The numbers don’t add up. At least not according to traditional basketball computations.
The Huskies’ high turnover rate has Mike Hopkins at his wits end.
However, the Washington men’s basketball coach can’t be overly annoyed because when UW has committed at least 15 turnovers, his team is 7-2.
“You can’t really explain,” Hopkins said. “The one thing I will say, maybe we try to give our guys a lot of confidence offensively. Sometimes with that confidence, you maybe try to do too much and you overplay possibly and that could be a reason why you’re turning it over.
“But some of the turnovers, stepping out of bounds on the sidelines and those things can’t happen. Those are self-inflicted. I’m OK with turnovers where you’re trying to make the right play for your teammate.”
Washington, which ranks 10th in the Pac-12 while averaging 14.1 turnovers, committed a season-high 23 turnovers during an overtime win against Saint Mary’s and 22 each in victories against Colorado and Arizona State.
Weeks ago, Hopkins threatened to bench players who consistently committed turnovers.
However, senior forward Keion Brooks Jr. has a team-high 3.0 turnovers per game, but he’s irreplaceable because he also leads UW in scoring (17.9 points per game), rebounds (7.1) and blocks (1.5).
And senior guard Noah Williams, who is third on the team in turnovers (2.0), has proved to be invaluable due to his command of the offense and fearlessness in late-game situations.
Meanwhile, Hopkins replaced senior guard PJ Fuller II with freshman guard Keyon Menifield in the starting lineup in part because the former ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with 61 turnovers while the latter is 11h in the league with a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (62 assists and 31 turnovers).
Menifield, who averages 9.2 points, has also provided an offensive boost while scoring at least 21 points in three games, including UW’s last outing a 95-72 loss to No. 6 Arizona on Saturday.
Additionally, freshman guard Koren Johnson has supplanted senior guard Jamal Bey in the rotation because the Husky newcomer is shooting 41.3% from the field and 35.7% on three-pointers while the fifth-year veteran is mired in a season-long slump at 28.6% from the perimeter.
In this case, Johnson’s offensive prowess outweighs his 2.0 turnovers per game.
“You’ve got to be able to make shots,” Hopkins said. “That’s been one of our things. You’ve got to surround Keion Brooks with guys who can make shots. That’s why those decisions are being made. The young guys are going to turn it over, but the veteran guys have turned it over too.”
For many Husky fans, the success or failure of this season – and perhaps Hopkins’ job – is tied to whether Washington (13-10, 5-7 Pac-12) can resurrect its season and somehow gain entry in the NCAA tournament.
But internally, the Huskies are also measuring the merits of the season on the development of junior center Braxton Meah, Johnson and Menifield, who are considered foundational components next season.
When asked about Meah, who is averaging 2.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in the past three games since tallying his first double-double performance (10 points and 12 rebounds) two weeks ago at Colorado, Hopkins said: “It’s just part of the wear and tear. This is new to him. You’re seeing a fatigued and kind of battered Braxton. … All of those things are growing pains.”
Hopkins is also resigned to live with the occasional miscue from UW’s freshmen guards believing they’ll learn from their mistakes and the Huskies will reap the rewards in the future.
“I want them confident,” Hopkins said. “I don’t want them looking over their shoulder. You win because you have confident players that play together.”
Hopkins’ faith in Menifield and Johnson will be tested once again when Washington plays No. 9 UCLA (17-4, 8-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Pauley Pavilion. UW has a 16-game losing streak against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
In their first matchup – a 74-49 Bruins win on Jan. 1 – Menifield was scoreless in 11 minutes and left the game early in the second half due to a shoulder injury while Johnson tallied seven points on 3-for-10 shooting, five rebounds and three assists to offset four turnovers in 27 minutes off the bench.
“They’re not freshmen anymore,” Hopkins said. “They’re going to make mistakes. But being in those moments and playing against the tough teams, they see what those teams look like physically and how you have to execute every possession matters … (whereas) in high school, their margin for error was a lot different because they were the best player in a lot of those situations. All of these are great learning opportunities to help them get better.”
Oddly, Menifield and Johnson have simultaneously tallied double digits in scoring in just two games, which coincides with the Huskies’ highest scoring games when they put up 90 points against Idaho State and 86 against Stanford in blowout wins.
“It would be fun to see those guys playing at a high level all at once,” Hopkins said. “As a coach, that’s what you’re trying to get to.”