Commentary: Beware

of ASU when offense

is on the same page
By Steve Behr, sports editor
sports@wataugademocrat.com

When the Appalachian State offense is working right, they win games the way they did Monday night.

The Mountaineers, shooting 51 percent from the floor, mauled a Wofford team that seemed helpless in stopping center Donte Minter and struggled to stop Appalachian State’s outside shooting.

Minter, Appalachian State’s 6-foot-9 center, can be as tough to stop one-on-one as any center in the Southern Conference.

Minter’s biggest talent is finding room to work when there is none. True, he’s got a soft shot around the basket, which comes in handy since there’s more pushing and shoving there than there is getting on and off a New York subway.

But Minter has a knack of creating space for himself, even if he faces a double team. He’s attempted shots while contorting like he’s in the middle of a yoga class, but still manages to get the ball to go in the hoop.

He’s made plenty of them lately. He made 9-of-11 and scored 24 points Monday night, which followed a 25-point game against The Citadel when he shot 8-of-9 from the field.

Double and triple teams have slowed him down, but if the Appalachian State perimeter shooters are hitting, then teams have to either risk giving up open 3-point baskets, or nearly a sure thing from Minter.

The concept of hack-a-Minter also is not a good idea. He’s also turning into an excellent foul shooter, making 9-of-10 against The Citadel and 6-of-7 against Wofford.

The key to turning Minter loose lies with the perimeter shooters. When they’re hitting, guards Donald Sims, Ryann Abraham, Kellen Brand and Jeremi Booth can be lethal on the outside.

The Mountaineers have proven they can play with the big boys of the Southern Conference. Forget about that 71-60 loss to Davidson back in November. That was 13 basketball wins and a football championship ago.

The four-game stretch that saw the Mountaineers score more than 90 points over UNC Greensboro and Chattanooga, and follow with an 88-81 win over Georgia Southern and an 84-66 win over Furman in Greenville, S.C., showed their offensive firepower.

Those are pretty good basketball teams. The first three have a combined record of 45-27 overall, 27-16 in the SoCon. The trio would all receive first-round byes into the Southern Conference tournament if the season ended today, yet Appalachian State handled all three of them, though admittedly, all the games were played in the Holmes Center.

What the Mountaineers must worry about now is consistency. Minter does not necessarily score 25 points every night out, but he must touch the ball on almost every possession and continue to make good decisions with it. And it wouldn’t hurt to have the guards help out by drawing defenders away by making shots from the outside.

The Mountaineers are hitting the stretch run of the regular season. If it goes like it did Monday night, the future looks good.