Small finds his range in rout of Jackson State

Isiah Small’s teammates call him Draymond Green.

Like the Golden State Warriors all-star, Small’s a natural passer. It’s not that the forward can’t score. He just prefers being the second or third option on offense, picking his spots and finding the open man.

The nickname isn’t a compliment, necessarily. It’s more of a challenge. His teammates want him to find his own basket, not hope for someone to score off his feed.

The 6-foot-8 junior was feeling his outside shot Monday during the team shootaround before Texas State’s home game against Jackson State. He’d taken five 3-pointers this year and made just one of them but worked up enough confidence to ask assistant coach Robert Guster if he should shoot more in the game.

“Would (head coach Danny) Kaspar be mad if I went 3-7?” Small asked.

Guster told him not at all. In fact, Kaspar would love it if Small made three 3s.

“And in the back of my head I was like, ‘Alright, just make three 3s, just for Kaspar,’” Small said.

He didn’t need the extra four attempts. Small shot a perfect 3-3 from deep and dropped a game-high 20 points as the Bobcats took down the Tigers inside Strahan Arena, 73-58.

“He hit them tonight, that's all I can tell you,” Kaspar said. “You know, I get on him about getting here early and shooting shots. And some nights these guys feel it, some nights, they don't.”

All of Small’s shots looked relatively similar. He spent most of the first half as the trail post — the last player up the floor but one of the first to get the ball on offense. Small would pass to the wing, walk his man to the paint to free up space for one of Texas State’s point guards to cross the arc, then moonwalk back to the top of the key.

Small’s defender didn’t view him as much of a shooting threat and sagged off the perimeter. Small made him pay each time. All three of the forward’s treys came during the first half. They accounted for half of his points by the end of the first period.

All of Small's 3-pointers have looked like this. Catches the ball in rhythm at the top of the key, his defender sagging off just a step too deep. Half of his points have come from it @smdrsports pic.twitter.com/4pa6YQmuqW

— Drew King (@drewking0222) November 19, 2019

“(I was) just finding rhythm, really. Just cutting, shooting, they're sagging off, shoot when I'm open. Even if I'm not open, they're sagging off,” Small said. “I was like, 'Why not shoot?' I see one go in, I said ‘Once I see one go in, it's over with.' So I just catch and shoot.”

The Bobcats led 41-29 by halftime. Kaspar rested his starters more in the second half, giving his bench some extended playing time. Small only played nine minutes and scored another two points. But the Jersey City, New Jersey native’s sharpshooting proved to be crucial for the Bobcats.

Jackson State ran a full-court press in the second half and scored seven points off of six turnovers. Senior guard Nijal Pearson, Texas State’s leading scorer, also had a rough night scoring, finishing with 13 points on 5-15 shooting. 

Small’s aggressiveness built the maroon and gold a 12-point lead. But the team only extended it to 15 by the end of the game.

“That's something we need, especially from him at that position,” sophomore point guard Mason Harrell said. “I feel like when he's aggressive, I mean, in the flow of the offense, it just helps everybody. And we know he's a capable passer. But with him scoring, it really helps us.”

Small ended the evening with 20 points, eight rebounds and three steals. He was followed by Pearson and Harrell with 13 points each.

The junior said he’s not sure if he’ll keep being aggressive. “Nine times out of 10,” he’ll probably still play like Draymond Green.

But when they need him to be someone else, he’s proven that being Isiah Small isn’t a bad option.

“If he could shoot like that, golly, he could make some money. At his long arms and his height, he could be playing at least overseas for decent money,” Kaspar said. “He's a very coachable young man, he's extremely coachable. He's one of the most pleasant recruits I've ever had. Immediately, you just really, really enjoy coaching him.”