最新杏吧原创

Given a choice, basketball players will prefer games to practices every time. For 最新杏吧原创 University, in the early part of the basketball season, it鈥檚 been all about practice. The team has played three games so far, all pretty much a week apart.

Starting Friday, the Billikens pick up the pace. Their game against Wichita State in Kansas City on Friday (with a 9:30 p.m. tipoff), is the first of three games in six days, with only one practice session over the course of a week.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited,鈥� said forward Kalu Anya. 鈥淚 love playing basketball. I love getting into games. When I鈥檓 in the games, I just get in a different mode. So I鈥檓 just excited to play.鈥�

More games, less practice? 鈥淔ine with me,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been waiting for a long time for a stretch like this,鈥� said guard Larry Hughes II. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e ready.鈥�

In fact, the season has started so slowly, with just two games against Division I opponents in almost three weeks, even coach Josh Schertz is ready for games.

鈥淲e鈥檙e at a certain point where we need this,鈥� Schertz said. 鈥淲e need the competition to sharpen our blade.鈥�

After SLU plays Wichita State, one of the toughest teams on its nonconference schedule, it will play two games at home, against Quinnipiac on Monday and Massachusetts-Lowell on Wednesday. And then after four days off, it will play another three games in seven days.

鈥淭his is what we need to take the next steps,鈥� Schertz said. 鈥淲e got to continue to work. I鈥檓 glad the way the schedule has worked, but now鈥檚 the time to get out and start playing. I鈥檓, as a coach, equally excited. Let鈥檚 get in between these lines and let the competition drive this growth as opposed to practice driving it against each other.鈥�

Hanging over these games will be the question of when center Robbie Avila can return to action. Avila has been out since spraining his ankle in the season-opening game on Nov. 4. As of Wednesday, Avila had yet to take part in any contact work in practice, which is essential to his getting back on the court. Schertz on Wednesday termed Avila 鈥渄oubtful鈥� but also said while the chances of Avila playing were below 50-50, they were not zero.

鈥淲e鈥檙e preparing like we鈥檙e not going to have him,鈥� Schertz said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the best way to go. If he鈥檚 able to go, that will be a pleasant surprise. There鈥檚 a difference in being able to return to play and return to performance. You don鈥檛 want to play somebody unless they feel like they can go out there and be productive. Playing somebody at 60% or 70% of what they can be doesn鈥檛 benefit them, doesn鈥檛 benefit the team. We have to adapt. We don鈥檛 know how long it鈥檚 going to be.鈥�

This is one place where the lack of practice time could work against SLU. If the team and its training staff need to see Avila in a practice before clearing him to play, there鈥檚 only going to be one chance for that to happen, though Schertz said there is the chance of having a small session over the weekend with other players who haven鈥檛 been playing to let Avila test the ankle. But if Avila isn鈥檛 back for the Quinnipiac game, then the UMass-Lowell game is probably out too, which would push his return back to Dec. 2 against Jackson State.

Even if Avila does play against Wichita State, it likely won鈥檛 be for long. When Avila played in the opener against Santa Clara, he played 29 minutes, but at that point, he鈥檇 been practicing for almost two weeks and played in one exhibition game. If he plays Friday, he鈥檒l have had one practice.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 miss 45 out of 55 days (of practice) and walk in and be like you never left,鈥� Schertz said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to have to get his conditioning back. It鈥檚 a sprained ankle 鈥� he can鈥檛 run.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take him a while to be who he was. It doesn鈥檛 just happen. The first half at Santa Clara I thought he was pretty rusty, he had a lot of turnovers, he wasn鈥檛 quick to the ball, he gave up some offensive rebounds, he didn鈥檛 look like himself in the first half. Now, in the second half, I thought he was much more like himself with some passing.鈥�

The impending return of Avila also means the available minutes will take a drop when he鈥檚 back on the court. That makes this week one of the last chances for some of the team鈥檚 reserves to make a case for playing time after Avila returns.

鈥淪chertz said he鈥檚 trying to get everybody on the team to play high-level basketball,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淪o with key guys being out, it just allows other people to step up and show what they can do.鈥�

鈥淲e talk about these challenges and opportunities wrapped in these adversities,鈥� Schertz said. 鈥淲ho鈥檚 going to step up, stretch their roles, do things to increase their opportunities and AJ (Casey) and Kilian (Brockhoff) have a great chance to do that here while Robbie鈥檚 on the bench. Then when he comes back, hopefully they establish themselves and you have more depth.鈥