This time, the Elizabethtown basketball roster underwent a few variations, welcoming in numerous transfers for the new season.
E’town embraced a full host of new faces, with sibling guard duo JuJuan and J’Quan Williams joining from North Hardin, as nicely as cousins TaQuan Townsend and Obian Howard relocating in from Florida.
Howard, a senior place guard, has been a critical figure for the Panthers this time, oftentimes functioning the offense together with J’Quan Williams, and can be observed getting to the rack with a slasher’s mentality.
“He’s a extremely crucial part to our achievements. The ball will be in his fingers for a massive section of the match and a lot of the time he’ll start off the offense and finish the offense,” Elizabethtown head mentor James Haire stated. “He’s a great defender, a great ball handler, can assault the basket and shoot the a few. He’s a well developed, all about excellent basketball participant.”
Howard is averaging 11.7 points for every video game even though taking pictures an successful 43.6%. Howard is also likely 36.7% from past the arc, earning him one particular of the greatest very long ball shooters on the group.
He’s also been a pretty reliable figure from the totally free throw line, changing at 75.9% clip.
A tenacious rebounder on an E’town team that is total of sizing, specially with the likes of 6’10” Ayden Evans, he’s ready to hold his very own on the glass, oftentimes putting in a robust rebounding exertion.
“He allows enormously in conditions of rebounding,” Haire siad. “The more you can do matters by committee, the far better your workforce will be. That’s the most surprising stat, is his rebounding, primarily when you seem at his measurement. It’s just remarkable the points he can complete.”
Howard is averaging 4.3 rebounds for each game this 12 months, an amazing quantity from the guard place.
“When the shot goes up, and no just one is boxing me out, I just go and seize it,” Howard reported. “It’s a large aspect of the video game, and I just do no matter what I can to assist contribute to the team and help us get.”
His highest total this year came Dec. 30 towards Southern, exactly where he hauled in 11 rebounds in a 68-59 earn.
To pair alongside his prolific offensive creation, Howard also has some intangibles that have helped shift the needle this year.
As a transfer from Florida, Howard was not able to participate in in the to start with four game titles of this year, but immediately just after was capable to add appreciably to E’town’s achievements, getting himself jelling in perfectly with the Panthers’ roster.
“It’s like he’s been in this article the complete time,” Haire said. “He arrived in and combined with folks perfectly. He’s in shape in extremely nicely.”
“Transferring in was almost certainly just one of the very best conclusions I made,” Howard mentioned. “Having a mentor like Mentor Haire and the status he has around the neighborhood was a significant component of it. I’m so grateful for his have faith in and welcoming me with open up arms. Mentor Haire has assisted me improve each on and off the court docket.”
Pursuing these first four skipped online games, Howard averaged 11.9 details a night time in his initial 10 appearances for the Panthers, as properly as placing up 18-and 20-point performances in that span.
Having said that, it hasn’t all been easy sailing for the Floridian this season, as he has confronted some adversity.
In Elizabethtown’s district championship struggle with Central Hardin (19-14) on Feb. 25, Howard obtained tangled up with Bruins senior Nolan Stith at the begin of the next quarter, with each being ejected from the recreation for their skirmish.
For every KHSAA procedures, both equally Howard and Stith were to be suspended two games since of their ejections, a mandate that would have Howard out right until the 5th Region championship.
The Panthers ended up determined to make sure that that individual occasion would not be Howard’s last times in an E’town jersey.
“I know OB is ejected for a few games, but that was not his past video game,” JuJuan Williams claimed in an interview soon after Elizabethtown’s district championship get.
“We’re likely to get it again for him, Ayden Evans claimed. “We can nonetheless win the region event, then we’ll have him again from state.”
Elizabethtown inevitably appealed the ejection and suspension, in change viewing Howard’s suspension lifted.
“When the incident transpired, he felt like he let the workforce down at that second,” Haire explained. “He was not deemed for battling, it was a shoving match, so they were the two issued 1 technological each and every. Procedures sensible, you can’t be ejected with one particular complex.”
Adhering to his appeal acquire and return to the workforce, Howard felt as though he experienced a new appreciation for his year, and looked to seize the option in entrance of him.
“When you feel your year may arrive to a short end, there’s a specified total of appreciation you have,” Haire mentioned. “I wouldn’t say he performed with a chip on his shoulder, but there was a definite appreciation of the suspension currently being lifted.”
Considering the fact that getting exonerated, Howard has aided carry the Panthers’ offensive attack, in transform helping Elizabethtown get two straight on their way to the March 7 area championship recreation from LaRue County (23-8).
“I would say I did a great work of trusting my do the job, keeping fully commited, and believing in myself following that scenario,” Howard explained. “It showed in major game titles down the extend like the region championship.”
Howard would go on to rating a group superior 18 details in the location championship that night time, performing as the catalyst for E’town and in transform punching his team’s ticket to the state match.
Howard will try out to continue to lead the ELizabethtown offense as a result of the condition tournament when they consider on McCracken County (29-5) at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first spherical at Rupp Arena.
connection