Published: Friday, February 10, 2012, 11:25 PM Updated: Saturday, February 11, 2012, 8:08 AM
When a college team loses its starting point guard of three or four years, the transition to the new guy often isn't smooth. Two or three candidates, all with different attributes, liabilities and experience levels, may be involved. It can be a crap shoot for the coach to decide upon one and the verdict moment can bleed well into the season........
So it was for Bucknell's Dave Paulsen as his Bison negotiated a challenging non-conference schedule that may end up including six NCAA tournament teams. Darryl Shazier had graduated. This was his floor-leader for all three of his previous seasons at BU including last year's Patriot League champions and a player in 126 games in four years.
Bucknell point guard Ryan Hill in December win over Richmond.
Paulsen had a major void to fill. Point guard is without question the most important position on a college team; he's the boss where the coach can't be. And when one boss hasn't been settled upon, it can make for a choppy existence for everyone.
“You need leadership, someone who can be an extension of the coach on the floor.
“Whoever was going to play the point was probably not going to be as offensively polished as Darryl. But he had to be able to defend and keep the ball out of the paint and be the front line of our defense. He had to be able to get in the lane himself and create for others. And he had to shoot enough that if defenses sagged back or helped he could knock down some shots.”
It took the season's first seven weeks for that man to fully materialize. But since Ryan Hill has taken over as Bucknell's starting point man, the Bison have not lost. That's an 11-game winning streak entering the Patriot League leaders' 7:00 tip tonight with third-place Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg.
Paulsen dabbled with freshman Steven Kaspar at the point during the old year. Kaspar, a flashy shoot-first type from Memphis, wasn't bad. He distributed well enough and gave the Bison a theft component in their austere defense they sorely lack. But Kaspar missed key free throws repeatedly and didn't exude confidence.
A fall-back option was soph Cameron Ayers but he was a natural winger at 6-5.
It was left to Hill to take the job if he could. The sophomore former Steel-High favorite didn't sulk about the rookie Kaspar starting ahead of him. He just went to work.
“Coach understands the flow of games,” said Hill on Thursday night. “He understands what players need to be out there in what situations.
“I realized that at the time and I had to just deal with it. I worked to get better.”
By all accounts, Hill made a compelling case by taking over December practices with energy and command. By the Cornell game on New Year's Eve, Paulsen was sold and handed Hill his first start. He's never looked back.
Bucknell has won 11 straight since Hill's first start on Dec. 31.
Hill, first cousin of Penn State and former Steel-High defensive tackle standout Jordan Hill (Jordan's father and Ryan's father Fred are brothers), has not impressed with fireworks. He's simply been a steadying influence, managing games with vision and poise on a team that has ample scoring options. Hill has only taken 36 field goal attempts all year but is hitting at an acceptable .416 clip. He's taken care of the ball (2:1 assist-turnover ratio) and has stoked up his defense on a team that stays close to the paint and values defensive boards (No.1 in the nation in DR% according to kenpom.com).
It's all been a winning formula. Prolific big man Mike Muscala is getting the ball in his sweet spot and either scoring or getting fouled – a lot (he's an .824 FT shooter). Trey-bombers Ayers and Bryson Johnson are getting open threes. Everybody's happy. And that's a good point guard's true job No. 1.
The happiness includes Hill who followed former teammate Jeremiah Young to Bucknell in making an unconventional choice for your average Steelton kids. (Young is a junior running back for the Bison football team.)
Hill had been to Bucknell during a holiday basketball tournament in December 2008 when the Steamrollers played Williamsport in Sojka. He was intrigued then. When Paulsen recruited him the next year he fell in love with the place:
“I liked the culture of the team. Obviously, academics was a big part of my decision. But hanging out with the team and realizing how close these guys really were the first time I stepped on campus, that was a big part of my decision. I realized what a tight-knit family this really was. Coming from Steel-High, I knew that's where I wanted to be, in that family-type atmosphere.”
Still, though Young was up there, it was not the type of place where kids from a hardscrabble place like Steelton usually feel comfortable – thousands of students from all corners of the nation and even the globe at one of the most prestigious and expensive schools in the nation. A cultural shock for sure. Any reticence there?
