While BGSU men’s basketball is dealing with a plethora of injuries, which left them with just nine active players against Morgan State on Saturday, senior guard Derrick Butler stepped up in a major way, scoring a career-high 35 points to propel Bowling Green to a 102-81 victory.
However, an underlying story of the game was the play of the Falcon’s supporting cast, mainly the big men – redshirt freshman forward Jamai Felt and sophomore forward Preston Squire – and junior guard Javontae Campbell.
“It’s good to see some guys step up,” head coach Todd Simon said after the Morgan State win. “I think the way we went about winning today was what I’m most proud of because it was a true team effort.”
Although the Orange and Brown are injured all over the place, they are especially thin in the frontcourt.
Senior forward Sam Towns has not played since the Bellarmine game and is wearing a full leg brace, junior forward Youssef Khayat left the Bellarmine game with an injury and was not on the sidelines for the Morgan State game and junior forward Greg Spurgin has been in a boot for a few weeks.
With the lack of depth, Felt and Squire answered the call against the Bears, delivering some of their best performances of the season and displaying their continued growth.
“We hate to see our teammates go down; we want them back. Just having the confidence, know the work that we’ve all put in, and be able to step in and try to fulfill their shoes,” Squire said.
Even though he fouled out late in the game, Felt was a game-changer for the Falcons when he was on the court against Morgan State, earning the first start of his collegiate career.
He scored six points on 3-4 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, with BGSU outscoring the Bears by 20 points during his 18 minutes on the hardwood. Although it doesn’t show in the box score, he also affected numerous shots with his rim protection throughout the contest.
The 6-foot-10-inch forward – one of the best stories for the Falcons – has shown steady improvement throughout the season after missing the past two years due to multiple knee injuries.
“It really took maybe that first game or two, he and I had a conversation. I said, ‘Well, I was overprotecting him, kind of like an overprotective parent. Worried about him getting hurt again, worried about this, that or the other,'” Simon said. “Then, finally, it was just like, ‘Hey, I got to push you like you’re a frontline guy here. We’re going to push you. It’s going to be a little different in practice; we don’t need to treat you with kid gloves. That’s all in the past now, and your future’s all looking up.'”
Across his first six games of the season, Felt only played 8.3 minutes per game, averaging just 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest.
However, he has played 20 minutes per game over the past three contests, averaging 5.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
“I think ever since after that conversation and kind of letting him play through some mistakes and grow, he’s really emerged,” Simon said.
Felt has been dominant on the offensive glass for the Falcons recently, grabbing 12 offensive boards over the past three matchups.
“An animal on the court. I mean, Jamai, he’s going after every single rebound. He’s a beast to try to contain in practice, and then he goes out on the court,” Squire said. “I’m thankful when he does it to other teams, it means I don’t have to try to fight with him anymore.”
Meanwhile, Squire has also continued to grow into his role with the Orange and Brown throughout this season, with his performance against Morgan State being undoubtedly his best of the season.
The 6-foot-11-inch forward played nearly 24 minutes and scored a season-high 12 points on 4-7 shooting. He also grabbed three rebounds, with two of them coming on the offensive glass.
“I definitely felt a lot of comfort from my teammates. They have a lot of trust in me and trust in my abilities and confidence in me, as well as the coaching staff, and to have that around me to be able to support me to help me build up my own confidence to know that I can step in and can contribute is phenomenal,” Squire said. “I think it shows the game is starting to slow down just a little bit for me. I’ve still got ways to go, but it’s great having my teammates and the coaching staff around to support me and put that confidence in me.”
Squire has played in just six games this season – seeing double-digit minutes in only three contests. However, Saturday proved that he may be ready to carry a heavier load while the Falcons are thin down low.
“He’s a fantastic player. We just tell him, ‘You’re a good player that’s just waiting his turn.’ So, with every game out there, he’s getting more and more comfortable,” Simon said. “Having 12 [points] and three [rebounds] today, that’s only going to bode well for the future.”
Although he didn’t have a dominant scoring night – which he’s had multiple times so far this season – Campbell dominated every other facet of the game in the win over Morgan State for the shorthanded Falcons.
“He’s made right; he’s a guy you want to go to battle with,” Simon said. “He can take over games with scoring, without scoring. He’s tough as nails.”
Along with scoring 13 points on a highly efficient 6-8 shooting from the field, Campbell led the Orange and Brown with eight rebounds, five assists and four blocks. The Falcons outscored the Bears by 38 points when he was on the court.
“He’s a guy that wasn’t 100%, and you look down, and he shoots 75%, goes 13 [points], eight [rebounds], five [assists] and four [blocks], and plus 38 in the 27 minutes he plays. He just dominated the game without necessarily putting up a ton of points. He was absolutely dominant. But he’s just made right, takes coaching, wants to be good. So, yeah, we love him.”
Next, the Falcons will try to rest up before heading to Missouri to battle the Kansas City Roos on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. Falcon Media Sports Network will have a preview and recap of the game on bgfalconmedia.com.
