A season after watching two-time All-American DeWayne Robinson and freshman star Landon Skinner tally obscene point totals game in and game out en route to a second straight Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference title, the Judson men's basketball team is going in a slightly different direction.
Eagles coach Tony Tompkins will employ considerable depth in order to ensure his team is fresh in crunch time and maintains relentless pressure on the defensive end.
(Sun-Times Media File)
"I've got a 12-man roster this year, and we're going to play all 12 guys," Tompkins said. "We're going to be really aggressive on the defensive end. We had a scrimmage the other night, and we had something like 20 fouls in the first half. So that's something we're going to have to work on: playing really aggressive defense without fouling."
One bad habit that Tompkins said his team will need to shake is feeling the obligation to make big, game-changing plays every time down the floor.
"We're really trying to force teams into quick, bad shots," Tompkins said. "Sometimes they think that they have to get the steal or something like that, but that's not really their responsibility. It's just basically trusting each other down there."
Gone is Robinson, and Skinner will move from point guard to shooting guard to be better equipped to do what he does best: score in bunches.
The move is accommodated by two incoming point guards from the same junior college. Jim Kuban and Marious Lobdell come in from Illinois Central College prepared to execute a point guard by committee
"They'll be splitting time at that point spot," said Tompkins. "They're both very, very good. They each bring a different aspect of what we need to help the team."
Skinner showed flashes of brilliance last season, slashing to the hoop seemingly at will and finishing strong more often than not. In his new role, though, Tompkins stressed that it will be important for Skinner's game to mature and become more complete.
"He's continuing to work on his mid-range game and his shooting," Tompkins said. "He can get to the hole pretty much anytime he wants to, but we're talking about getting more consistent with his outside game."
Tompkins' plan to go 12-deep may not result in as many eye-popping point totals for Skinner this year, but the only number that Tompkins and Skinner are concerned with is Judson's win total.
"I don't know if his numbers will be as high, because of the style we're going to play," Tompkins said. "I still expect him to be in double digits, but we added some more firepower. But he's taking it in stride. He knows he's a marked man in the conference, but as long as we win, he doesn't care."
Though the team's depth renders the starting rotation somewhat moot, Tompkins expects to trot out Kuban and Skinner at the guard spots, Josh Edwards and Ben Rayhorn at forwards and Brian Sherwood at center.
Judson opens its quest for another conference title tonight at the Mt. Mercy Classic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and will start out with eight straight games away from its home gym.
"We're going to be road warriors this year," said Tompkins. "I kind of did it on purpose, because it just helps our team to bond together early. I think that's what we need with this year's team. Last year we had 14 brand new guys and this year we just have four, but the guys are still young."