Because of a lack of depth, junior David Crisp has had to switch from shooting guard to point guard this season and averages 34.3 minutes per game. His shooting has suffered but the Huskies also have two more wins than they did all of last season.
David Crisp is generally the last player introduced before Husky basketball games. He’ll watch teammates Sam Timmins, Matisse Thybulle, Noah Dickerson and Jaylen Nowell jog out onto the court, then joins them when the P.A. announcer calls his name.
The process usually takes 25, maybe 30 seconds to complete. And if you’ve been watching UW hoops this year, you know that’s the longest Crisp will sit on the bench all night.
All right, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. Turn on a Washington basketball game these days and you’re almost guaranteed to see Crisp on the court.
The junior leads the Huskies in minutes at 34.3 per game, and has averaged 38 over his past three. Surprising he can still dunk with all that responsibility on his shoulders.
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But that’s the plan UW coach Mike Hopkins envisioned for Crisp from the outset. He sat down with the Rainier Beach High product before the season began and explained to him his role.
Crisp would be switching from shooting guard to point guard and getting plenty of cardio on game days. It was hardly a light request.
“I told him, I’m asking a lot — play 37 minutes, play defense, challenge, be the heart and soul of this team,” Hopkins said Thursday. “I think he’s done a heck of a job so far and is going to keep getting better.”
Hopkins isn’t feigning sincerity when he says this. It’s obvious he believes in Crisp and regards him as a leader. But one can’t ignore the reality that, on this team, there aren’t alternatives at the point-guard position.
West Seattle High grad Nate Pryor was once viewed as someone who could back Crisp up at the 1, but academic woes prevented him from playing this year. So in a lot of ways, Crisp’s minutes are out of necessity.
His 12.5 points and team-high 3.5 assists look impressive on their own, but his team-low .361 field goal percentage can’t be overlooked. That’s down from .411 last year, and his three-point percentage has dropped from .367 to .315.
There is one other number, however, that trumps all those stats: 11 wins — two more than the Huskies had all of last season.
“I just haven’t really got it going this year,” said Crisp when asked about his shooting struggles. “I know I’m due for a breakout and going to start shooting the ball a lot better, but we’ve been winning so I’m not worrying about that.”
Hopkins echoed that sentiment and defended Crisp. He noted how many of his clanks have come as the shot clock is expiring, which would distort his percentage.
Then, Hopkins added a line signaling his faith in David remains strong: “I judge point guards like coaches — winning games.”
Had Crisp not dropped those seven assists against Kansas, ranked No. 2 in the country at the time, the Huskies aren’t getting that win last month. It was likely the best game of Crisp’s career, and one where UW didn’t need him to score.
Granted, Crisp will likely have to be more accurate if Washington (11-4) is to continue winning games. But as Hopkins pointed out, Crisp makes contributions that the average fan doesn’t appreciate.
Maybe it’s the six defensive rebounds he grabbed in UW’s win over Montana. Maybe it’s challenging teammates in practice after a coach chews one of them out. Or maybe it’s simply getting the ball up the court and initiating the offense, which would be conspicuously problematic if Crisp weren’t available.
David might not be the most talented or efficient player on this team, but he could be the hardest to replace.
Of course, it would be nice if Crisp had a little more competition at point guard for the sake of his development. A teammate threatening one’s minutes is often the best motivation for improvement.
Even so, it’s clear that Crisp has embraced this challenge from the second he and Hopkins spoke. He doesn’t mind shooting less and passing more, and knows that if professional basketball is in his future, it will be because he can play the point.
That’s for another time, though. The focus now is trying to get win No. 12 against Washington State Saturday — when Crisp will likely play another 38 or 39 minutes.
Welcome to the new normal. This year, Hopkins has put the ball in Crisp’s hands. The success of his team might be in his hands, too.