By Mark Bennett
Marcus Howard would be a great juggler. Or
better yet, he's probably the kind of guy who could double as
both the chef and the head waiter in a restaurant and still get
everybody's order right.
That's how tricky it is to serve as a basketball
team's point guard and its top defender. All you have to do is
run the offense, and make sure the opponents' best player doesn't
score at the other end of the court.
And just to make it a little tougher, Howard
hasn't been a true point guard before.
Yet in his last outing, the sophomore from
Elgin, Ill., handed out seven assists and committed just one
turnover as Howard and the Indiana State Sycamores beat Murray
State 74-66.
"Marcus - with seven assists, one turnover,
playing a position he's not used to playing and at the same time
having to guard the other team's best player - he really did
a good job," ISU Coach Royce Waltman said.
Now the 2-4 Sycamores begin their Missouri
Valley Conference schedule today at Drake (3-2) with Howard poised
to handle the ball and the Bulldogs' greatest offensive threat.
And he's doing so eagerly and without complaint.
Howard knew the situation coming into this
season. Graduation had claimed Michael Menser, the senior point
guard who dealt out an average of more than four assists for
every turnover he committed. No player in America handled the
ball more cleanly in 2000-01. The list of Menser's replacements
held promise, but all three players were early in their Division
I careers. Then the most experienced, sophomore Barry Welsh,
decided to transfer elsewhere. True freshman Lamar Grimes has
grown more confident nightly, and is now backing up Howard with
significant minutes.
"Coming into this season, it was a spot
we weren't really sure of," Howard said last week. "Coach
asked me if I wouldn't mind playing it. And basically, it's whatever
I can do to help the team. If that's where they need me to play,
then that's where I'll play."
Playing in the backcourt with Menser last
season, helped.
"You can't overlook the fact that he
led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio," Howard said.
"That's big for a point guard. If you don't turn the ball
over, you can just concentrate on distributing it to your teammates."
Waltman senses Howard doesn't yet feel completely
comfortable as a point guard. Still, seven assists and one turnover
in the last game are Menser-like stats.
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As polished as he might become, Howard realizes
his role could switch again in future seasons, putting his lanky,
6-foot-3, 185-pound frame to use as a slashing guard. He'll remain
flexible and ready, though.
"As far as in the future, I don't really
know," Howard said. "But if that's where they need
me, I'm willing to do that."
Howard is capable of finding the basket. In
last season's incredible postseason run into the NCAA Tournament's
second round, Howard averaged 10.5 points over those final five
games. And his finest offensive performance came against in ISU's
most difficult game last season against Gonzaga in the NCAA South
Regional at Memphis, where Howard scored 16 points in an 85-68
loss.This season, Howard is averaging 6.7 points per game after
getting a season-high 12 against Murray State. He hit four of
11 field goal attempts, but went 0 for 4 from 3-point range.
He's made just 4 of 23 beyond the arc for the season, after draining
36 percent of his 3-pointers as a freshman. Still, that's his
favorite spot.
"My three's not falling his year so far,"
Howard said. "But I think guys penetrating and kicking it
out to me for open shots - catching and shooting on the 3-point
line - is what I'm best at."
Offensively speaking.
Howard's true forte is probably at the other
end of the court. He typically draws the toughest defensive assignment,
which today could be Drake's deep-shooting sophomore guard Luke
McDonald.
"He has tremendous lateral quickness.
He's long-armed, which helps on [defending] the shot, and then
he works really hard," Waltman explained. "I think
he's the best defender in the conference."
That's saying a lot. The MVC may not have
many NBA Lottery picks, but it does have smart, gritty players
who do more than dunk.
Howard shrugs with a sheepish grin when he's
asked about being the Valley's best stopper. Instead, he said
it's just a matter of knowing where to apply the pressure.
"Great players are hard to shut down.
You know you're not going to be able to shut a guy down, but
I just try to contain them and limit their shots," Howard
explained. "Basically what I try to do is keep the ball
out of the guy's hands as much as possible. If he doesn't have
the ball, it's hard for him to score."
That's the recipe for success from the Sycamores'
chef/head waiter - lots of assists, hold the turnovers, and deny
service to the opponents' star player.
Mark Bennett can be reached by telephone at
1-800-783-8742, Ext. 377, by e-mail at mark.bennett@tribstar.com
or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
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