BIG EAST TOP TWO-GUARDS 2008-2009: 6) JEROME DYSON
November 11, 2008
Hopefully, 2008-2009 will be a bounce back season for Connecticut guard Jerome Dyson. After producing an excellent freshman campaign, the 6-foot-4 Rockville (MD) native had a rocky sophomore season.
In his rookie campaign, Dyson took over as UConn's go-to scorer down the stretch. While the Husky season was a disappointment with no trip to the NCAA Tournament or even the NIT, Dyson seemed to establish himself as the future building block of the program. The strong and tough guard, with the potential to be an elite defender, averaged 14 points a game, nearly four rebounds and just over two assists a game. Those numbers increased to nearly 17 points a game over the last dozen contests of '06-'07.
Dyson's sophomore season started off strong. On January 8th he was averaging a tem-high 15 points a game, but hit a three-game slump scoring just 22 points total in that stretch. After a 20-point outing against Cincinnati to break the slump, Dyson was ticketed on the UConn campus for possessing alcohol by a minor as he and teammate Doug Wiggins were found with bottles of alchohol in a car on campus. Campus police also found a small amount of marijuana in the vicinity of the vehicle. After a positive test for drugs, Dyson was suspended from the team for 30-days, since it was his second positive test for drugs.
Dyson returned to the UConn line-up on February 26th, but he was never able to get back into the flow of the team, scoring just 27 points in their five games prior to the NCAA Tournament. With AJ Price taking control off the offense and Craig Austrie finding his niche at the shooting guard spot, Dyson seemed to be largely out of the mix.
Now, as a junior, Dyson again faces a challenge in finding his role with the team. Exciting freshman Kemba Walker is making it awful tough to keep him off the floor and that pushes AJ Price to the shooting guard position. Austrie is still in the mix and Dyson is having to show he can be more consistent and effecient when he is not getting a high volume of shot opportunities like he was able to get at the end of his freshman season.
Still, a guard with his ability to defend and score is going to increase the March Madness betting odds of his team. He just needs to find his place within the system and consistently perform the role that is asked, even if it is different from what was asked at the end of his rookie season at UConn.
Hopefully, 2008-2009 will be a bounce back season for Connecticut guard Jerome Dyson. After producing an excellent freshman campaign, the 6-foot-4 Rockville (MD) native had a rocky sophomore season.
In his rookie campaign, Dyson took over as UConn's go-to scorer down the stretch. While the Husky season was a disappointment with no trip to the NCAA Tournament or even the NIT, Dyson seemed to establish himself as the future building block of the program. The strong and tough guard, with the potential to be an elite defender, averaged 14 points a game, nearly four rebounds and just over two assists a game. Those numbers increased to nearly 17 points a game over the last dozen contests of '06-'07.
Dyson's sophomore season started off strong. On January 8th he was averaging a tem-high 15 points a game, but hit a three-game slump scoring just 22 points total in that stretch. After a 20-point outing against Cincinnati to break the slump, Dyson was ticketed on the UConn campus for possessing alcohol by a minor as he and teammate Doug Wiggins were found with bottles of alchohol in a car on campus. Campus police also found a small amount of marijuana in the vicinity of the vehicle. After a positive test for drugs, Dyson was suspended from the team for 30-days, since it was his second positive test for drugs.
Dyson returned to the UConn line-up on February 26th, but he was never able to get back into the flow of the team, scoring just 27 points in their five games prior to the NCAA Tournament. With AJ Price taking control off the offense and Craig Austrie finding his niche at the shooting guard spot, Dyson seemed to be largely out of the mix.
Now, as a junior, Dyson again faces a challenge in finding his role with the team. Exciting freshman Kemba Walker is making it awful tough to keep him off the floor and that pushes AJ Price to the shooting guard position. Austrie is still in the mix and Dyson is having to show he can be more consistent and effecient when he is not getting a high volume of shot opportunities like he was able to get at the end of his freshman season.
Still, a guard with his ability to defend and score is going to increase the March Madness betting odds of his team. He just needs to find his place within the system and consistently perform the role that is asked, even if it is different from what was asked at the end of his rookie season at UConn.
Labels: 2008-2009 preview
posted by NBE Blogger @ 3:28 PM
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