UC Irvine’s answer to a depleting basketball roster was a fast recovery.
After all-league Collin Welp exhausted his eligibility and four other Anteaters exited through the transfer portal, head coach Russell Turner redesigned the offense to play faster and shoot from deeper. The result is a 5-1 start in Big West play entering tonight’s game against Hawaii in the Bren Events Center on the Irvine, Calif., campus. UCI, UH and UC Santa Barbara are tied for second at 5-1 behind Big West leader UC Riverside (6-1).
“We’ve played a little bit differently from, maybe, some of our past teams in terms of our offensive pace and 3-point shooting,” Turner said. “I feel good about how we’ve gotten to this point.”
Turner’s Anteaters have been known for an imposing front court and aggressive defense. But without Welp, a creative 6-foot-9 scorer, and the departures of posts Emmanuel Tshimanga (to UC San Diego), Austin Johnson (North Carolina A&T), and Hunter Ruck (Biola), the Anteaters have tinkered with their approach.
The Anteaters have picked up the pace, averaging 17.1 seconds per offensive set and 69.2 plays per 40 minutes. Last season’s tempo was 19.0 seconds and 65.2 plays, respectively.
The Anteaters already have made 136 3-pointers in 18 games this season compared to 126 in 25 contests in 2021-22. Against Big West opponents, the Anteaters are connecting on 50% of their shots, including 39.8% on 3s.
“We added a player in Pierre Crockrell, who makes everyone around him better,” Turner said of the point guard who transferred from Pacific. “That’s been a big part of it.”
Crockrell averages 4.8 assists per game. His turnover-to-assist ratio is 2.2. He is converting 40.4% of his shots, with all 99 shots launched from inside the arc.
Devin Tillis, a 6-foot-6 wing, is grasping 9.0 rebounds per game in league play, with a third off the offensive boards.
“Devin Tillis, for us, is a really good player who was out last year with an injury, so people hadn’t seen him,” Turner said. “We knew he was good.”
Bent Leuchten, a 7-foot center from Germany, has had a breakout sophomore year after averaging 3.3 points and 7 minutes in 24 games last season. Leuchten was averaging 20.7 points on 74.2% shooting in the first three Big West games before suffering a knee injury. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure and, according to Turner, is not expected to play against UH.
“It’s different when we have (Leuchten) versus when we don’t,” Turner said. “But everybody in the league goes through those vicissitudes with injuries throughout the year.”
The Anteaters lost three times at home this season — to Fresno State, Harvard and UCSB — outcomes that Turner described as “missed opportunities.”
“We think we’ve got a team that is capable of being a championship-level team in the Big West,” Turner added. “We’ve just got to stay at it. It’s a 20-game race (in league play). It’s a long race, and it’ll be a quick race at the end — a three-game deal in the (Big West) Tournament.”
Turner said Hawaii is “as good as anybody in the league.” The ’Bows have played well defensively and in attacking the boards.
“They are well balanced,” Turner said. “They’re exceptional on the defensive end. They’ve got an identity they play to. And their players play to their strengths. That’s a credit to their players, their coaches, all of them. They’re playing with a belief. You can see that. Their players have improved. You can see that.”
