Nathan Adrian starts, steps up for Mountaineers
It’s a role that Nathan Adrian thrived in as a freshman, but hasn’t really gotten back to in a while.
On Tuesday against Kansas State, Adrian earned a starting position as freshman Esa Ahmad was out with a lower body strain.
Adrian showed no signs of rust, although he has appeared in all 20 games this season. He scored the first five points for the Mountaineers in his first start of the season and finished with 10 points in 21 minutes.
"“I thought for a good portion of the game Nate Adrian was the best player on the floor, and not because he made shots either,” said WVU head coach Bob Huggins. “I thought he played well. He handled the ball, he made good decisions with the ball, I thought he was really good defensively and he kept balls alive. That may be Nate’s best game ever in terms of an all-around game.”"
Providing that offensive boost was certainly welcomed for the Mountaineers, and Adrian himself. That’s his highest point total in Big 12 play. Even when he was staring regularly as a freshman, and sparingly as a sophomore, scoring was never his forte.
This year, he’s playing time is predicated on shoring up the defensive side of the ball. However, he hasn’t quite figured out how to play cleanly on ‘D.’
Adrian has been whistled for 55 fouls on the season, which is second on the team as Jaysean Paige has been called for 58 infractions. As a team, the Mountaineers are being called for 23.4 fouls per game.
Against Kansas State, WVU committed 20 fouls, which was actually six less than the Wildcats. The most fouls the Mountaineers have been whistled for in a game this season is 33, against TCU on Jan. 4.
"“I mean, everybody gets fouls that they don’t agree with called on them,” Adrian said. “I don’t necessarily feel unlucky, but I’ve just got to work better to move my feet enough and not foul. You can just work harder at it, and stay consistent with it every play. I’ve just also got to keep my hands out; don’t reach or anything to give them a chance to call it.”"
Before the game against Kansas State, it was said that Ahmad could have come off the bench if necessary. He ended up not seeing any action and Adrian played for 21 minutes.
After the game, Huggins said he hopes that Ahmad will be practicing with the team on Thursday. Then, the Mountaineers face Florida on Saturday. If Ahmad can play, the normal WVU rotation is back in tact.
If Ahmad is unavailable, the Mountaineers will not miss a beat. Adrian showed he can fill in admirably and he deserves another shot to start. Obviously, Huggins has regained any lost confidence in the Morgantown native.
He’s definitely not as athletic or versatile as Ahmad, but his experience and attitude definitely helps the team.