James

[p230]

Last year he could just be out there and try and help the team. I think (like others) the expectations other had for him and he for himself have him a bit overwhelmed. He looks tight and hesitant. I believe he is a good player and once he comes to terms with his anxiety he will be fine. It may be next year but he will be fine.

 

[AdaSooner]

I believe Christian James will prove a bunch of folks wrong before the season is over. I sure hope so, anyway. Perhaps his main problem right now really IS that he's too heavy, as some have suggested. My take, however, continues to be that he's lost his confidence. You can see it in his jumpshot and in the way he passes/handles the ball. He's a completely different player right now than he was late last season and earlier this year.

^
This.

I watched him closely in last night's game. He totally passed on shots he would have taken before. He wasn't even ready to shoot when the ball arrived It was like he couldn't get rid of it fast enough. He's thinking about his next move too much now, and more often than not the result only makes matters worse.

Keep in mind that he was shooting 50% plus from three through the first ten games. Memphis was the last game where his shooting touch didn't fail him, when he went 6 of 10 from the field and 3 of 5 from three point range.

His slump started with the Auburn game. That was also the first game when Woodard was out with an injury. Coincidence? I don't think so. I believe it went downhill from there because he started to put too much pressure on himself to "carry the team" in Jordan's absence.

After a while, he was hesitant to take shots he would normally fire up at will. He tried to make up for his misses in other ways, but even that didn't work. Now, his head is a jumbled mess of indecision and frustration with the way he has been playing.

Losing confidence in your shot is no small matter for a kid who has been accustomed to knocking down shots at a high level. He'll get it back in time, and when he does he'll be a factor again.

 

[tycat947]

I believe Christian James will prove a bunch of folks wrong before the season is over. I sure hope so, anyway. Perhaps his main problem right now really IS that he's too heavy, as some have suggested. My take, however, continues to be that he's lost his confidence. You can see it in his jumpshot and in the way he passes/handles the ball. He's a completely different player right now than he was late last season and earlier this year.

I agree! His confidence is what I think the biggest problem is. Seems very hesitant a lot of the time when he should just be "reacting".

 

[chuckb]

^
This.

I watched him closely in last night's game. He totally passed on shots he would have taken before. He wasn't even ready to shoot when the ball arrived It was like he couldn't get rid of it fast enough. He's thinking about his next move too much now, and more often than not the result only makes matters worse.

Keep in mind that he was shooting 50% plus from three through the first ten games. Memphis was the last game where his shooting touch didn't fail him, when he went 6 of 10 from the field and 3 of 5 from three point range.

His slump started with the Auburn game. That was also the first game when Woodard was out with an injury. Coincidence? I don't think so. I believe it went downhill from there because he started to put too much pressure on himself to "carry the team" in Jordan's absence.

After a while, he was hesitant to take shots he would normally fire up at will. He tried to make up for his misses in other ways, but even that didn't work. Now, his head is a jumbled mess of indecision and frustration with the way he has been playing.

Losing confidence in your shot is no small matter for a kid who has been accustomed to knocking down shots at a high level. He'll get it back in time, and when he does he'll be a factor again.

I agree with this. He'll be fine. He's just experiencing some growing pains right now. We just need to be patient with him and let him play through it. Remember, he's still just a sophomore who averaged less than 10 minutes per game as a freshman.

 

[garyeb2]

Sophomore slump. He will be a nice player for us before he is through.