Unlike some of the players on this squad, #23 has a sense of urgency to him.About a month ago, LewJack insisted to his head coach that he'd be back in the month of January. Matty seemingly patted him on the had and said it'd probably be more like mid-February.
Lewis was right. On the 28th, he was cleared to play...and on that same night, he did just that.
He said he felt tired in the second half, but it seems like he understands that fatigue goes away quickly as does the opportunity to play on a "special" team.
Naysayers can bark whatever they want about the guy, but he wants to be a part of this team and I think might be a crucial part of the stretch run.
After the game, Painter commented about the embarrassment of riches that he now has as 12 guys might all be able to play each game...but in reality, the bench will probably only go 10 deep game-in, game-out. There are only 200 playing minutes available each game, afterall.
Of all problems a coach can have, this might be the best one to have.
6 comments:
Glad to have him back.
I was happy to see Lewis, but I was a little concerned that this was the wrong game to bring him back for. Just as contenders rarely start the season with huge games, I really didn't want to see a rusty point guard play big minutes against a sound opponent in a critical game that would be decided by so few possessions.
It was alot to ask of him and I believe he did his best. I just wish that Painter used PSU and IU as the warm-up games. I guess Jackson deserved to play if he really was disciplined with his rehab.
If JaJuan leaves, will we be starting a 4 guard plus Hummel lineup?
Chris -- Bade to the rescue?
Doesn't matter. JJ's not leaving.
I just hope Lewis' return is spark that blows the complacency tendencies of this team all the way to East Lansing to take residency there.
"D" Down; Boiler UP!
Jay, I'm thinking the same thing. I think his energy will rub off on the others. With LewJack back in the line up, I think we can win out. A true PG has been what we've been lacking the whole season. I saw him last night on the floor and you could tell he was excited to be out there. He was directing traffic, setting picks, and communicating with his teammates. When he's benched we still have a very capable CK to run the point. This could be a turning point on our season.
I've got to agree with Joe. The team has a whole different pace when LewJack is on the floor. I think he makes the biggest difference for Kramer. The hounding LewJack does allows for Kramer to move around a bit more and generally just have a little more freedom on defense. I think we are a completely different team when LewJack is at 100%, and no one can argue that he doesn't neutralize that full court press we have struggled with.
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