One year ago, senior Mike Scott stepped into the men’s basketball starting lineup in place of a banged up Glen Dean after coming off the bench all season.
Jay Anderson | Argonaut
Mike Scott dribbles past EWU defenders in Cheney.
This year as a senior, Scott is placed fourth nationally in assist to turnover ratio with 3.38 assist per turnover, and second for Idaho in scoring with 14.3 points per game. He is arguably Idaho’s most improved player and a surefire bet for first or second-team All-Big Sky honors.
“He worked and changed his body, he got a lot stronger, he got his outside shot a lot better, he really worked on his handles and really focused in on getting better,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said of Scott’s improvement. “He attributes it to cutting his hair, but I don’t think that had anything to do with it. I think he just really was focused in on making sure he had a good season and finishing his career the right way.”
Scott, a Los Angeles native who came to Idaho from Antelope Valley College, was known for his wild afro hairdo last season before deciding to go with a different look this year.
“When I thought about cutting my hair, I just wanted to send a message to everybody that it’s my senior year,” Scott said. “It’s my last year, and I want to come in and just let everybody know that I mean business. (I’ve) been working my tail off and I’m more approachable with the hair gone, more professional. After this, it’s for the real world, so it’s time to cut it anyway.”
Scott joins Connor Hill and Bira Seck as the three Idaho seniors playing their last game in Moscow Saturday against Montana State. On top of it being Senior Day, the MSU game might be a must-win game for the Vandals if they want to make the Big Sky Tournament. Going into Thursday, Idaho ranked No. 7 in the conference — one spot ahead of the tournament cutoff.
“We’re looking at this week as must-win games,” Scott said. “You always want to win games, but it’s getting to that point where the conference tournament is coming, so we need to win.”
Scott’s scoring and assist statistics stand out, but he is also an underrated defensive player — something harder to see when looking at statistics. Verlin said Scott took a large step from last season to become a better and more complete player.
“Defense was one of the biggest things I wanted to work on over the summer off the ball and on the ball,” Scott said. “That just comes from wanting to do whatever I can do for my team. Especially if I want to play basketball further, you have to learn to be a two-way player. Some kids can score, but what it really comes down to is if you can stop someone on the other end.”
Verlin said Scott is a coachable player and has a good natural feel for the game. He said Scott decided he wanted to really work to become a better player in the offseason — something Scott fulfilled.
“My hard work has paid off,” Scott said. “I thank coach V for giving me a chance to be here with this team. I’m just trying to do the best I can, so being able to take the last shot and be a contributor is a blessing.”
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]