Thursday, January 24, 2013
Who fills Martin's minutes?
By Matt Giles
After a season where he struggled mightily from the perimeter, Scott Martin spent countless hours in the gym this past offseason and worked on his jump shot, specifically from long-range. The extra hours definitely paid off, as the sixth year wing was much improved from deep, converting 43.4 percent from three -- the best percentage of his college career. However, Martin still suffered from knee problems, and coach Mike Brey recently announced that Martin was moving to the bench and may not play again this season.
In Martin's absence, we have to wonder who will fill his minutes? Brey did not specify the Irish who would assume the bulk of the wing's playing time, merely stating that essentially every player on the practice squad is an option. One alternative is Garrick Sherman, the Michigan State transfer who, until recently, had played quite often; however, he hasn't left the bench in two games, and Brey seems to have more faith in the play of Tom Knight. If the 6-foot-10 Knight is the solution, the Irish's frontcourt would receive a significant boost of height for the game's opening minutes, or Brey might turn to several freshmen.
One player whose name hasn't been mentioned is Cameron Biedscheid. The freshman already plays a healthy amount of minutes, using nearly half of ND's available minutes, and there isn't a shot -- open or contested -- that the wing doesn't mind taking. His shots attempted rate (24.8 percent, per Ken Pomeroy) is the second-most on the squad and since Big East play began, he is only shooting 18 percent from within the arc.
