Texas A&M Basketball
Those Who Wait: Danuel House's patience key to Aggies' success
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Patience is said to be virtuous. It may also be the key to Texas A&M being victorious.
When the Aggies face Oklahoma on Thursday night in the West Regional Semifinal of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament they figure to rely heavily on senior guard Danuel House, who leads them in scoring with a 15.8 average.
A&M needs all the scoring it can get to offset the anticipated production of Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, who has scored at least 30 points in 11 games this season.
As his statistics indicate, House can score he bunches. But he’s also shown a tendency at times to force bad shots. Consequently, he’s shooting just .399 from the field this season.
However, House has been considerably better in the past three games. He’s shot .461 and has scored 74 points in that stretch. That’s despite a cold spell in which he missed his first nine shots in last week’s 92-88 double overtime victory over Northern Iowa.
He hit six of his last eight shots.
Patience is credited for his surge.
“He’s been attacking more and finding his flow in the offense rather than forcing some hard shots,” senior guard Alex Caruso said of House. “He’s flowing with whatever we’re doing.”
“I’m just being patient offensively,” House said. “(I’m) just letting it come naturally and taking better looks instead of contested looks.”
Where did that patience come from? Perhaps it came from constant reminders from coaches and teammates. Or maybe it came from another source.
For many, patience is learned in parenthood. Perhaps that’s the case with House, who has a nine-month-old daughter, Ava.
Some might wonder whether fatherhood explains why House has been more inconsistent with his shot this season. Almost all parents know a new baby means less sleep.
But House said that’s not the case. He said not only does Ava sleep through the night, but she’s given him extra motivation to be successful.
“Fatherhood actually motivated my game and motivated me because I want to provide for my daughter,” House said recently. “I just want to at least put myself in a position so I can provide for her.”
The Aggies are just hopeful against Oklahoma he can provide the same kind of scoring threat he did in the SEC Tournament final against Kentucky, when he scored 32 points.
They would gladly accept the 20 points he scored on 8 of 12 shooting in an NCAA Tournament first round win over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
They’d love for him to shoot like he did in the final minutes of regulation and in overtime against Northern Iowa.
House did not score until he hit a free throw with 5:14 remaining in the second half. Yet, he finished with 22 points. That included a layup and clutch three-pointer in a historic 14-2 run in the final 35 seconds to force overtime.
A&M coach Billy Kennedy has acknowledged House’s inconsistency, but maintains House has had a strong showing so far this season. House also averages 4.9 rebounds and has dished out 76 assists.
Alex Parker, TexAgs
House has learned to make an impact outside of scoring, but against OU the Aggies will need the player that exploded against Kentucky and UNI.
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“I think he’s had a good season,” Kennedy said. “He hasn’t had the greatest season compared to last year, how well he shot the ball from three. But I think some of that has to do with expectations that were on him and him pressing too hard and trying too hard early on. I think he’s recently done a better job of letting the game come to him.
"But he’s obviously Second Team All-SEC; last year he finished as First Team. He’s done other things to help us win and not just rely on scoring.”
No doubt, House will be needed in many ways against Oklahoma, which has scored more than 80 points in both of its two NCAA Tournament games.
But the Sooners’ scores seem to suggest A&M needs House to have another high-scoring output, too.
He can — especially if he shows the patience to get good shots.
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Patience is said to be virtuous. It may also be the key to Texas A&M being victorious.
When the Aggies face Oklahoma on Thursday night in the West Regional Semifinal of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament they figure to rely heavily on senior guard Danuel House, who leads them in scoring with a 15.8 average.
A&M needs all the scoring it can get to offset the anticipated production of Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, who has scored at least 30 points in 11 games this season.
As his statistics indicate, House can score he bunches. But he’s also shown a tendency at times to force bad shots. Consequently, he’s shooting just .399 from the field this season.
However, House has been considerably better in the past three games. He’s shot .461 and has scored 74 points in that stretch. That’s despite a cold spell in which he missed his first nine shots in last week’s 92-88 double overtime victory over Northern Iowa.
He hit six of his last eight shots.
Patience is credited for his surge.
“He’s been attacking more and finding his flow in the offense rather than forcing some hard shots,” senior guard Alex Caruso said of House. “He’s flowing with whatever we’re doing.”
Fatherhood actually motivated
my game and motivated me because I want to provide for my daughter. I
just want to at least put myself in a position so I can provide for her.
House agrees.“I’m just being patient offensively,” House said. “(I’m) just letting it come naturally and taking better looks instead of contested looks.”
Where did that patience come from? Perhaps it came from constant reminders from coaches and teammates. Or maybe it came from another source.
For many, patience is learned in parenthood. Perhaps that’s the case with House, who has a nine-month-old daughter, Ava.
Some might wonder whether fatherhood explains why House has been more inconsistent with his shot this season. Almost all parents know a new baby means less sleep.
But House said that’s not the case. He said not only does Ava sleep through the night, but she’s given him extra motivation to be successful.
“Fatherhood actually motivated my game and motivated me because I want to provide for my daughter,” House said recently. “I just want to at least put myself in a position so I can provide for her.”
The Aggies are just hopeful against Oklahoma he can provide the same kind of scoring threat he did in the SEC Tournament final against Kentucky, when he scored 32 points.
They would gladly accept the 20 points he scored on 8 of 12 shooting in an NCAA Tournament first round win over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
They’d love for him to shoot like he did in the final minutes of regulation and in overtime against Northern Iowa.
House did not score until he hit a free throw with 5:14 remaining in the second half. Yet, he finished with 22 points. That included a layup and clutch three-pointer in a historic 14-2 run in the final 35 seconds to force overtime.
A&M coach Billy Kennedy has acknowledged House’s inconsistency, but maintains House has had a strong showing so far this season. House also averages 4.9 rebounds and has dished out 76 assists.
Alex Parker, TexAgs
House has learned to make an impact outside of scoring, but against OU the Aggies will need the player that exploded against Kentucky and UNI.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"House has learned to make an impact outside of scoring, but against OU the Aggies will need the player that exploded against Kentucky and UNI.","MediaItemID":69265}
"But he’s obviously Second Team All-SEC; last year he finished as First Team. He’s done other things to help us win and not just rely on scoring.”
No doubt, House will be needed in many ways against Oklahoma, which has scored more than 80 points in both of its two NCAA Tournament games.
But the Sooners’ scores seem to suggest A&M needs House to have another high-scoring output, too.
He can — especially if he shows the patience to get good shots.
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