Kevin Stacom: Silver Linings
Kevin Stacom, Sports Analyst
Kevin Stacom: Silver Linings
Coach English said in his post-game press conference after the win over Butler on Wednesday night that, finally, the team put together a much-welcomed response. This is coming off the last four losses in a row since Hopkins reportedly tweaked his knee vs .DePaul on December 10th.
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Yes, Butler is struggling, having lost 7 in a row, but that could have been deceiving since four of those losses were against highly ranked teams ( Houston, Wisconsin, Marquette, UConn), and two more of the losses were against a resurging Villanova team ( who they had down by double digits), and a scrappy St John’s squad who we had recently seen defeat PC in a heartbreaker.
In addition to Hopkins being a scratch again, English and his staff were dealing with Rich Barron sitting out due to a concussion and Christ Essandoko and Eli DeLaurier nursing hamstring injuries.
Despite all of that, Providence came out with one of their more balanced performances of the season. They finished with four guys in double figures- Pierre, 18; Cardet Jr, 17; Joseph,18; and the welcomed best performance of his young career, Mela, with 10 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. It was an excellent team effort, but it always gives hope for the future when a freshman responds to his 1st starting opportunity in such a poised, positive way. He’s been showing in flashes up till now and in a more demonstrative fashion in this game vs Butler, something that Coach English has been saying the team has been searching for all season- the right Chemistry.
Back on May 14th, I wrote an article about Mela’s signing with PC and spoke to assistant coach Dennis Felton and Mela’s Prep school coach at the Newman School in Boston to get their take on the type of player Ryan was. Both turned out to be very prescient.
“Felton relayed to me, and watching film reinforced the idea, that Mela is really deceptive off the dribble in getting in the lane, getting by his man, where he can either make a play or finish strong through contact He displayed simple, effective hesitation moves - he looked very comfortable using either hand in a series of up and under baseline drives and clever moves extending to the basket”
His Prep School coach, Jackson Johnson, was very succinct when I asked him to describe Mela’s game. He said that Mela is “Deceptive, Clever, and Creative.”
With regard to that, I think it’s worth restating Ryan Mela’s senior year statistics:
31 games:
18 points/game; 8.3 rebounds; 5.3 assists; 51% FG’s; 35% 3’s; 66FT’s; 3.1 steals/game
Yes, the stats show a need for improvement from the 3-point line and the free-throw line, but what jumps out at you are the rebounds (8.3), the assists (5.3), and the steals (3.1) And when you drill down further on the assists you find that the ratio is a very positive anomaly for a 6’6” wing- 163 assists/ 72 turnovers- better than a 2 to 1 ratio, a statistic reserved for high-level point guards.
Rebounding, steals, and assists are the characteristics of what you would call a good basketball player. Those are the things that give a team continuity, cohesion, or, as Coach English described after the Butler game, “connectedness.”
Ryan Mela’s Stats vs Butler:
33 minutes: 5/9 FG’s; 0 3’s; 0 FT’s; 15 Rebounds!; 4 assists/ 1 turnover; 2 steals; 10 points.
He also possesses a Doncic-like quality of playing at his own pace, which is related to his ability to process the game at a high level, leading to good and, at times, creative decisions. The next step in his basketball evolution will be being more aggressive in taking the open shot, including the 3, which will open up even more opportunities for him and his teammates as the defense will have to honor that, resulting in him taking advantage of more open lanes to score and create. I’ve watched him at practice, and he’s a good shooter. That will be on him since we know Coach English will be the last person in the world to inhibit him from taking a quality open shot. Everything in time
Right now, the coaches have done a nice job bringing him along at a pace that halfway through the season, he looks ready to contribute in a meaningful way, perhaps a bit ahead of schedule, where need meets opportunity for the team and him.
And not to get too ahead of ourselves, but it’s hard not to envision and look forward to the following year when this freshman gets to play with two very talented incoming freshmen next year: Jamier Jones, a 6’6, 205 lb Top 20 recruit from Orlando, Florida and the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, Jaylen Harrell, a 6’6” 205 wing from Boston and the CATS program in Braintree, Mass.
Two very talented and savvy young players are coming.