We are getting deep into the year and Jackson Kent isn't showing the results of last year. He has to be one of those who loses minutes as Brady tightens the rotation heading into the CAA tourney.

Last year...
Kent shoots 42%FG , 42% 3ptFG, 79% FT. He tied for the team best in 3pt% and was first in FT%. He played the role of shooter and did it well.

This year 35% FG, 33% 3ptFG, 73% FT. Of the 6 players who have attempted 1 3pt shot per game he is dead last in 3pt %.
He is also 6th in FT %.

If he can't be a premier shooter, he has much less value to the team. Whether you like him as a player or not, you can't argue that he has taken a significant step backwards this year.

Last year and as this year began I really felt he was gonna lose minutes to the more athletic guys such as Morgan, Greys and Mc Clean. He has had some decent games this year, but last night it is hard to justify all those minutes. He is weak handling the ball, has hard time guarding quick guards and if the shot is not falling he needs to come out. We need him to hit shots or play other guys

He has played better since his breakout game about a month ago. He is a good defender, good rebounder, good passer (has given a few layups to the post), a good shooter when set and not a lot of pressure, and becoming pretty good off the drive. He also was a pretty good target to pass to against pressure. Pretty good at the foul line. He has a a lot of positives in all aspects of the game

On the downside....not a great ballhandler on the dribble. When William and Mary was making their run I turned to my daughter next to me and said (referring to Kent) "he'll not be able to hit his shot now." On cue, that possession he was about 4' beyond the arc and clanked off the front of the rim. (If he would get set and not venture too far back I'd like to see if he could regain his stroke under pressure. It seems to effect him at the line as well so I'm not sure getting set will help him). Too much all around talent to let the pressure get to him like it does. I'm hoping he snaps out of it.

It is his shot selection that is frustrating to me. It is 50-49 last night with over 15 seconds on the shot clock and he chucks up a 25 footer for no good reason. He takes about two shots like that a game. I like the other parts of his game. His D suffered last night because Tarpay is really a power forward with quickness. Jackson can guard and bother most shooting guards and small forwards.

Tarpey might be a first team all CAA player. Does Kent have to hold one of the better players in the league scoreless for us to say he had a good defensive night? Tarpey had 5 rebounds, no 3 pointers, 2 turnovers, 1 block, one steal, 3 assists and 11 points last night on 5-11 shooting. That means 5-9 on two pointers and I bet most of those were from close range. I remember at least two lay ups. He played 32 minutes. Hardly a banner night. Are fans on the Tribe board talking about how bad Terpey is?

Kent had 7 rebounds, 2 3 pointers, 1 turnover, 1 assist, no steals or blocks and 8 points on 3-8 shooting in 33 minutes.

Kent does force some long range 3's at times. He made one really poor pass late to give Tarpey his only steal and a lay-up plus an and one on the foul. The guy is not perfect but man, he was playing his butt off last night flying around to guard Tarpey.

JMU has one star and the rest are complimentary players. Next to Curry, Kent might have the most all around complete game. He shot 42% overall last year because he shot 42% from 3. I am fairly sure there are not many players who shot better than 40% from 3 last year that had close to the same number of attempts and you do realize that 33% from 3=50% from 2?

Kent made 2 bad decisions in 33 minutes of play last night and it came on the same turnover with a foul at the other end. He held one of the best players in the CAA to the stat line above. I'd say he had a good night overall and with one more made 3 a good shooting night as well.

I don't see regression from him on offense. I also don't see improvement. He is pretty much the same player. He is a much better defender and rebounder because he has added some strength. Can we cut the guy some slack for not being Curry like? Do any of you see Brown as the better all around player? Greys? McClean? Serb? All four of these guys have holes in their game too.

There is obvious regression in his shooting numbers this year.
For those that don't know, the average shooter in college basketball makes 34% of his 3pt attempts. Kent is worse than average so far this year. His role is nothing but a shooter on offense and he is worse than the average shooter in NCAA basketball.

He needs to get his shooting back to last year's level to help this team.

I am surprised that the average shooter is 34%. Is there a minimum of shots or does that include anyone who has attempted a 3? How is the % calculated? Every
Team should be shooting 20 threes per game with that kind of average %.

Kent shot for a higher % last year. I get your point. My point is that other parts of his game have improved and he is a much better player than many on here give him credit for being. No one else is really stepping up either. Brown is a big man. He needs to hit the offensive boards more often instead of watching teammates shots from behind arc. He is playing the 4 for goodness sake. Go get the rebound. He actually did it once last night and it surprised me. I am use to him staying outside on offense.

I struggle with the bashing of Kent. He is who he is and does contribute to this team. Morgan could not have helped JMU last night. He could have made more of a difference in the UNCW game had he been inserted earlier.

(02-02-2016 12:05 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  I am surprised that the average shooter is 34%. Is there a minimum of shots or does that include anyone who has attempted a 3? How is the % calculated? Every
Team should be shooting 20 threes per game with that kind of average %.

Kent shot for a higher % last year. I get your point. My point is that other parts of his game have improved and he is a much better player than many on here give him credit for being. No one else is really stepping up either. Brown is a big man. He needs to hit the offensive boards more often instead of watching teammates shots from behind arc. He is playing the 4 for goodness sake. Go get the rebound. He actually did it once last night and it surprised me. I am use to him staying outside on offense.

I struggle with the bashing of Kent. He is who he is and does contribute to this team. Morgan could not have helped JMU last night. He could have made more of a difference in the UNCW game had he been inserted earlier.

