Colonels can score, now they want to defend, too

District is here: Time to expect the unexpected

January 3, 2018

Top 10 of 2017

January 3, 2018

Nicholls State University men’s basketball coach Richie Riley did something a little bit out of the ordinary a few weeks ago.

Knowing that his team needed significant help on the defensive side of the ball, Riley held several-straight practices that were so defensive-oriented that the Colonels didn’t attempt a single shot during their allotted time.

“It was all defense,” Riley said. “We didn’t need to get shots up. We know that we can score. Now, we have to show ourselves that we can commit ourselves to playing better on the other end.”

It’s still a work in progress, yes. But there are some signs that the Colonels are getting better defensively, which might be a scary sign for other teams in the Southland Conference.

After a tough start, Nicholls is making strides defensively – just in time for the start of Southland Conference play.

The Colonels started league play this week with home games against Northwestern State and Incarnate Word.

They’ll ring in 2018 with road games at Stephen F. Austin and Houston Baptist and Riley said he knows the team has to showcase its new defensive mindset in order to turn potential into a run at the league championship – something that the Colonels believe is well within their reach in 2017-18.

“We like our team,” Riley said during a radio interview. “But we know that we have to keep getting better. I think the guys are all on the same page and we’re buying in. We’ve challenged ourselves outside of the league and I think that the plan is for us to take what we’ve learned in those games to carry them into the conference and try and make a run there.”

The Colonels do have the talent to make it work.

In the paint, Nicholls utilizes Ryghe Lyons, Kimani Jackson and Legend Robertin – all guys who have different skill sets down low.

Robertin is the biggest player of the three, standing north of 7-feet tall and weighing near 300 pounds. Since arriving from Clemson as a transfer, Robertin has been solid defensively, ranking second on the team in blocked shots (17), while also securing 3.0 rebounds per game.

But if Robertin has a few vices, it’s foul trouble and the team’s frantic, up-tempo pace of play offensively, which often forces the team to play him in just short spurts.

That’s made Jackson and Lyons more and more valuable as the year has gone on.

Jackson is a firecracker – a 6-foot, 7-inch post who started at a junior college, then played at Colorado State before transferring to Nicholls.

He doesn’t have a thick frame like Robertin, but he’s arguably the best athlete on Nicholls’ team, owning superb leaping ability, which has allowed him to lead the Colonels in slam dunks. Jackson is also versatile defensively, which allows him to switch on pick and rolls effectively, often guarding wings in late-clock situations.

For Lyons, versatility and athleticism are also a factor.

A 6-foot, 10-inch true freshman out of Slidell, Lyons has earned his time because of his ability to impact games. He currently leads Nicholls in blocks, while shooting 59 percent from the field.

Riley said Lyons’ emergence as a two-way player has been a welcomed added bonus.

“He’s a guy that when we got him here, we thought he’d be a potential redshirt guy or a guy who’d maybe play a few minutes here and there in spurts,” Riley said. “But he’s gotten better and better and now, he’s in our starting five and his role continues to grow and evolve in our program.”

But while depth in the post is great, the Colonels think it’s actually their guard play that will allow them to evolve into a successful defensive team.

Freshman guard Kevin Johnson is a plus-level perimeter defender and his role has somewhat evolved into a guy who does all of the dirty work that the Colonels need to win games.

Senior Jahvaughn Powell is also a force on the perimeter, owning 37 steals in 13 games, which helps the Colonels get into transitions.

Seniors Tevon Saddler and Roddy Peters are also big pieces of what the Colonels like to do. Both players have size, Saddler standing 6-feet, 6-inches and Peters at 6-feet, 4-inches.

Because of that size, both guys can guard the basketball from both the perimeter and the post, which allows the team the opportunity to do different things in its defensive alignment.

“They give us options,” Riley said.

So now, the challenge is continued progression.

Riley said that because the Colonels play so many possessions, statistics are a bit misleading and the team is doing better than the numbers would indicate.

“We’ll never be that team that leads the conference in points allowed per game,” Riley said. “That’s not realistic and we know that. There are just too many possessions in the game.”

But the coach also knows that there’s room for growth – namely in the half court.

Riley said the Colonels’ pressure defense has been fine, but he wants the team to be better when the ball slows and they have to guard teams in their sets.