Perkins needs more shots on the Broncos' weak attack
By Grant Hughes
Get Doron the ball! On a team full of spot-up shooters and defensive-minded big men, Perkins is the first, last, and only hope the Broncos have of getting easy buckets this season.
Perkins, a junior transfer from Southwestern Oregon Community College, is, by far, the Broncos' best athlete. Further, he's the only player with the quickness and strength to take his defender one-on-one and get his own shot.
Santa Clara's best shooters, sophomore Brandon Rohe and redshirt junior Ethan Rohde, rely heavily on Head Coach Dick Davey's motion offense to get their looks. When that offense sputters, or the opponents' defensive intensity ratchets up, the Broncos are left swinging the ball around the perimeter, accomplishing nothing. Instead of killing the clock in this fashion, 35 agonizing seconds at a time, why not clear a side and let Perkins have a go? The worst thing that could happen is that he would force up a bad shot, which is generally what occurs when the shot clock winds down anyway. Why make Kyle Bailey, Rohe, or Rohde hoist up a contested three-point shot when Perkins has a great chance of beating his man to the hoop? Perkins' right to more touches is staggering. He's the only one-on-one threat the Broncos have.
The best way to gauge a player's effectiveness in one-on-one situations is to look at his free throw attempts. The number of foul shots a player takes can tell you exactly how often he beats his defender and puts him in a position where he has to foul to prevent a basket. Perkins has been to the line an astonishing 93 times this season, more than twice as many as any other Bronco guard. Even more amazing is the fact that Perkins' 93 attempts so far this season matches Brandon Rohe's total for the entire 2002-2003 campaign. Rohe led the team in that category last year, and Perkins is on pace to double that figure. These numbers tell me that Perkins puts more pressure on the defense than any other Bronco.
When the defense doesn't manage to foul Perkins, he does things like he did against University of Maryland-Baltimore County on December 22. With 1.3 seconds left in double overtime, Perkins slammed home the winning dunk, prompting close observers of the team to take notice.
"Doron Perkins is the best pure athlete in the program since Lloyd Pierce. The tip-dunk to beat UMBC could only have been duplicated by Pierce in the last decade," Broncos play-by-play announcer Dave Lewis said.
So when the shot clock ticks down, or when the Broncos need a bucket, why not let Perkins take the pressure off of his team and put it on the opposition?
Despite the inexplicable reality that the Broncos don't listen to my coaching suggestions, Perkins has been steadily making his own case for more opportunities within the offense. Averaging over 12 points and leading the WCC in steals by a wide margin, he gives Bronco fans a reason to hope for something spectacular in every game. For now though, the spectacular is really just an added bonus and an indication of Perkins' unique athleticism. Hopefully, in the future, Perkins will be allowed to use that unique ability to help his team by getting the kinds of easy shots that only he can. Or, in short, get Doron the ball!
Contact Grant Hughes at (408) 554-4852 or at ghughes@scu.edu.