The Key Our Team

[TomGMU]

Most people probably think that Cam Long's performance dictates whether we win or lose games. Or that Ryan Pearson or Mike Morrison are the key, because they control the paint. And I fully admit that all three are crucial to any success we might or might not have this year.

But it is becoming abundantly clear to me that we go as Andre Cornelius goes. When Andre was moved to the point, we went on an incredible winning streak. Not only did Cam do much better (averaging nearly 20 points/game), but DJ also went on a scoring spree in which he reeled double-digit points in five straight victories: GSU (14), at JMU (19), at Hofstra (18), at Towson (10) and against Delaware (13).

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. In our three conference losses, Andre has pretty much been a non-factor. He scored zero points in the debacle at Northeastern, managed only 8 points at GSU on 3-7 shooting and only scored 3 points yesterday at Drexel. In these three losses, he shot 23 -percent from the field (4-14), hit only 2 of 7 threes (28-percent) and averaged 3.6 points.

We need the aggressive, sharp-shooting Andre to show up down the stretch, because he is the gas that makes our car go. He will get his first true test Tuesday against VCU, so it will be interesting to see which DJ shows up.