Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Isaiah Still is on a tear

Guard Isaiah Still won his first NEC Freshman of the Week award after averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists over a two game stretch

Still led the team with 19 points on 7-15 shooting in Thursday's loss to Central Connecticut State. He also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in that game. On Saturday, Still had 22 points. Over his last four games, he's averaging 19 points and five boards on 49 percent shooting.

On the season, Still is averaging 9.4 points and 3.8 boards on 35.7/29.5/66.7 splits.

Nothing has been as encouraging as his improved play as the season has gone on. For whatever reason, something looked like it clicked in the Mount St. Mary's game a few weeks ago for Still. There was an aggression going to the rim we haven't seen from him all year.

That aggression has kept Robert Morris' offense afloat. An already terrible offense has really struggled with Rodney Pryor not looking like himself recently. Factor in Elijah Minnie no longer on the team, and that's really the bulk of RMU's scoring being non-existent. Someone HAD to step up, and Still was the one to answer the calling.

One thing that's been impressive during this stretch is his touch around the rim. He seems to have the ability to finish with either hand and is explosive enough to beat his defender off the dribble, giving him decent looks. Still has a pretty low percentage of shots at the rim that are assisted, meaning he's creating for himself. RMU could use a few more reliable guys like that.

There's also not a lot of middle ground for Still. Numbers show that only eight percent of his shots are mid-range jumpers, meaning he's either driving to the bucket or taking a three. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on your view of advanced statistics in basketball and the "value" of a mid-range jumper, but simply having that shot can be a weapon to have for defenses who start catching on to tendencies.

The next step for Still is probably adding to the consistency. Yes, this has been a nice four-game stretch, but can it last? If RMU wants to be taken as "serious" contenders, they'll need him to keep doing what he's doing. He's a nice secondary scorer to have. His type of game could bring a lot to the table when it comes to getting high percentage looks and opening things up from the three-point line.

Overall, those are just picky things. The Colonials have one of the 15 least efficient offenses in the country, so any scoring is welcomed. If a few other guys can get going with Still, maybe the boys have an unexpected run in them.

--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella

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