ACCSports.com examines State’s drought issues.
Read the piece first, than consider this counter-argument:
I think it largely overlooks the #1 reason WHY State has suffered through extended droughts this year: No Tracy Smith.
There are two HUGE things Tracy brings to the table that helps negate the likelihood of extended droughts: senior leadership and high-percentage scoring.
The leadership component is key for any team, but on a team that relies so heavily on its young core of Brown, Leslie, Harrow, Wood and Painter—none of whom are upperclassmen—having ANY leadership on the floor is even more critical when things go awry.
But perhaps more importantly, Tracy gives State reliable scoring. Droughts are infectious, self-serving poisons that grow the longer they persist. The easiest way to end a drought is simply to put the ball in the basket. Just one easy layup underneath can be enough to loosen up a team who tightens up with each missed jumper. And Tracy Smith, who makes his living hitting high-percentage shots close to the basket, is the most reliable player on the roster to turn to when you need that key basket to end the schneid.
He should be back by the Arizona game, and in the biggest game of the season to this point, I don’t think we’ll see State suffer any droughts as long as he’s in the lineup.
