Sunday, February 10, 2013
Further PT for Sherman
By Matt Giles
Garrick Sherman was supposed to be a high-impact transfer this season, a label that signifies the 2013 season would be a solid junior season for the former Michigan State big. The plan was that Sherman would provide interior offense and would further boost Notre Dame's rebounding percentages, but inconsistent play led coach Mike Brey to bench Sherman for the past two games, using senior Tom Knight in his stead. Against Louisville, though, a game that lasted five overtimes before the Irish prevailed, Brey was forced to use Sherman, so it was insightful thinking on Sherman's part that he spent additional practices working on his conditioning.
Sherman scored 17 points in just 22 minutes, and we wonder if the big will see further playing time in February. Perhaps the benching was a wake-up call, the extra push Sherman needed to realize how assertive he must be in the Irish's offense and how much the Irish needed an extra scorer in the frontcourt to balance the offensive output. Also, those 22 minutes should do wonders for Sherman's confidence, and he could be the key piece to an Irish turnaround in the second half of Big East play.
