HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall senior forward James Kelly has been playing like a man among boys recently, posting the school’s first 20/20 game in 43 years last week, with 27 points and 23 rebounds in the Herd’s win over Charlotte.
On Monday, Kelly was recognized as the Conference USA player of the week for the third time this season.
Kelly has been integral to Marshall’s unexpected contention for a C-USA regular season title, but only when Kelly started doing less, did his team start doing more.
“After the Maryland game, I really re-evaluated myself as a player and as a person; the way thought, the way I did everything day to day,” Kelly told The Stampede Podcast.
“I talked to coaches and teammates individually. They didn’t know I was trying to evaluate myself but I was trying to build chemistry and get us to gel as a team because when a team comes together like that, that’s when a team can show its true talents.”
Kelly’s production started to shine through the very next game, when Marshall rolled Western Kentucky 94-76 and Kelly posted 27 points and 11 rebounds.
In nine nonconference games, Kelly was averaging 17.2 points and was shooting an abysmal 16.7 percent from 3-point range. Since Kelly took a look in the mirror, he is averaging 23.6 points a game, 10.5 rebounds, and shooting 36 percent from 3.
“I was trying to live up to what Coach [Dan] D’Antoni was saying,” Kelly said. “I took it as I had to be a certain player for us to win, but I saw that I needed to help the team come together for me to be the player he wanted me to be.”
The player D’Antoni wanted Kelly to be is the player Kelly has become, a dominant force in the league and a leader for the Thundering Herd. From the start of the season, D’Antoni has insisted the only player in C-USA who can slow down James Kelly is himself.
“He had a monster game on Thursday [against Charlotte], in rebounding, on offense, as well as his performance on defense,” D’Antoni said. “We know he’s a force on the offensive end, but one of the biggest things we valued this week was his defense, which allowed us to be successful against Old Dominion on Saturday. Obviously he’s one of the most talented guys in the country.”
This was third time this season Kelly has been honored as the player the week, a first for the Thundering Herd basketball program. He previously received the award on Jan. 11, 2016, and on Dec. 28, 2015.
Marshall needs Kelly to continue playing at a high level, especially this weekend as the Herd battles the other top teams in C-USA on the road, at UAB Thursday night and at Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
Kelly dropped 30 points on UAB in an 81-78 loss at the Cam earlier this year. Against Middle Tennessee, the Herd posted an 82-66 win despite Kelly being in foul trouble most of the day and scoring just 11 points.