How UConn’s Solo Ball has dealt with string of shooting struggles
WASHINGTON, DC – The previous couple of weeks have been irritating for UConn’s Just Ball, to say the least.
Outside of a 19-point effort with 4 made 3-pointers within the Big East Tournament quarterfinal win over Xavier, the junior guard has had performances to neglect in big-time spots for the Huskies. He was simply 2-for-10 from the sector with the regular-season championship on the road at Marquette, then mixed to go 4-for-14 with 10 complete factors within the Big East semifinal and championship video games.
Ball began the NCAA Tournament with 9 factors on 3-for-12 shooting towards Furman, and went 0-for-5 in solely 13 minutes within the Round of 32 towards UCLA.
It was the primary time he is gone scoreless since his freshman season, when he was largely seeing motion in rubbish time as a reserve on the loaded 2024 nationwide championship roster.
“The biggest thing I’ve done now is just learned to ask for help,” he mentioned at his locker in Washington DC, the place UConn will meet Michigan State within the Sweet 16 on Friday evening. “If my head is not in one of the best area attainable, or if I is perhaps second-guessing myself at a sure time limit, simply be capable to ask for assist. Or, if stuff simply is not going my approach, I feel earlier than I used to only deal with stuff alone, like alone, and hope it labored.
“But that’s not how stuff works. You gotta be able to read on people, you gotta be able to read on your family, your friends, your coaching staff. Ever since I’ve done that, I’ve felt so much more positivity; also just staying off of social media, too, so I haven’t been focused on any of that.”
Jayden Ross has stepped up off the bench amidst Ball’s struggles, serving to hold the Huskies’ season alive with his defensive depth and shotmaking, giving his classmate one other likelihood to get again on observe earlier than the yr meets its finish. Coach Dan Hurley is huge on sustaining his beginning lineup. He does not need to kill anybody’s confidence and he hasn’t wavered with Ball, regardless of the latest struggles and seeing his 3-point numbers dip from 41.4% final season to beneath 30% this yr.
“Solo was a preseason All-American, Solo was a second team All-Big East player, I mean, Solo is a guy that we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in unless he had some of those big games throughout the year,” Hurley mentioned. “He just needs to see the ball go in. And I think he’s just got to continue to focus on defending, doing a better job there, doing a better job on the backboard, and that’ll take his mind off of his shooting. But I get the feeling that, just like Braylon (Mullins) was able to get some things to happen (against UCLA), I think that’s coming from Solo.”
In the meantime, Ball is doing every part he can to carry up his finish.
“I go to my parents, I go to my coach. … My coach has given me incredible advice, the whole coaching staff has given me incredible advice the past few days. And of course my family, I have a mental skills coach, I got all that stuff,” he mentioned. “I just try and read on them the most I can. This business, you can’t do it alone. I’m learning it every single day. As I get older, I’m gonna have to learn that, too.”
At the identical time, it’s a tough state of affairs to get to the underside of when most of his photographs have been open and his mechanics, whereas disrupted by a wrist damage earlier within the yr, have not modified all that a lot.
“My confidence hasn’t wavered at all. I know I’m the same Solo Ball I’ve been for the past three years,” he mentioned. “It’s not even really a confidence thing. I know how hard I work and how much work I put in, so it’s not even that. It’s just not getting stuck in my own head or anything like that, just being able to talk to someone when something’s going wrong.”