Kent has underperformed this year by all expectations. Brady said so again in his press conference today. He has gone from a dependable second scorer last year to an enigma this year. The biggest issue is that he disappears when the intensity and physicality of the game get raised. The UNC-W game and the second half last night was another example of that. He not only went ice cold and forced his shot but his defense was terrible in the second half. I'm not being critical of Kent because I dislike him in anyway but like others on here I'm bothered that Brady has continued to give him minutes at times when he is clearly not getting it done.

I'm also not sure why you think Morgan couldn't have helped JMU last night? I think you are in the minority with that opinion. Care to elaborate?

Kent is a better defender this year, a more polished ball handler, but has struggled with his shooting, which is in part because of his shot selection. I think he's better than he's shown. Next year, his minutes could drop with Snowden coming on board. I don't know what the fascination with Morgan is...have never been able to understand that. Morgan is an elite level athlete in some respects but his basketball skill set isn't great. Kent plays because he's the best current option.

The 34% 3pt national average includes all players on every team. That's right.

If we recall just 4 weeks ago JMU was top 25 in the nation with a 40% 3pt shooting team.
They are falling back to the pack and losing the edge they had against most teams in perimeter shooting. Now shooting 37% for the year. Kent isn't the only reason, but he needs to return to last year's shooting form ASAP.

As I've stated before, I'm on the fence with Kent's playing time being cut. I agree with most all that has been said on this thread pros and cons. I think he is better all-around than some people give him credit for but a liability when he takes questionable shots.

My biggest issue with him is WHEN he seems to unravel. It seems mostly related to pressure. When the momentum starts to swing against JMU you can count on Curry to nail a shot. I expect Kent to shoot out of rhythm or too deep. He doesn't release with confidence and the ball hits the front of the rim. It's mental with Kent. Some misses are bigger than others (free throws against UNCW) and maybe Brady needs to take that into consideration. Grays and Mclean have both hit clutch jumpers when we needed. I can't think of a true pressure three Kent has drained this season.

I forget the game but I seem to remember Kent hitting a huge shot after driving and hesitating to get his man out of position. Perhaps his pressure shots should come by driving to the basket

Brady correctly pointed out yesterday that a couple of guys aren't playing to the level of a year ago. That's obviously Dalembert and Kent. Brown is also up and down, as has been Serb. The only consistent scorer has been Curry, who's generally been terrific all season. That overall inconsistency, in its simplest terms, probably explains why the team is up and down. I was a bit surprised that Sunderland said today that most opposing coaches view JMU as having the most talented roster. Curry himself said the same thing following the W&M game.

The other interesting quote following the game versus the Tribe was from Brown, who said the team needs to play a complete game rather than just a half. They've had leads evaporate several times this season after getting out to great starts.

(02-02-2016 06:53 AM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  The 34% 3pt national average includes all players on every team. That's right.

What's your source? I'm not saying you're wrong but I'm wondering. I could use ESPN to add up the makes and attempts for all 351 teams, but I'm not going to spend time doing that. The median team three-point percentage is .345, and that should be near the mean.

I will elaborate since you asked. Morgan's minutes will not come in place of Kent's minutes. He is a point guard so you put him in and move Curry to the 2. This means McClean or Greys sits. Morgan might be a marginally better defender than these two but you give up a lot on offense. Kent is a 3. This is where Brown will play at times. Brown also plays at the 4.

When folks say Kent doesn't have any handle, I have to scratch my head. The guy is not a point guard. He is a 6' 7" small forward. I would say his handle is pretty good for the position he plays.

I agree his shot selection is poor at times. I also think his body language would suggest he doesn't exude confidence. Still, the criticism on here would suggest he should be benched. Since Brown is the only other option at the 3, he becomes Kent's replacement. Do any of you think Brown is a better defender then Kent is? I sure don't. When you move Brown to the 3, Carbarkappa becomes your 4. How do you like him on defense at the 4 compared to Brown?

Do you now see why Kent is playing so much?

A couple of people referenced Kent as a reliable second scorer- I don't think Kent will ever be a reliable second scorer on a good basketball team. That said he has been and can be a valuable rotation guy. As for the second scorer I think it needs to be Brown or Dalembert as a reliable inside presence. If Kent is your 4th option he looks a lot better than as your 2nd.

I think he is a good support player. He will have his nights when he scores double digits but to expect him to be the second scorer night in and night out is setting one up for disappointment. He is not a go to guy. He might have go to nights but not like Curry. Curry is a premier player in the CAA.

(02-02-2016 12:32 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  Kent is a better defender this year, a more polished ball handler, but has struggled with his shooting, which is in part because of his shot selection. I think he's better than he's shown. Next year, his minutes could drop with Snowden coming on board. I don't know what the fascination with Morgan is...have never been able to understand that. Morgan is an elite level athlete in some respects but his basketball skill set isn't great. Kent plays because he's the best current option.

I don't agree with you on this 84- do you really allocate a scholarship to a player for 3 years (only 2 on the floor) if he is such a project and he's not going to play? Brady has proven himself to be better evaluator of talent than that.

There is and should be a place in the rotation for Morgan night in and night out. He doesn't have to directly take minutes away from any one individual player but it's a look that Brady needs to employ more on offense and defense. Play him with Curry and press off the made shot- show opposing teams another wrinkle on offense with a guy with some size who can drive to the basket and at minimum get to the line.

(02-02-2016 11:51 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  I think he is a good support player. He will have his nights when he scores double digits but to expect him to be the second scorer night in and night out is setting one up for disappointment. He is not a go to guy. He might have go to nights but not like Curry. Curry is a premier player in the CAA.

And another thing - was Kent really a reliable second scorer on last years team? I know that the team last year wasn't as good as this year- but I'd hardly call him reliable then.