Whatever words Amaker used to impress the point on Smith, they worked. In arguably the biggest weekend of the season, at home against the Killer P’s, Smith stepped up. In Friday’s game against Penn, he nearly notched a triple-double, totaling 20 points, 10 blocks, and nine rebounds. The next night, against Princeton, he tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks without missing a single shot—field goal or free throw.
Smith’s only objective this year, he states, is to be there for his squad.
“My personal goal is to do the best that I can to get this team where it needs to be for where we need to go and want to go,” Smith explained. “Every-day I’m contributing as much as I possibly can to better this team, because we’ve got some big team goals in mind and we know it’s going to take a lot to get there.”
Fellow frontcourt mate Moundou-Missi, who ranked fifth for the Crimson in points per game and third in field goal percentage last year, believes that it is the intangibles that will take his game to the next level in the coming campaign.
“I think the big change in my game is my confidence level,” Moundou-Missi explained. “I feel like this summer I practiced a lot and got confident taking some shots I didn’t take last year. Playing with the [Cameroonian] national team also helped me, for sure, as a player.”
In addition to utilizing his new consistent jump shot, Moundou-Missi stressed the importance of his role on the defensive end, stating that that is where he and the other bigs will have their biggest impact.
Rounding out the 2012-13 big man trio, Travis comes into this season having worked on his mid-range game as well as his post strength. The veteran shot nearly 60 percent last year and, according to Smith, is now a bigger threat to face-up and shoot a pullup.
“Jonah and Steve are both just absolute workhorses,” Smith said. “They both, without a doubt, have the strength to bulldoze their way to the rim, but they’re both quick players too. They’re working on making moves right off the dribble, so they can become a little more perimeter-oriented…. It’s crucial for our team for them to have that confidence [outside the paint].”
With five individually skilled players, it will be finding the right lineups, not talent, that may take some time. Amaker explained that at this point, the coaching staff is unsure of what the minute distribution is going to be or how deep they will go into the bench. Finding the right combination between the five, he believes, will be crucial.
“I think one of the keys of the season will be the consistency of our front line,” Amaker said. “That’s the area that could help carry this team to a different level. That’s what we’re hoping for…. That’s the key group for the ball club this season.”
Already, both Smith and Moundou-Missi have voiced their approval of how the post players are gelling. Smith said the dynamic is going “very well” and “can only get better from here,” while Moundou-Missi described the five as “a good mix.”
With a five-month season ahead, it seems that the squad already understands how essential the five big men will be.
“If we can get consistent performances from our group of front line players,” Amaker said, “not [just from] one guy, [but from] a group of guys, I really like the opportunity of this team to have a special year.”
—Staff writer Juliet Spies-Gans can be reached at juliet.spies-gans@thecrimson.com.