Terrapins men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon had tried to coax consistent shooting out of sophomore guard Jared Nickens with constant encouragement and references to stellar shooters who had gone through similar slumps.
But Tuesday, he tried a new method. He got mad at Nickens, who was 6-for-36 (16.7 percent) on 3-pointers in conference play, during practice. He didn’t want the sharpshooter feeling sorry for himself, so Turgeon told Nickens to stop thinking about his inability to make 3-pointers and go have fun.
The next day, Nickens appeared to regain his shooting touch. He went 4-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-6, on 3-pointers. Those 11 points were tied for third-most on the team and helped the Terps squeak past Nebraska, 70-65. So heading into Saturday’s game against No. 18 Purdue, the No. 4 Terps hope Wednesday’s performance will be a springboard for Nickens.
“He’s a really happy guy, but when you’re around him every day like I am you get a good feel for him and you just try to push different buttons,” Turgeon said Friday. “I think he’d have made shots if I would’ve said something to him or not.”
With sophomore guard Dion Wiley sidelined for the year with a torn meniscus, Nickens has become the Terps’ first guard off the bench. But the 6-foot-7 swingman has struggled shooting the ball after a solid freshman campaign in which he shot 39 percent on 3-pointers, third on the team.
Nickens is still primarily a 3-point specialist – 100 of his 120 shots have come from behind the arc – and he began the season strong. He shot 43.1 percent on 3-pointers in non-conference play, but he’s made just 26.9 percent of his shots from the field against Big Ten opponents.
During Nickens’ struggles, Turgeon and his teammates told him to keep shooting. They have all gone through similar shooting droughts before. Earlier in the season, Turgeon even told Nickens that Atlanta Hawks forward Kyle Korver, who made nearly 50 percent of his 3-pointers last season, had missed 17 consecutive long-range shots this season.
Nickens has taken that message to heart. Through 23 games, he’s averaging more than four 3-point attempts per game, roughly the same as last season.
“He’s a great shooter,” guard Melo Trimble said after the game Wednesday. “It’s no need for him to stop shooting just because he’s not making any.”
And against the Cornhuskers, Nickens didn’t hesitate when he caught the ball on the wing about five minutes into the game. He immediately rose up and knocked down a 3-pointer. That first shot seemed to help his confidence, and later in the game, Nickens showed off his handles when he dribbled to the baseline and nailed a mid-range jumper to put the Terps up four with about 10 minutes left.
“I just needed to see the ball go through the hoop,” Nickens said Wednesday. “I’ve been in sort of a slump, but it’s all mental. Tonight, I just wanted to stay focused on the game.”
Even when Nickens has missed open shots, he’s found other ways to help his team. He grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against Rutgers on Jan. 6. Plus, Nickens has focused on defense.
“For me, it’s always try to impact the game in other ways,” senior forward Jake Layman said Friday. “His defense has gotten a lot better, rebounding. I think when you’re not worrying about just scoring on offense, you can impact the game in other ways.”
If Nickens’ shooting touch returns, he’ll add another dimension to the Terps offense. While all five starters are averaging 10 points or more this season, the top scorer off the bench is Nickens with 5.6 points per game. But he’s averaging just 3.5 in Big Ten games.
So as the Terps look for another signature win against the Boilermakers on Saturday, they hope that Nickens’ performance Wednesday was an indication of things to come.
“I’ve just got to stay strong and listen to my teammates and focus on winning,” Nickens said. “At the end of the day, we just want to end a national championship. I’ve just got to stay focused and stay out of my own head.”
