Player Profile: Jerome Dyson

The Good: Jerome had a season to forget but there were still some positives to take away. He still has a tremendous first step and can dribble around his defender with ease. His speed also allows him to play the passing lanes and he has a knack with getting his hands on the ball. He’s a great man to man defender and is learning to fight through screens, rather than sinking off them. His ball handling skills are point guard like and he can dribble into traffic without being out of control. His free throw shooting has improved from a .719 to a .811 and he is comfortable with taking clutch free throws in tight games. There is no questioning his toughness. He lays his body out for loose balls, takes the charge, and attacks the basket with no remorse.

The Bad: It starts with awful decisions off the court. He needs to focus on what is going to take him to the next level, not what gives him immediate satisfaction. Young kids learn from their mistakes and hopefully he did. Dyson needs to find that swagger to his game that he showed in his freshman year, when Calhoun gave him the green light to shoot anywhere and at anytime. He’s been in a horrible shooting slump and it has effected his whole game. Instead of pulling up for a mid-range shot, he dribbles into a charge. He has to have the confidence that the pull up will drop and he doesn’t have it yet. The only cure for confidence is draining a few buckets and that only happens when you shoot. He also looks to take plays off. He doesn’t show his awesome speed on every play. Instead he cherry picks his opportunities.

Next Year: This will be the most pivotal year for Dyson. He’s got all the tools: speed, toughness, athleticism, and ball handling. The only thing he lacks to make it to the next level is consistent shooting. He needs to find that or his minutes will drop with the crowded backcourt at Calhoun’s disposal. Its hard to say which direction Dyson’s season will go, but it can’t get much lower then it was last season.