Troy, long known for its ability to shoot the 3-point basket, is making a starting lineup change that?s actually sending its designated 3-point marksmen to the bench.
That change, Trojans head coach Don Maestri said, is to get the most consistent five players on the floor at the start of the game, with the hope that someone from the bench can come in and get hot.
Troy (6-10, 1-4 Sun Belt) hosts Florida Atlantic (6-12, 2-3) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Maestri said that the lineup, which has changed periodically throughout the year, would feature Will Weathers at point guard, Emil Jones at shooting guard, Steven Cunningham and Justin Wright as the two forwards and Tim Owens at center.
Troy had impressive non-conference wins at home over East Tennessee State and Miami of Ohio, but has now lost three straight home games.
?We just need a change and see if we can get off this dog gone home record we have,? Maestri said. ?I don?t remember in the last 30 years where we?ve lost three home games in a row. It?s not that they haven?t played well, but they haven?t shot well.?
The three guards coming off the bench ? R.J. Scott, Alan Jones and Daronte Clark ? are regarded as good 3-point shooters, but Scott has hit just 35 percent from downtown, Alan Jones 34.3 percent and Clark 30 percent.
Maestri said he wanted to get Troy?s two seniors ? Cunningham and Owens ? in the lineup to begin with. Weathers is the only point guard on the roster, and Emil Jones (8.4 ppg) and Wright (10.3 ppg) have been two of the more efficient players on the team.
?It probably is not what you?d consider your best outside shooting team, but in terms of the guys who have been playing the most consistent, these guys have been the most consistent,? Maestri said.
Weathers leads Troy in scoring at 11.4 points per game, but hasn?t scored in double digits in the past three games. He?s dealing with an ankle injury, one he injured in practice early in the season and re-injured on Dec. 29 at Denver, but is playing through it.
However, it?s affecting his performance.
?I think it?ll bother him this year because Mo plays so hard,? Maestri said. ?He hasn?t played as well of late. His stats, shooting-wise, have been really poor. He?s going to have to really be more conservative when it comes to his shot. He?s got to really take only good shots because that ankle is going to aggravate him the rest of the season, and I think that has a lot to do with how he?s been shooting.?
FAU has been a surprise this year, but not in a good way. The Owls won the Sun Belt regular season title last year and finished 21-11, and only lost center Brett Royster from that team.
?They had a tough pre-conference, going on the road so much,? Maestri said. ?They?re really good in terms of experience, but they?ve just had, to me, too many road games. I think they can beat anybody in the league on their night.?
FAU point guard Raymond Taylor is expected to rejoin the lineup after missing two games because of a concussion. Greg Gantt is FAU?s only double-digit scorer at 13.7 ppg.
That change, Trojans head coach Don Maestri said, is to get the most consistent five players on the floor at the start of the game, with the hope that someone from the bench can come in and get hot.
Troy (6-10, 1-4 Sun Belt) hosts Florida Atlantic (6-12, 2-3) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Maestri said that the lineup, which has changed periodically throughout the year, would feature Will Weathers at point guard, Emil Jones at shooting guard, Steven Cunningham and Justin Wright as the two forwards and Tim Owens at center.
Troy had impressive non-conference wins at home over East Tennessee State and Miami of Ohio, but has now lost three straight home games.
?We just need a change and see if we can get off this dog gone home record we have,? Maestri said. ?I don?t remember in the last 30 years where we?ve lost three home games in a row. It?s not that they haven?t played well, but they haven?t shot well.?
The three guards coming off the bench ? R.J. Scott, Alan Jones and Daronte Clark ? are regarded as good 3-point shooters, but Scott has hit just 35 percent from downtown, Alan Jones 34.3 percent and Clark 30 percent.
Maestri said he wanted to get Troy?s two seniors ? Cunningham and Owens ? in the lineup to begin with. Weathers is the only point guard on the roster, and Emil Jones (8.4 ppg) and Wright (10.3 ppg) have been two of the more efficient players on the team.
?It probably is not what you?d consider your best outside shooting team, but in terms of the guys who have been playing the most consistent, these guys have been the most consistent,? Maestri said.
Weathers leads Troy in scoring at 11.4 points per game, but hasn?t scored in double digits in the past three games. He?s dealing with an ankle injury, one he injured in practice early in the season and re-injured on Dec. 29 at Denver, but is playing through it.
However, it?s affecting his performance.
?I think it?ll bother him this year because Mo plays so hard,? Maestri said. ?He hasn?t played as well of late. His stats, shooting-wise, have been really poor. He?s going to have to really be more conservative when it comes to his shot. He?s got to really take only good shots because that ankle is going to aggravate him the rest of the season, and I think that has a lot to do with how he?s been shooting.?
FAU has been a surprise this year, but not in a good way. The Owls won the Sun Belt regular season title last year and finished 21-11, and only lost center Brett Royster from that team.
?They had a tough pre-conference, going on the road so much,? Maestri said. ?They?re really good in terms of experience, but they?ve just had, to me, too many road games. I think they can beat anybody in the league on their night.?
FAU point guard Raymond Taylor is expected to rejoin the lineup after missing two games because of a concussion. Greg Gantt is FAU?s only double-digit scorer at 13.7 ppg.
