Eight games into the University of Maine men’s basketball season, the Black Bears have had a roller coaster ride of a 4-4 start.
With convincing double-digit wins over South Florida and Presbyterian College — but equally deflating losses to Columbia and Charlotte — UMaine has been inconsistent so far this November.
The source of this variability is largely UMaine’s 3-point shooting. In their last three victories, the Black Bears have shot 21-for-47 (44.6 percent) from three, and in their last three losses, they have shot just 12-for-61 (19.6 percent).
“It’s a make-or-miss league,” second-year head coach Chris Markwood said. “It’s a question of can we do it consistently enough.”
UMaine’s inconsistency was especially evident at the First Coast Classic in Jacksonville. On Nov. 17, UMaine shot a season-best 7-for-13 from deep against undefeated Presbyterian en route to an 80-66 victory. The very next day, the Black Bears shot a season-worst 2-for-16 against host North Florida, losing 67-58.
“Our offensive execution wasn’t good,” Markwood said. “Fatigue was a factor, but that’s the game of basketball.”
Recruiting shooting talent was a point of emphasis for Markwood this offseason. Last year, UMaine shot a respectable 33.3 percent from downtown. But it graduated its primary 3-point threat in Gedi Juozapaitis, who shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and took more than a third of the team’s 3-point attempts.
Two key transfers Markwood brought in to replace Juozapaitis were 3-point specialist Okay Djamgouz from Drake University and talented winger AJ Lopez from the University of New Hampshire. Djamgouz hasn’t played a single game this season (personal reasons), and Lopez is out for the foreseeable future (shoulder).
Prior to his injury three games ago, Lopez (6-for-19) was the only UMaine 3-point shooter aside from fifth-year Ja’Shonte Wright-McLeish (18-for-35) converting above 30 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Moreover, UMaine’s star backcourt of Kellen Tynes and Jaden Clayton are not as comfortable taking threes, preferring to drive and kick it out. The duo is shooting below 25 percent from beyond the arc this year.
As a team, UMaine is making 29.6 percent of their 3-point shots.
“Obviously we need Okay; he fit in really well,” Markwood said. “We’ll work [he and AJ] back into the rotation as soon as they get back.”
For now, the Black Bears will have to rely on their shot-taking closer to the basket, which has seemingly improved from last season. Led by senior Peter Filipovity, UMaine’s field goal percentage is 56.6 this year, up from 52.5 percent last season.
In regards to UMaine’s 3-point shooting, coach Markwood has a next man up approach to his offensive scheme while Djamgouz and Lopez are inactive.
“We’re not changing much,” Markwood said. “We’ve got a lot of versatility in the lineup. It’s about getting the right shots for the right guys, and building our confidence.”
