There really couldn’t have been anything better on a Monday night to keep Fort Worth funky than Jim Boeheim’s funky version of the 2-3 zone, which can require the ingenuity of an engineer to crack.
That’s what Eastern Michigan, under former Boeheim assistant Rob Murphy, rolled out at Schollmaier Arena on a TCU team that has had enough trouble scoring through four games without the added burden of dealing with the unconventional.
That the Horned Frogs (4-1) got it done meant a timely 87-69 victory after a first loss of the season last week.
More importantly for TCU, depleted by injuries and missing the crucial component of chemistry because of them, was who led them there.
Jaylen Fisher, who since this summer has been rehabbing a third knee surgery, returned last week only in body in his season debut, contributing two fouls in seven first-half minutes against Lipscomb.
Kouat Noi, out three weeks with a knee, was out of sorts in the same game in his first action.
On Monday, however, they were both closer to form coming off the bench, a far more significant development than a bicycle under the tree or even TCU falling out of the Top 25 this week.
The Frogs needed these two booster rockets.
Fisher had 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the 3-point line and five assists in 31 minutes, his first substantive minutes since January. Noi, meanwhile, dropped a career-high 27 points in 27 minutes on an efficient 11-of-15 from the field.
“It’s a blessing, man, I promise,” Fisher said of the relief he felt finally getting on the court. “I wanted to cry every minute I was out there. I promise.”
Coach Jamie Dixon would have been excused if caught with a little mist in his eye as well.
His team has not been basketball’s version of the NFL’s Rams or Saints. Scoring has been as burdensome as trig, but the hometown Frogs seemed to figure out something against Eastern Michigan after a terribly slow start.
The Frogs, who haven’t played since last Tuesday, were 2 for 10, falling behind by nine points, to start the game and didn’t score their second basket until the 12:14 mark of the first half. But they went 12 for 16 the rest of the half during a 33-13 run to take control of the game.
Fisher hit three 3s during that run, all his first baskets of the season.
TCU moved the ball much better, a deficiency through the first four games, more often than not finding JD Miller or Noi in the seam at the free-throw line. From there, high-low openings, mostly with Kevin Samuel (15 points seven rebounds), and easy shot opportunities opened.
The Frogs collected 31 assists as a team, including three from Miller and four from Noi. They also trimmed their turnover total to 10, down from 16 last week. Five Frogs scored in double figures.
“A good step for us,” Dixon said. “I thought our attack against the zone was pretty good. We made some adjustments. We wound up going with a different look than we anticipated going in.
“We had three or four looks we wanted to use and wound up going with our fifth, and that was the best one for us. A little more movement. It gave us an ability to get some interior touches. JD and Kouat were very good in the middle of the zone.”
The original rules of basketball as composed by James Naismith sit in the storied Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
One of these days, don’t be surprised if the notepad or parchment or animal skin Boeheim used to design his version of the 2-3 more than 40 years ago sits in an oxygen-free microclimate, in a bulletproof display case that is lowered into an underground vault in Syracuse. (In the writing business, that’s what we call license.)
The original zone became as popular as wide leg, high-waisted pants.in the 1940s, The Way to limit opponents’ scoring and rebounding opportunities inside. It is largely a thing of the past as shooting ranges have expanded to well beyond 15 and 18 feet.
Boeheim’s zone extends out to the wings like a spiderweb to defend the perimeter. The Frogs saw it just last March in a first-round loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.
Murphy, the Eastern Michigan coach, brought the tactic with him to Ypsilanti after serving as an assistant under Boeheim at Syracuse for nine seasons.
It can be a head scratcher for offenses, as it was in the beginning for the Frogs, who fell behind 9-2 before Fisher and Noi checked in.
Fisher misfired on his first shot attempt at the 13:11 mark. When he hit his third 3, at 6:17, the Frogs were up 22-17.
The exuberant Fisher pumped his chest with his fist three times, that moment the gem of all joy.
He then promptly committed a silly reach-in on the other end. It was a forgivable sin, the result of basketball euphoria.
“I just wanted to run into the stands or something,” Fisher said, laughing, of his emotions. “I honestly can’t explain it.”
Noi was 5 for 8 on 3-point attempts, but he also faced the basket from the free-throw line and dropped in 15-footers.
“It’s good to have Kouat and Jaylen out there,” Dixon said. “We’re a team in the making. Guys have to get their legs underneath them in situations and play with each other.”
One of these days, with any luck, more of the troops will come to the front.
Center Angus McWilliam has seen only a few minutes this season with an injury sustained in the fall and is now in the concussion protocol after an injury incident in practice last week. Lat Mayen (bone bruise), who played four minutes on Monday, is making an unhurried return. Freshman Kaden Archie missed his second straight game.
One step forward is far better than taking three steps back in a rushed return.
So, TCU’s manpower issues persist, but Fisher and Noi back in the rotation was a priority achieved on Monday.
