “My thing is, I don’t and the rest of the team doesn’t care what the other team thinks. We’re going out there to perform that day.
“We just didn’t come with the intensity and intangibles, and do the things we normally do.”
The right shoulder that was slightly separated, which aggravated an old high school injury, earlier in the season still nags him.
He had a cortisone shot in late November, and he’s due for another one soon. He hopes it will heal itself, through treatment and medication, so he can avoid offseason surgery.
“I can go without a shot if it doesn’t get hit,” Willis said. “But I’m a guy who gets to the free-throw line, I’ll get bumped around a little bit. It can be pretty painful.
“The shot helps with the pain. I can block it out and just play, use both arms. Sometimes, I get stuck just using my left arm all the time.”
As well as battling fouls, turnovers, errant or poorly timed shots and a bum shoulder, the Memphis transfer has battled himself during his first full season playing as a Rebel.
Missing class and sleeping late have cost him. Willis had started five consecutive games when he overslept, missed the first two hours of a practice and was relegated to reserve status.
He worked himself back into the mix and will start a sixth consecutive game Wednesday night in Provo, Utah, against BYU.
“Little things like that have hurt me this season, cut my minutes down,” he said. “I’m trying to do all the things now to keep my minutes up and get more minutes. I feel I can help this team tremendously.”
He glared over to the chairs left of the scorer’s table at the Thomas & Mack Center.
“One thing I don’t like to do is sit over there on the bench.”
Discussion: 15 comments so far…
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Tre'von, you should let us students try and steal the tennis ball from you like we're a defender! 24/7 practice!
Ha ha ha! yankeefan, try to snatch it from him around campus, going to the student union or on his way to practice. When you snatch it, tell him you're just trying to help him get to that 4-1 assists-to-turnovers ratio he said he'd get this summer, then give him back the ball. Good stuff
I like Willis' game. However, he needs to accept some responsibility. Im sure he read Winks comments in the paper. He's the sophmore, and Wink, Joe, and Rene are the seniors. He needs to go with the flow a litte more. Again he needs to accept responsibility for his mistakes. At least once a game he'll stand there in disbelief and show up the refs after he is whistled for a foul. Kruger has to get this accross.
Massamba and Santee should practice dunking tennis balls. Just kidding. But seriously, talking about new guys, where is DeShawn Mitchell? Why not put him in to demoralize the other team a little? A good time would have been after the double-technicals against the Pokes. Although, maybe the game in Provo is not the one for showboating.
They? That's us Brandon. :-) Look for it by the end of the week. Awesome stuff!!!
Section, you are correct. No doubt that could cause a division. For him not to see something the same way three seniors and the head coach do? Very odd. Could be disturbing, too, as this unfolds.
Yeah, maryland, Provo is not the best place to showboat. Love the tennis-ball line. DeShawn Mitchell is coming along. That's going to be a process, and Kruger is settling in on 8 or 9. Anymore and the rotation would get ridiculous. Even nine might be stretching it a bit.
I like Willis's game. Specifically the bullishness he can provide mixed in with a little confident swagger. He just needs to add a little smart basketball savvy and humbleness to the mix. Convince us by your actions out their on the court not by your mouth. All the little things he's talked about in the article he needs to sincerely put into action. Work on backing that ball out harder if nothing is their instead of charging. Also commit to a move and go hard if you're going to make it instead of looking hesitant......
Another trick to helping ball handling and shooting accuracy is to dribble and shoot an oversized 36" jumbo basketball, as they are called. After working with the jumbo ball, dribbling and shooting a regulation sized ball seem extremely easy to handle and put in the hoop. The UNLV basketball program should invest in about 20 of these if they don't already have some and incorporate them into drills.
SMB, I would LOVE to see Willis dribbling one of those big-uns across campus, to the cafeteria for lunch and to the Mack for practice. :-)
Now then he may get his 4:1 Assist to T/O ratio Rob! lol!
This BYU game could get really ugly if they get their devine intervention for shooting% tomorrow night. I swear they shoot 20% better over in Provo from everywhere on the court. The good thing....NO Monster Big man for BYU. Just quality guards and small forwards.
The good thing....NO Monster Big man for BYU. Just quality guards and small forwards.
-- I don't know if that will be a good thing for us or not, ryphi! We've played better against quality big men (UA, UL) than we have against teams with quality guards and small forwards and no true bigs.
I'd like our chances better Weds. if BYU put a few of their traditional lumbering Sasquatches on the court. A smaller quicker lineup for the Cougars isn't a matchup advantage for us.
Hold on now, I wouldn't go so far as to say BYU and their guard line up is quicker then UNLV's newyorkrebel.
I'd say BYU's guards play together as a team more and certainly shoot a better FG percentage than the Rebel guards.
I think the key for UNLV in the guard match up is for the Rebels to harass the Cougar gauds out on the parameter dictating on defense not allowing any back cuts or slips down low. On the offensive side they need to most certainly take care of the ball with very minimal turnovers, attack the basket and crash, crash, crash the boards!
Maybe Wink will trade one of his patented Texas wins for a Provo 'W'
Did I miss something. What was the division between Willis and Darger-Wink-Rene-Kruger?
I'm driving up to Utah tonight. Gonna go watch a film or two at Sundance tomorrow during the day then head to Provo to watch the upset at night. GO REBELS!!
Yo Lenny V, i think this is the first time in a long time that it would be good to go see the Rebs play in Provo. Now that BYU has been beaten by Wake Forest, I think they realize that they aren't invincible at home. Lets get this win!
I agree w/ MarylandPkwy. I think more rebel fans than not are wondering why DeShawn Mitchell hasn't had the play time to showcase his talent. Is it the Kruegerball IQ that's lacking or practice intensity that is lacking? This guy can play!