Those are awesome numbers. Just awesome.
In case you didn't notice, it took K all of two minutes to summon Jon Scheyer last night. (He didn't come out the rest of the half.) He went into the game and immediately guarded Ellington. Nelson moved over to Ginyard. From that point on, Scheyer harrassed Ellington through every screen and kept him from getting a good look. In fact, if you watch most of Ellington's open misses, someone else was guarding him after a switch (College Gamenight had a nice montage). Yet Scheyer, who rarely gets credit for his defense, got none again last night.
The kid is a fantastic all-around player, and his defense might be the most underrated aspect of any player on Duke's team. And the way he has owned Ellington in three career matchups is incredible:
Scheyer: 35.3 mpg; 17.7 ppg; 3.7 rpg; 1.7 apg; 2.0 spg; 0.3 bpg; 1.3 tpg; .405 FG% (15-37); .421 3FG% (8-19); .789 FT% (15-19).
Ellington: 22.3 mpg; 5.0 ppg; 2.7 rpg; 1.7 apg; 0.7 spg; 0.0 bpg; 1.0 tpg; .222 FG% (6-27); .000 3FG% (0-10); 1.000 FT% (3-3).
Those are awesome numbers. Just awesome.
Others have made the point as well as me, but I firmly believe that Scheyer and Singler understand the game better than almost any college player I have seen this year.
I noticed his stellar D on Ellington as well. I was nervous when Jon was not guarding Ellington. Jon did an outstanding job.
I agree. Both guys have great bball IQs. This really helps them in tight moments in a game. At the end of the game yesterday when Paulus was shooting throws- there was a shot of Scheyer standing behind him and he had this little smile - not gloating- just a "we outplayed you tonight heels and it is sweet" smile.
Thanks Jumbo! Those are fantastic numbers.
On the miserable Raycom telecast (what a poor excuse for television production), Packer mentioned how Scheyer was everywhere on defense ... making steals, etc. He said that Scheyer's length (almost 6'6" according to Packer) caused problems. He just couldn't bring himself to say that Scheyer was athletic - which Scheyer obviously is. In fact, imo, Scheyer is a much better athlete than Ellington.
Jumbo, do you have a stats breakdown of how Duke fared when Scheyer and Henderson were on the floor together? It seems like they were great when playing together.
Jumbo... I certainly noticed the defense on Ellington... my vote for MOTM was for Scheyer for that reason and his all around game. He is just a great all around player. I felt without Lawson that the only way UNC beats Duke last night was if Ellington went off from the outside (I assumed Tyler H would get his and he did). Scheyer was a major reason for the night Ellington had and therefore a major factor in the win.
another big time THANKS for this kind of stuff Jumbo. This is just SO educational to read and learn from before and after games. Makes us all better fans, I hope.
Funny, but most of the talk on the local radio shows was about Henderson shutting down Ellington. I had assumed that would be the gameplan, but I admit that I didn't watch Ellington as much as Quenton and Hansblablah.
It was funny the way Packer could not say Scheyer was athletic. Also, he kept on commenting on how the heels perimeter was not shooting well, but never actually attributed it to good defense. Packer drives me nuts.
Absolutely. He is the best "sixth man" since David Henderson -- and that is saying a HELL of a lot. I also notice that, when the press is on, he is often the one bringing up the ball or handling at the top of the floor. Like most of the team this year, his contributions go far beyond the boxscore.
Not to downplay one of my favorite players, but there is a difference between a freshman coming off the bench of a star-studded team (Grant) and one of the best players on our team being specifically slotted as the sixth man (Jon). Of course, given that Jon ends up with starter's minutes anyway (if not moreso) my whole point is somewhat meaningless. (Which is true of most of my points, but y'all have figured that out already).