“Absolutely, that crossed my mind,” said Hill. “But I realized the different experiences I was going to have here don't happen at any other place. I had to make that decision for myself and realize what kind of future I could possibly have coming out of Bucknell.
“Also, it was close to home,” he said with a laugh. “So, I couldn't really deny that fact as well.”
Now it's just an hour trip for his Steelton and extended Steel-High families to see Hill lead one of the best low-major programs in the nation. And a leader is exactly what they're seeing
So it was for Bucknell's Dave Paulsen as his Bison negotiated a challenging non-conference schedule that may end up including six NCAA tournament teams. Darryl Shazier had graduated. This was his floor-leader for all three of his previous seasons at BU including last year's Patriot League champions and a player in 126 games in four years.
Bucknell point guard Ryan Hill in December win over Richmond.“You need leadership, someone who can be an extension of the coach on the floor.
“Whoever was going to play the point was probably not going to be as offensively polished as Darryl. But he had to be able to defend and keep the ball out of the paint and be the front line of our defense. He had to be able to get in the lane himself and create for others. And he had to shoot enough that if defenses sagged back or helped he could knock down some shots.”
It took the season's first seven weeks for that man to fully materialize. But since Ryan Hill has taken over as Bucknell's starting point man, the Bison have not lost. That's an 11-game winning streak entering the Patriot League leaders' 7:00 tip tonight with third-place Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg.
Paulsen dabbled with freshman Steven Kaspar at the point during the old year. Kaspar, a flashy shoot-first type from Memphis, wasn't bad. He distributed well enough and gave the Bison a theft component in their austere defense they sorely lack. But Kaspar missed key free throws repeatedly and didn't exude confidence.
A fall-back option was soph Cameron Ayers but he was a natural winger at 6-5.
It was left to Hill to take the job if he could. The sophomore former Steel-High favorite didn't sulk about the rookie Kaspar starting ahead of him. He just went to work.
“Coach understands the flow of games,” said Hill on Thursday night. “He understands what players need to be out there in what situations.
“I realized that at the time and I had to just deal with it. I worked to get better.”
By all accounts, Hill made a compelling case by taking over December practices with energy and command. By the Cornell game on New Year's Eve, Paulsen was sold and handed Hill his first start. He's never looked back.
Bucknell has won 11 straight since Hill's first start on Dec. 31.It's all been a winning formula. Prolific big man Mike Muscala is getting the ball in his sweet spot and either scoring or getting fouled – a lot (he's an .824 FT shooter). Trey-bombers Ayers and Bryson Johnson are getting open threes. Everybody's happy. And that's a good point guard's true job No. 1.
The happiness includes Hill who followed former teammate Jeremiah Young to Bucknell in making an unconventional choice for your average Steelton kids. (Young is a junior running back for the Bison football team.)
Hill had been to Bucknell during a holiday basketball tournament in December 2008 when the Steamrollers played Williamsport in Sojka. He was intrigued then. When Paulsen recruited him the next year he fell in love with the place:
“I liked the culture of the team. Obviously, academics was a big part of my decision. But hanging out with the team and realizing how close these guys really were the first time I stepped on campus, that was a big part of my decision. I realized what a tight-knit family this really was. Coming from Steel-High, I knew that's where I wanted to be, in that family-type atmosphere.”
Still, though Young was up there, it was not the type of place where kids from a hardscrabble place like Steelton usually feel comfortable – thousands of students from all corners of the nation and even the globe at one of the most prestigious and expensive schools in the nation. A cultural shock for sure. Any reticence there?
“Absolutely, that crossed my mind,” said Hill. “But I realized the different experiences I was going to have here don't happen at any other place. I had to make that decision for myself and realize what kind of future I could possibly have coming out of Bucknell.
“Also, it was close to home,” he said with a laugh. “So, I couldn't really deny that fact as well.”
Now it's just an hour trip for his Steelton and extended Steel-High families to see Hill lead one of the best low-major programs in the nation. And a leader is exactly what they're seeing
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