— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — On the first two trips down the court Wednesday night against Elon, Marshall’s 7-foot-4 Matt Van Komen took a lob pass and dunked home two points against his old team and veteran Wyatt Fricks nailed a three-pointer.
It was a sign of things to come for a pair of Herd starters in a contest with the Phoenix at Cam Henderson Center. Especially Fricks, who would experience a long-awaited career night with 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists to key Marshall to a 96-89 win.
Fricks’ standout showing came despite missing more than half of the first half due to foul trouble.
Van Komen totaled 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked six shots. The effort thrilled his parents, who flew in from California to see their son perform in the Herd’s home opener.
Frick, who stands 6-10, made 13-of-14 shots, including 7 of 8 from behind the arc.
“Trusting all the workouts in the summer. Me spending five years on making a moment like this,” Fricks said. “This is just the beginning. This is just game three. We’ve got bigger goals.”
Marshall head coach Corny Jackson said it was special to see Fricks have a long-awaited moment in the sun instead of maybe entering the transfer portal. He had three starts last season and two the year before.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Jackson said. “You don’t see guys like him a lot now. You had Obinna (Anochilli-Killen), Jon (Elmore), guys who stayed the course. They believe in what we’re doing here. Wyatt’s a huge testament to that. I had to fight back some emotions in the locker room when I congratulated him. Wyatt staying here, working full time, waiting his turn, to see him reaching the fruits of his labor. He sat behind a lot of guys to get to this moment. Hopefully he keeps it going.”
Fricks didn’t like watching most of the first half from the bench due to the fouls, but didn’t let that deter him from a career night.
“Got some cheap fouls I didn’t necessarily think much of,” Fricks said. “Bounced back in the second half and did what we needed to do to help us learn. It’s November. It’s all about stacking days and that’s what we’re about. It’s part of the maturity right there. Just keep worrying about the next play, the next day.”
Teammate Jalen Speer said there was a conscious effort to make sure Fricks got touches.
“One those deals when the guys’s cooking, you get the guy with the hot hand the ball,” Speer said.
Speer finished with a team-high 12 assists. Noah Otshudi added 14 points, Caleb Hollenbeck 13 and Drew Fuquay 10. The Herd (3-0) hit 15 threes for the second straight game.
Marshall led 45-43 at the break. Midway through the second half, the Herd started to pull away from the Phoenix (2-1) and that excited the crowd of 3,797. However, the visitors wouldn’t do away. Chandler Cuthrell led Elon with 28 points. He missed all eight of his triples but was 11 for 15 inside the arc.
“We were coached up all week about how good this team was,” Speer said. “They’re always a solid program. We were really confident going into the game. Those first two games got us ready for this. The guys here are talented and kind of learning. I like the combination. Corny did a really good job of bringing in good shooters. That’s not a knock on anyone from last year. Matt’s so big you can just dump it down to him. All of a sudden they’re clamping down on him and that kind of opens up some space. He’s got four guys to choose from.”
While elated with his team’s start to his second season as head coach, Jackson warned for the players not to get caught up in the moment
“I told those guys I don’t want to discredit the win,” Jackson said. “I’ll never do that. We trust everyone on this team. One through fifteen. Wyatt had a hell of a game, but I’m proud of the whole team. Matt 14 and seven against his old team. His parents flew in from California. Image the emotion there. After Saturday the team knew they had to get this one for Matt. The team recognized the moment for Matt. They sort of have his back. We’re going to bring our best regardless of outcome.”
Marshall is off until Saturday when it plays at Virginia.