Jeff Adrien walked off the court at the end of the first half having put together a line that was modest at best - nine rebounds, four points, one block and one steal.
He emerged with a vengeance in the second half, however, finishing with a team-high 18 points and having pulled down 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
"I've been having a lot of double-teams and tonight, fortunately, I didn't, and I think I showed what I can do when I'm not doubled and I'm open, so that's what I went out and did," Adrien said.
Both Adrien and associate head coach Tom Moore said that the forward had been troubled all season long by the opposing defense's double teams, which were frustrating because it eliminated his ability to score in the paint. Against Northeastern, Adrien only faced off against Bennet Davis, which was instrumental in letting him explode inside.
"Getting double-teamed is something that is frustrating for a player like me because you know I really want to go out there and score, but sometimes I can't and I just have to be patient," Adrien said.
Head coach Jim Calhoun had recently been questioning what was wrong with Adrien's play, saying he didn't have the explosiveness he showed at times not only at the end of last season but throughout the first games this year. While he said the rebounding was there, Adrien wasn't dunking the ball nor putting up the numbers on the glass he felt the forward should have.
Moore said he's been working with Adrien on trying new moves inside to kick start his offensive game, such as keeping his hands open on screens to wait for the ball or to take a powerful extra step inward to keep his opponents off balance.
"He doesn't open up with his hands ready as quickly as he should and he can pick up so many easy points that way," Moore said.
The associate head coach used an analogy of three levels to describe Adrien's performance, beginning with trying to make a name for himself, then moving on to playing the game for himself before finally playing the game not only to succeed individually, but also to help the team out.
"What I always tell Jeff about is that he has to try to go from level one to level three because there aren't any older guys to take care of level three this year," Moore said. "He's got to inherit this level."
While Adrien didn't display the power he's been known to show, he slowly began to right that ship in the second half. The forward scored 12 of the team's first 19 points after the break, including a stretch where he worked the ball inside and converted a pair of layups and drew a foul from Northeastern forward Mark Washington on the second basket.
By utilizing quicker moves inside and having more patience, both Moore and Adrien believe that the impact of the double-teams will lessen and that stronger performances will emerge. The other adjustment has been to playing with a cast of new players, which will sort itself out as the season continues.
"I think I've been playing fine but I think, really, just the double teams and me not being ready to catch the ball to explode has affected me," Adrien said. "It's been an adjustment. I have to be real patient on the post this year waiting for doubles to come to kick it back out and not knowing when to go."
Be the first to comment on this article!