Shooters shoot.
That’s the phrase you hear when a good shooter gets in a slump. Just keep shooting. The slump will go away soon enough.
Vanderbilt guard Riley LaChance found himself in a slump last season. He kept shooting.
Unfortunately, LaChance never got out of it.
After hitting double-figures 10 times in Vandy’s first 17 games, he only hit that mark once in the team’s final 16 games (he scored 10 points in the blowout loss to Wichita State in the NCAA First Four).
His numbers from three-point range weren’t pretty during the latter stretch:
- First 17 games: 33-of -74 (45%)
- Last 16 games: 10-of-45 (22%)
It was a puzzling turn of events. After all, this was the player that had zero trouble scoring during his freshman season.
These stats are evidence of that:
- Hit double-digits in scoring in 24 of the team’s 35 games
- Back to back 26-point outings against Purdue and Western Carolina
- Scored 429 points for the entire season (vs. 229 in ’15-16)
Where did it all go wrong in the second half of last season?
We can’t possibly know for sure. These things happen. Players get in slumps and struggle to find their way out of them.
Last season was frustrating all the way around. LaChance lost his way, and Vandy could never find its way in hopes of being a consistent Top 25 team.
But here’s what we do know: last season means absolutely nothing now.
LaChance enters the new season with a clean slate. So does Vandy. The frustration of last season is gone, and the excitement of what the future may hold is here.
The even better news for LaChance? He has a new head coach that knows a little something about shooting.
Bryce Drew made a living out of being an excellent shooter. He was unstoppable during his playing days at Valparaiso, and that earned him the opportunity to play for six seasons in the NBA.
So, yeah, Drew knows what it takes to be a great shooter. But the thing is, so does LaChance.
LaChance’s masterful freshman season was no accident. He was confident. He wasn’t afraid to make mistakes. When he missed, he kept shooting.
But when he hit his slump last season, you rarely saw any of that. He wasn’t sure of himself. He occasionally passed up open shots.
There’s no doubt that Drew has faced the same problems before. So has every other shooter on the planet.
Drew is the right coach at the right time for LaChance. The junior guard gets the opportunity to put his sophomore slump behind him and learn from someone who excelled in his exact role.
That combination is why it’s easy to be optimistic about LaChance returning to form this season.
Maybe that wouldn’t be the case if everyone hadn’t seen what he was capable of in year one in Nashville. But everyone did. He was an SEC All-Freshman player. He had one of the smoothest shots in the entire conference. Kevin Stallings simply couldn’t keep him off the floor.
That’s what Vanderbilt needs to be an NCAA tournament team this season. The Commodores lost a lot of production when Wade Baldwin and Damian Jones left for the NBA.
Drew needs players to replace that production.
Luke Kornet should have a fantastic season. Jeff Roberson and Matthew Fisher-Davis should make huge strides in Drew’s offense. And sophomore swingman Joe Toye could be a breakout star.
But for everyone around the country that gave up on Riley LaChance last season, it may be time to reconsider that.
Last year’s numbers mean nothing now. All that matters now is how he responds.
With a clean slate, a new system, and a coach that has been in his position before, there’s a good chance that LaChance will respond the way that all shooters respond:
By shooting.
After all, shooters shoot.
What do you expect to see from Riley LaChance and Vanderbilt this season? Log into Facebook to comment below or hit me up on Twitter (@theblakelovell) to share your thoughts.
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.