Foley getting his points across

Thursday, February 21, 2013

— Joe Foley has never hesitated to make adjustments in the middle of a basketball season.

“That’s what the fun part is,” said Foley, who is in his 10th season as UALR’s women’s basketball coach.

Most of them have worked, too.

Foley’s latest tweak came four weeks ago when he retooled his starting lineup with players who were willing to play defense. The move has helped UALR hold teams to 33.8 percent shooting and an average of 47.7 points per game over its current seven game winning streak.

If the Trojans (18-7, 10-6 Sun Belt Conference) extend the streak to eight with a victory over Florida International (17-9, 11-6) today in Miami, they’ll be tied with Arkansas State atop the Sun Belt West Division with three games remaining.

Of course, the downside to the move was giving up some offense.

None of the five starters - guards Taylor Ford and Ka’Nesheia Cobbins and forwards Kiera Clark, Shanity James and Hannah Fohne - averages more than 6.5 points per game for their careers. Two of them, James and Cobbins, had combined for only seven career start sbefore a Jan. 23 victory over Florida Atlantic.

The move also sent Taylor Gault and Jannette Merriex - who are averaging a combined 22.6 points per game this season - to the bench, but that’s Foley’s preference. He would rather throw out a group of players willing to guard and hope the offense eventually comes around.

That process has been gradual, but Ford, a junior guard, has provided some help on the offensive end.

“She’s learning the game and how to score,” Foley said. “We gave her an opportunity to learn that. I’m sure it’s fun for her. That’s what you want, for a kid to evolve her game so she’s not one-dimensional.”

Foley pointed to Ford before the season started as a player who could become more of a scorer after playing a complementary role to Gault, Merriex and two experienced post players last year, but it’s been a slow process. Gault and Merriex were staples in the starting lineup through the first two months of the season, and with Ford having to play point guard primarily, she backed away from taking shots while getting the ball to teammates.

Gault and Merriex’s minutes have dwindled during UALR’s winning streak, and Ford has begun finishing in transition and has become less hesitant to put up jumpers.

She has scored 16 points five times in the past seven games, including during a 51-43 victory last Saturday over conference favorite Middle Tennessee. She is also shooting 42.2 percent from the floor and averaging 14.1 points per game over that stretch, which has raised her season average from 8.0 to 9.5 points per game.

She scored 14 points in the second half Saturday to help UALR erase a 22-17 deficit.

“I would be driving and kicking to [Gault and Merriex],” Ford said.

Ford said earlier in the season she was looking to get the ball to Gault and Merriex more.

“That was my mentality,” said Ford, who is also averaging 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and turning into the type of all-around guard Foley always though. “I still do the same thing, driving and kicking, but sometimes I’m being selfish and taking my own shots this time.”

Ford’s scoring opened up when Gault, who still leads UALR with an average of 14.3 points per game, went to the bench and Cobbins entered the starting lineup. Cobbins can play point guard some, which allows Ford to work off the ball for jumpers.

The combination has provided UALR with a semblance offense, with the Trojans averaging 63.1 points per game during its winning streak.

Foley may prefer to rely on defense, but even he admits his team must get points from somewhere, and Ford’s improvement seems like a good place to start.

“Offensively, I think it takes us awhile,” Foley said. “It changes with substitutions, whoever you have in the game, what strengths you have on offense. Naturally, you don’t know those until January and sometimes, like right now, we still don’t know where our strengths are.”

Sports, Pages 20 on 02/21/2013