Morgan State men’s basketball coach Todd Bozeman said Jamar Smith has all the skills needed to be successful in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference ? from the neck down.
But if the senior guard is to become one of the conference?s best players, he?s going to have to improve his mental approach. That?s because all his positives ? his team-high 17.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game ? are at times overshadowed by poor shot selection and his 35 turnovers, second-most on the team.
“Jamar is not there yet, but he is about 90 to 95 percent of the way along,” Bozeman said. “Coming from a junior college, there’s that period of adjustment and he has made that transition well. He’s grown as a player and I’m seeing a lot more effort in him being a team player and not trying to do too much as an individual. His defense has improved and he is doing a better job finishing. Now he just needs to be more consistent with it.”
It?s imperative Smith improves during the second half of the season if the Bears (8-8, 3-1 MEAC) are to challenge Norfolk State (6-9, 3-0) and Hampton (9-6, 4-0) for the top seed in the conference tournament. The winner of the conference tournament advances to the NCAA Tournament, a place Morgan State has never been.
Morgan State looks to hold onto third place in the MEAC when it hosts Bethune-Cookman (7-10, 2-2) tonight at 7 at Hill Field House. The Bears are coming off a 57-41 win over defending MEAC champion Florida A&M (5-11, 1-3 MEAC) on Saturday, and Bethune-Cookman posted a 56-55 victory at Coppin State the same day.
“Every game in conference play is a big game and what concerned me was the things we didn’t do [against Norfolk State],” Bozeman said. “Our shot selection wasn’t the best and we didn’t get really any fast break points and that’s where a lot of Jamar?s offense comes from.”
Bethune-Cookman will rely on its frontcourt of John Holmes (14.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Jimmy Hudson (12.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg) ? the only Wildcats who average in double figures. Morgan State has four players who average at least 10 points per game ? Smith, Reggie Holmes (15.1 ppg), Marquise Kately (12.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Boubacar Coly (10 ppg, 10.6 rpg).
“I’ve been practicing a lot to cut down on mistakes, because I know how important conference games are,” Smith said. “I think we have the ability to take [the MEAC].”
