FORT WAYNE – The student section parallel to the baseline of the Memorial Coliseum floor waved one of those oversized heads to distract the South Dakota opposition at a recent IPFW basketball game.
When the Mastodons face Valparaiso today at the same venue, perhaps another visual would be more apropos: A capital ‘D’ with a picket fence.
“The stats are coming out,” IPFW senior guard Jason Smeathers said. “We’re last in the league in defense right now in every category. That’s alarming.”
Six games into the 2011-12 season, the Mastodons (3-3) have displayed their early weakness: the ability to play defense consistently.
In its last three games, IPFW has allowed 87, 81 and 82 points, in addition to allowing its opponents to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor.
With seven freshmen and nine newcomers altogether, first-year IPFW coach Tony Jasick admits there is a learning curve when it comes to the principles of playing defense.
But eventually the curve has to straighten itself out.
“At some point, that’s got to stop,” Jasick said. “Part of it is, yes, we’ve got freshmen on the perimeter, and we’ve played some teams that have good perimeter players. But part of it is also us answering the bell and stepping up and not using the excuse, ‘Well, I’m a freshman,’ or, ‘Well, they’re good shooters.’ ”
South Dakota, in a 92-87 loss, shot nearly 53 percent from the floor. UMKC, in an 81-66 Summit League-opening win over IPFW, shot 60 percent. Iowa, which beat IPFW 82-72, shot 55 percent.
The result has dropped IPFW to the bottom of the Summit League in scoring defense (77.8), field goal defense (.502) and three-point field goal defense (.375).
“It’s a combination of everything,” Smeathers said.
“Right now we’re doing so well on offense, that’s all we’re caring about. It’s like, ‘I can go down and score on him.’ But we’re relaxing on defense, which is what you can never do, especially at this level with the guys we’re playing. These guys can all score. If you give a guy space, he’s going to hit a shot.
“It’s something we can definitely fix, but it’s going to be the toughness we need, and that’s something the new guys are learning.
“But it’s not just them. It’s from one to 12. It’s everybody out there.”
