Reaching for the stars: Terriers ace routine, take home state titles
December 30, 2013
Saints lose at Carolina, playoff hopes darken
December 30, 2013
A strong presence off the bench has been helping the Nicholls basketball team in the second half of games this season.
Sophomore guard T.J. Carpenter has given the Colonels (3-6 overall) a boost with his hot shooting, playing a vital part in helping Nicholls to its first three victories this season.
In two of those victories, Carpenter would finish as the Colonels’ leading scorer, contributing a season-high 20 points in a Dec. 7 win against Loyola and then 14 points in a victory over IUPUI on Dec. 18.
Against IUPUI, Carpenter simply took over. He scored 12 points in the final 10 minutes of the game and knocked down two clutch 3-point baskets as part of a 10-1 Nicholls run that helped propel the team to a 62-56 road victory – their third win in four games.
Coming off the bench to help his team in those two victories was a humbling experience, Carpenter said.
“Coach told me he wanted me to come out in the second half and give them a couple of big 3’s off the bench,” he said. “I did it for them.”
Shooting the ball is almost second nature to Carpenter, whose mother was a standout shooter at Northwestern State who went on to play semi-pro ball.
Even as a freshman last year, Carpenter averaged 10 points a night and led the team in 3-pointers with 47 in 26 games. Through nine games this season, he is third on the team in scoring with an average of 8.9 points per game. Only starters Dantrell Thomas and Jeremy Smith, the two seniors ahead of him at guard, have averaged more points.
Having the type of threat that Carpenter provides off the bench has been a valuable weapon to the Colonels, said Nicholls coach J.P. Piper.
“You think of a game as a fight and you have an ace in your back pocket there knowing he’s going to be able to come off the bench and make shots for you,” said Piper, who, in part because of Carpenter, recently picked up his 100th career coaching win at Nicholls in the victory at IUPUI. “We need him to do that consistently.”
The Colonels’ coaching staff has always known that Carpenter could shoot the ball. But more importantly, Piper said, he’s now becoming a good defender as well.
Forcing Carpenter to become a good defensive player wasn’t a luxury Nicholls had last season due to various injuries. This year, Carpenter knows he also has to keep his man from scoring in order to stay on the floor, Piper said.
“That’s really what got him relegated to the bench in the first place,” Piper said. “Last year, he ended up having to start due to some injuries and ready or not, he had to play. That’s almost unfair to him. He wasn’t ready defensively. This year, it’s actually helped draw his attention to the deficiencies in his game. He’s worked hard to become a better defender and it’s obvious. It’s making a difference in the games for us.”
Part of the deficiencies Carpenter suffered from on defense had to do with a high school mentality, Piper said. As a top prep talent, Carpenter – like many players at his level – knew he could outscore his opponent most nights due to sheer talent.
That’s not the case at the college level.
The coach said Carpenter is putting in the work daily to be a more versatile player on both ends of the floor.
“At this level, everybody is that good offensively, so where you make a difference is you’ve got to work at being a great defender,” said Piper. “It’s just a sense of urgency and an effort thing. I think early in the year it didn’t upset him if his man scored. Now, he’s really developed toughness and intensity and just a mindset.”
Even Carpenter himself admits defense wasn’t always a high priority for him.
“Coming out of high school, defense wasn’t really a big part of my game,” he said. “This year, I’ve adjusted to become more of a defensive player, just putting in work in practice. Having to guard Dantrell in practice has helped a lot.”
Whether Carpenter cracks the starting lineup this season remains to be seen, but as long as Smith and Thomas are healthy, it seems likely Carpenter will continue helping the team off the bench and in the sixth man role.
That’s the role that Smith served in last year for Nicholls, and one Carpenter has excelled in this season.
Even if Carpenter doesn’t work his way into the starting lineup, every team needs a good role player and bench presence, and few have been as good as Carpenter has this year.
“You can get caught up in who starts and who doesn’t, but what you really need to look at are the minutes,” said Piper. “If at the end of the night you’re getting minutes, then it doesn’t really matter whether you started or not. He’s (still) important to us.”
As the holidays approach, Nicholls will be gearing up to get set for Southland Conference play.
Here is the team’s upcoming slate of games. Three of the team’s first five league games will be in Stopher Gymnasium.
Jan. 2 – vs. UNO – 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 – vs. Southeastern – 3:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 – @ Lamar – 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 – @ Sam Houston St. – 4 p.m.
