HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A little confidence can go a long way and the Thundering Herd is playing with a whole bunch of it lately. Marshall is riding a three-game win as it sets out on the road to play four consecutive games away from the Cam Henderson Center over the next two weekends.
Coach Dan D’Antoni never lost confidence in his team, even when the Herd started the season with six consecutive losses and bottomed out in a 107-84 loss at James Madison. D’Antoni insisted all along the way that once the full roster was available, specifically Jon Elmore, the rotation would be solidified and it would become a matter of hitting shots.
Marshall is finally making shots.
“Coach D’Antoni tells us every day that if we make shots we can play with anybody,” senior Ryan Taylor asserted during a recent appearance on The Stampede Podcast. “The way our offense is designed, everybody can step out and shoot the three or we can hit the pick and roll and its wide open sometimes.”
Since being humiliated in Harrisonburg, the Herd is 7-3. Two of those losses are to West Virginia and Maryland, which were ranked 17th and 4th in the country at the time. Over the last ten games, the Herd has registered 90 or more points six times and so far through three conference games, Marshall is averaging a league-best 94.3 points per game.
“We knew coming in there would be a lot of new faces getting used to the offense and there would be growing pains,” said Taylor. “We have a lot more talent around us and we are much more versatile.”
It appears the growing pains experienced while playing the likes of Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland and James Madison twice are paying off for the Herd. Marshall is shooting just under 51 percent from the field over its last three games. Only UAB has a better field goal percentage in the last three games, making 53 percent of its shots.
Individually, the Herd is getting more of what it expected at the beginning of the season from players such as Taylor as well as James Kelly, Jon Elmore and others.
Kelly, who was just named the C-USA Player of the Week, is averaging 26 points and 13 rebounds per game during the current three-game win streak. Taylor is averaging 16 points while Loop is dropping in 16.7 points and Elmore has 14 per game.
“We have a true point guard in Jon Elmore and we have a good freshman in C.J. Burks. James Kelly is one of the best players in the conference and we still have Austin Loop, who I consider the best three-point shooter in Conference USA,” said Taylor.
The Herd must now prove it can take that same confidence on the road, where it has struggled to say the least. While Marshall has won ten straight conference games at home, dating back to last season, it hasn’t won a conference game on the road since a 69-54 win at Southern Miss on Jan. 31, 2015.
In fact, the Herd is just 1-11 away from the Cam Henderson Center since that win over Southern Miss, but that doesn’t bother Taylor or his teammates.
“We don’t feel pressure about any situation we’re put in. We’re always relaxed and laid back and having fun. If we lose we look at as we can still get better off this loss, so we can still look at film and be prepared for the next game to win.”
Confidence is soaring around the program right now and a couple of wins on the road will build momentum for a Herd team that has big dreams.
“Stay focused and stay locked in,” insisted Taylor. “We’ve got a bunch of good guys and we’re all aiming for one goal and that is winning Conference USA and go to the tournament.”
A little confidence can go a long way but can it take Marshall all the way to its first C-USA title? That’s a long way down the road, and the first step in that direction is picking up a win at North Texas on Thursday.