NCAA Experience Spurs Young Flashes To Strive For More
3/20/2017 11:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Traveling to Sacramento to face UCLA in round one of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament whet the appetites of Kent State's returning players, setting the stage for an important offseason of work.
"We got a taste of how good life can be," said first-year forward Danny Pippen. "It makes us want to come back and grind even harder during the spring and summer. For freshmen like me, we've seen what it takes to get to the tournament and win the MAC championship in our first year. Now we don't want to accomplish anything less. We want the highest reward."
Pippen is one of several young players who played significant minutes during the 2016-17 season, starting 11 of the 29 games in which he appeared. Fellow freshman Mitch Peterson started 25 of his first 36 games in a Kent State uniform. From the sophomore class, 7-foot transfer Adonis De La Rosa started 15 game in his first season while Jalen Avery and first-year transfer Kevin Zabo combined to solidify the point guard spot in the closing weeks of the season. All of those names delivered key contributions at different times as Kent State won nine of its last 10 games prior to the NCAA Tournament.
The core of young talent is also led by Jaylin Walker, who established himself as a team leader in his sophomore season, averaging 15.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and earning MAC Tournament MVP honors. He earned national attention with a 30-point performance in the MAC Championship game before scoring 23 points against UCLA in his NCAA Tournament debut.
"We had a lot of guys gain valuable experience," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff. "A lot of the freshmen and the new guys who were transfers played important minutes. Now the challenge for them is to use this offseason to get better and to use the experience in the MAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament, and really throughout the season, to understand just how hard they have to play day in and day out."
In his first season, Peterson earned a reputation as what coaches like to call a "glue guy" – a player who is willing to do all of the little things that don't always show up in a box score, but are integral to a winning culture. The 6-foot-5 wing also had some big offensive games and hit some clutch shots, including a corner three late in the Flashes' MAC Tournament victory over Akron at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
"We had a really good run that is going to mean a lot to me and all of our younger guys," said Peterson. "We got the chance understand what it takes to win. I know it helped me to see all of this and now I have an idea of where I need to get better so that we can keep this going. I'm going to work hard on my shooting and my all-around game, but for me the main thing I need to work on in the offseason is my body and getting stronger and quicker."
The desire to get right back to work with head men's basketball sports performance coach Rhen Vail in the coming months was a common theme discussed by players as they returned from Sacramento.Â
Pippen flashed both the athleticism and a shooting stroke reminiscent of former stretch-four Flashes like Chris Evans and Anthony Simpson, both of whom significantly improved their games through hard work in the summers between their first and second seasons at Kent State. Pippen is determined to make a similar jump.
"This is going to be a big summer for me," said Pippen. "I have to put on some more weight. I came here at 197 pounds and now I'm 221. But I have to put on some more weight, maybe up to 235 while getting even stronger. Coach Senderoff and I are going to come together. He will tell me what he wants from me and I have to accomplish those goals and become a great pleyer, take a jump to the next level and help to lead this team back to a MAC Championship."
Senior forward and three-time All-MAC selection Jimmy Hall was a source of encouragement for Pippen all season long, challenging the freshman to stay confident and never lose hope, even as the team was struggling early in the MAC season. It was a message that will continue to spur Pippen throughout his college career.
"That's the most important thing all of our seniors left us," said Pippen. "They taught us that it's not about how you start, but the way that you finish. We started the year as scattered puzzle pieces, but we came together because we never lost hope…Now I have to maintain that confidence, come back next year and be a valuable piece to the next puzzle. Somebody has to replace Jimmy."
De La Rosa will also be counted on to play more minutes in the post. And like Pippen and Peterson, making changes to his 7-foot frame is top priority.
"That's the next step for me," said De La Rosa. "I need to get into the best shape of my life and tone my body up, get in the right condition and playing shape knowing I'm going to have to help to fill a big void next year. I need to get stronger. We can be a very good team with all of the guys we have coming back. It's going to be a big spring and summer with guys working on themselves and their games. If everyone gets just 10 percent better, we are going to be very good next season."
