Fifth-Year Senior is the Northeastern Player to Watch in the NCAA Tournament
In a sport dominated by freshman and sophmores, veteran Scott Eatherton breaks the mold
It’s almost impossible to predict which team will be the story of the NCAA Tournament. Any mid-major school can be this year’s Florida Gulf Coast, Mercer, or George Mason, and capture the nation’s attention.
Northeastern, playing in its first Tournament since 1991, will try to become the latest success story this week, and the coach-player combination of Bill Coen and Scott Eatherton know that if the 14th-seeded Huskies are to go down in history, they’ll need to rely on every bit of experience and savvy they have to take down Notre Dame on Thursday.
Eatherton, a fifth-year senior, is leading the 23-11 Huskies in points (14.6), rebounds (6.4), and blocks (1.3) per game. The 6’9’’ forward was instrumental in wins over Florida State, Richmond, and Manhattan earlier this year, and he came up huge in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinal win over UNC Wilmington with 21 points, five rebounds, and three blocks .
In contrast to the underclassmen who are dominating major college basketball at the moment, Eatherton relies on his experience, playing the role of a crafty veteran who’s seen it all. He’s not taking anything for granted, having played on losing teams in the past. For the big man, a Tournament appearance validates the immense amount of work he has put into the program, but he was quick to point out how the entire team is responsible for the NCAA berth.
“When our team is knocking down shots I really don’t have to do much,’’ Eatherton, a native of Hershey, Pa., said. “I just focus on the defensive end and rebounding and getting it out to the shooters. In the championship game (a win over William & Mary) everybody was hitting threes, so it makes it a lot easier.’’
Because the CAA Tournament ended last Monday, Eatherton and the Huskies have had plenty of time to work on their game, even more so because Northeastern has been on spring break this past week. Coen said the team started with a light workload with a little bit of additional work in the weight room. The practices started ramping up at the end of last week and Coen said he was planning to run game plan practices on Monday and Tuesday. This is all so when Eatherton and the Huskies take on the Irish, they’re still sharp and focused. When asked if he thinks he’ll feel any extra pressure from playing on the big stage, Eatherton was doubtful.
“I don’t really feel extra pressure,’’ Eatherton said. “When people on our team are hitting shots, it completely changes the way we’re used to playing, which is inside out. I’m just going to try to be aggressive. I don’t really feel any different about the [NCAA] Tournament except that I’m going to be excited for it.’’
“I probably will feel some nerves but I won’t know until the time comes.’’
Coen is confident that his star will perform well under the bright lights, not only because of his dominance on the floor, but the intangibles he brings off it. He pointed out Eatherton’s great scoring, rebounding, and blocking prowess, and how he’s very skilled at taking charges, but stressed another aspect of his game that makes him dangerous heading into the dance.
“He’s playing with a senior urgency that you can’t imitate and you can’t recreate,’’ Coen said. “Every time he takes the floor now it could be his last game as a collegiate basketball player and that urgency is really something special.’’
Coen said even though Eatherton is a fifth-year senior, he has still shown improvement in multiple areas of his game, and that’s been a huge boost for the Huskies.
“I think it’s his patience and his decision making,’’ Coen said when asked about what Eatherton has improved on. “A lot of times in the post he’ll be double teamed in an effort to speed up his game and muddy up his decision making, but he’s been excellent all year long. He’s handled the pressure and the physicality teams throw at him very well and he’s delivered in big moments.’’
Both Coen and Eatherton acknowledged how the forward’s more than 100 games of experience has been a factor for the Huskies this year en route to their conference title, although the big man doesn’t necessarily see himself as old.
“I feel like I’ve played in so many games in my college career,’’ Eatherton said, “sometimes I can help younger guys on the team by telling them to keep their head up and that it’s going to be fine no matter what happens. Other than that I don’t feel that much older.’’
While Eatherton is the star, Coen, currently in his ninth season at the helm for the Huskies, made sure to point out how many great contributors they have. Quincy Ford was the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. David Walker has had a productive second half of the season and is averaging 13.4 PPG while leading the Huskies in three pointers made . Everyone will have to play at their highest level if Northeastern is to win a game in the Tournament.
Both Eatherton and Coen offered up their thoughts on what it takes to pull off a monumental upset.
“It’s about how much energy we bring when we play,’’ Eatherton said. “That will translate to us staying aggressive, and really focusing on defense. If we get some stops on defense we’ll get some easy points on the other end and that’ll give us some confidence to know that we’re able to play with these guys.’’
“You have to stay in the moment,’’ Coen said. “If you make a mistake you have to forget about it and not let it impact the next play and if you make a great play you have to move on to the next play.’’
Coen said that the message he instilled in his team before the CAA Tournament will carry over into the NCAAs, and that is to only focus on what you can control and to know your role and execute it to the best of your ability.
“What we try to do is just focus on ourselves,’’ Coen said. “That’ll give us the best chance of being successful, being the best possible version of ourselves at the exact right time that we need to be. I thought the three days down in Baltimore we were that. If we stick to that formula where we’re believing in ourselves, trusting in our teammates, and trusting in the system, that’s going to give us the best chance.’’
Based on Coen and Eatherton’s sentiments, the Huskies are thrilled to win the CAA, but they will not have a “we’re just happy to be here’’ mentality in the dance. This an experienced team with a star looking to extend his career, so there’s a real chance they can bring the madness to March.
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