STORRS, Conn. – Sunday night was like old times for Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, in more ways than one. It was also long-awaited and much-needed at the same time for the sophomore forward.
Coombs-McDaniel broke out in a big way, scoring a career-high 25 points in the Huskies 75-57 win over Providence. Kemba Walker got him going in the first half, finding him with a couple of nice passes inside for easy baskets, and it continued from there. He established his career high in points early in the second half, and had the kind of game in the box score that he had plenty of in high school.
As Jim Calhoun said, there were high hopes for Coombs-McDaniel when he first arrived. Early in his high school career, he looked like a solid complementary player, one who wouldn’t leap out at you since he wasn’t the most physically gifted player, but who helped a team win games. But in his last two years, he became much more. He was constantly the toughest player on the floor, the difference-maker, the player who made so many big plays that helped his team win consecutive titles in one of the most competitive prep school leagues in the country.
Coombs-McDaniel put up more than 1,000 points in two seasons at the Tilton School. More than that, he looked like he could help a team immediately at the college level because of his toughness. His scoring wasn’t who he was; his intangibles were what made him the player he was. He didn’t have the upside that many other top prospects had, but he was seen as more ready to contribute right away.
But none of that meant anything when he arrived in Storrs. As a freshman, he didn’t get off the bench much. Thus far as a sophomore, it’s basically been more of the same, as his minutes have increased but only by about three per game. He’s a player who is used to playing most of the game, so this is a big change. Not only that, but no one on the team questioned his work ethic. To a man, teammates speak highly of how hard he works in practice, and when that happens and playing time doesn’t follow, it’s difficult for anyone to take.
Calhoun said the relationship he has had with Coombs-McDaniel has been “stormy”, just one more reason he was happy to see him break out like he did on Sunday night.
“I knew I was capable of it, it was just timing and the opportunity, and I felt like I got that tonight and made the best of it,” said the sophomore forward.
On Sunday night, it was like old times. Already, he had teammate Alex Oriakhi, who is like a big brother to him. Providence has freshman Gerard Coleman, who couldn’t play due to academics, as well as classmate Ron Giplaye and assistant coach Chris Driscoll, former teammates and coach with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club. As if that wasn’t enough, Tilton coach Marcus O’Neil was in attendance along with a few of his current players who also play for BABC.
Now Coombs-McDaniel has to build off of Sunday’s game, which is easier said than done. Adjusting to being a bit player hasn’t been easy, and never is for anyone. A role change like that is always a wild card in how a player turns out, as many players have difficulty going from being “the man” to being a role player, as well as going in the opposite direction when a team needs a player to contribute more. Part of that is keeping the relationship with Calhoun manageable, which both coach and player have worked on.
“He reminds me that he respects me, and he told me to treasure that word,” Coombs-McDaniel said. “He told me I’m a lot like himself in a competitive sense. I’m just trying to keep being competitive and garnering his respect.”
Certainly, if Coombs-McDaniel gets going, the Huskies have one more player to support Walker, a national Player of the Year candidate. The support cast for Walker was the big question about this team early, and it has been developing. Freshman Jeremy Lamb didn’t have a big game Sunday but has played well of late, while Shabazz Napier has been a key defender who is also getting better. Much-maligned big man Charles Okwandu played well on Sunday when Oriakhi didn’t.
Some of the others who helped were not surprises. Coombs-McDaniel was one, if only because he hasn’t been able to get untracked thus far. But on Sunday night, he did. Helped by his team’s star, he had the best game of his college career, a game like the ones he used to have all the time, back when he played all the time. He had that game in front of a lot of familiar faces.
Indeed, on Sunday night, it was like old times for Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. Connecticut can only hope it’s the first of many such occasions.
