BGSU men’s basketball sophomore guard Josiah Shackelford shined in BGSU men’s basketball’s tight 91-87 loss to Davidson on Saturday night.
Shackelford led the Falcons with 23 points and made two of the team three 3-pointers, shooting 8-for-13 from the field.
“Playing at this level, it’s easier to score, it’s easier to play because I have great teammates, and they know how to find me,” Shackelford said postgame.
The former Peach Belt Freshman of the Year is averaging 15.5 points per game through the first four games of the season.
Shackelford is the only underclassman to start for BG this year.
“I push Joe very hard. I’m very hard on him because I know how good he is. He always responds, so that makes it fun to coach, because I know he’s always going to fight back,” head coach Todd Simon said. “So, I absolutely love coaching him; I love everything he’s about.”
Shackelford dominated for Division II Flagler mainly off the bench last year, averaging a team-high 15.8 points per game, while shooting 49% from the floor and 45.3% from deep.
Although he is shooting only 33.3% (6-18) on 3-pointers through the first four contests, Shackelford has made 48.8% of his attempts from the field and is tied for sixth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 14 made free throws.
“He’s the hardest worker; I’d say he’s one of the hardest workers on the team. Always in the gym, so it’s no surprise honestly,” senior forward Sam Towns said. “He’s reaping the benefits he’s putting in. Congrats to him, love that kid, keep going.”
Shackelford was key in the team’s full-court press in the second half, grabbing three steals.
Although he has five steals on the season, Shackelford still believes there is room for improvement.
“I learned that I need to guard better,” Shackelford said. “I’m going to definitely get better at that to help my team win.”
Simon believes the sky is the ceiling for Shackelford.
“Is he perfect yet? Not necessarily. Is he a work in progress? Of course, everybody is,” Simon said. “But the expectation for him is super high because he could be really special for us.”
