Let me start by saying I love Michael Jenkins just as much as the next guy. The “Mi-chael Jen-kins” chant is my favorite Wildside cheer. But he might not be enough.
Give the pint-sized point guard credit for sticking with the Wildcats, even when he could have moved on to focus his attention on grad school. With the departure of T.J. Parker in the offseason, a vacancy opened up at his position, and Jenkins was first in line for the job.
But four games into the season, Northwestern needs more Craig Moore and more Sterling Williams. The student section’s “We want Moore!” chant in the beginning of the second half was right on.
These two freshmen guards are the future of the program. They both came to Northwestern from respected prep backgrounds – Moore out of the New Jersey Prep League and Williams from the Chicago Public League.
Their lines weren’t overly impressive Monday night in their home opener, but they didn’t have much of a consistent block of time to showcase themselves either. Moore totaled nine points and two assists in 23 minutes of court time, and Williams finished with four points and one assist in just seven minutes. Most importantly, both combined for a 3:2 assist-to-turnover ratio, a sign this pair is mastering the complex Princeton offense.
“I thought they gave us a lift when they went in there in the first half,” coach Bill Carmody said. “I thought they played pretty well, both of those guys.”
But following NU’s sloppy 69-59 win against Florida Atlantic, Carmody was searching for a different player to fill the void at floor general.
“I’m looking for that guy Parker that’s playing over in France right now,” Carmody said. “Where the hell’s that guy?”
In 24 minutes on the floor Monday night, Parker’s replacement Jenkins committed 5 turnovers while netting just two points and dishing out two assists. For a point guard, the 2:5 assist-to-turnover ratio is the most frightening, especially in the Princeton offense where the dimes flow like money.
Still, some players are celebrating the exodus of Parker. Senior forward Vedran Vukusic said the Cats have more team unity compared to last year, while junior swingman Tim Doyle said he relishes the opportunity to have a greater role in the offense now that Parker is gone.
“With the loss of Parker I think that freed up a lot of opportunities to have the ball (because) he had the ball in his hands all game every game,” Doyle said. “Him being gone, I joked (that) we had a party at the beginning of the year to celebrate and cut up the pie of his shots.”
While Doyle and Vukusic may have picked up their scoring loads to account for the hole in the starting lineup by scoring a combined 40 points against the Owls, the ball handling left more people than just Carmody wanting for more.
To go with Jenkins’ subpar night, Doyle and guard Mohamed Hachad also had more turnovers than assists. Doyle committed five turnovers for a 2:5 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Hachad was a little better with a 2:3 mark.
“Jenkins has got to be the guy,” Carmody said. “But he hasn’t done that. I don’t care about the shooting from him. I just care about running the team, leadership, taking over out there. Granted those guys are quick, but he’s got to do better.”
The solution: put Jenkins back in the capable fill-in role he had during the conference slate last season. Remember that up until this season, he was a three-year walk-on. Rudy was a great story, but he never won Notre Dame any national championships.
Jenkins provides a good spark and a solid effort off the bench, but when you need him to be the guy, well, you might be in for some issues.
Moore and Williams need to be given a chance – the same way Parker and Hachad were thrust into the spotlight in their freshmen seasons under Carmody.
Only then will we stop longing for the never-gonna-happen return of No. 1 from France.
Deputy Sports Editor Zach Silka is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
