Maybe the only people who thought Jeremy Nash could score 20 points in a Big Ten game after his first three seasons in Evanston were himself and coach Bill Carmody.
The senior guard was never much of a shooter. In his first three years, he scored more than ten points once in 77 games, notching 12 points against Indiana in his sophomore year.
But now, as Northwestern’s only senior scholarship player who hasn’t suffered a season-ending injury, the coaching staff has turned to him for points, and he has delivered.
‘They told me ‘You need a new role,’ Nash said. ‘You can’t just be a defensive player this year, you need to be an offensive threat,’ and that’s what I’ve been trying to do this season.’
Nash has spent the past two seasons as the point man in Carmody’s 1-3-1 zone defense. Nash’s job is to play at the top of the zone and essentially split the court in half, not letting the ball get to the other side. His defensive credentials have never been questioned.
‘When the team needs big stops, the coach tells me,’ Nash said. ‘I try to be more aggressive, make the opponent not know what to do.’
The senior is averaging 1.7 steals and has taken the ball away multiple times in 12 of the Cats’ 20 games. That doesn’t include the numerous takeaways other players on the team get due to his aggressive defense. Though freshman Alex Marcotullio has stepped into the role when Nash is on the bench, his presence is not the same as Nash’s.
‘He’s 6’3, has long arms, and he’s just quick,’ Carmody said. ‘He’s a good judge of. ‘Can I get this guy this time?’ It’s a thinking spot as much as an athletic spot.’
But his offensive game was virtually nonexistent early in his career, with a shaky shot from 3-point range. In his first two seasons, he connected on 22 percent of his 3-point attempts.
But Carmody had seen people struggle like Nash before, recalling a former Princeton player he coached named Matt Lapin who went from an ’18 or 28 percent’ shooter to 54 percent as a senior, good for one of the best percentages in the nation.
‘I’ve seen guys go like that,’ Carmody said. ‘(Nash) has put the time in. Last spring, last summer, he went to work. I don’t think he was ever afraid, he just wasn’t a good shooter, and he had to do something about it and I think he went about it the right way.’
Nash is averaging a career-high 8.9 points. He’s gone over 20 twice-most recently scoring 22 against Illinois-and has improved his free throw shooting by 15 percentage points. It’s not by chance Nash’s shot improved.
‘He works on his shooting a lot,’ point guard Michael Thompson said. ‘He’s always in the gym. He’s tries to get here early, and he’s always in the gym after practice. Sometimes when we have a day off, me and him like to get together and shoot.’
A few days before the season started, NU had three senior players who looked to earn significant minutes: Nash, Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan. By the end of the first game, only Nash was healthy enough to play.
‘I have to open my mouth up a lot more than I had to expect when they were still there,’ Nash said.
And with that comes more responsibility.
‘When things are going bad, I blame it on him most of the time because he’s a senior,’ Carmody said.’ ‘It used to be split three ways, between him, Ryan and Coble. Now he gets it all.’ [email protected]
