Smalls' Ongoing Evolution Boosts Dukes

HARRISONBURG — Sean O’Regan has infected Kamiah Smalls’ head.

The first-year James Madison women’s basketball coach has made it a habit of publicly saying his freshman guard needs to be more aggressive on the court. So it comes as no surprise that Smalls said not a day goes by when O’Regan doesn’t mention the same refrain to her privately.

“Every time, every second I see him, it’s the same thing — be more aggressive, shoot the ball, we need you to create,” Smalls said. “It’s literally every time I see him, so I think I dream about it now.”

Smalls, the 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, began her career with a double-double against Tennessee, setting the expectations extremely high. Through her first seven games, the freshman averaged 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

However, as teams began to game-plan against the Philadelphia native, her play became inconsistent. Smalls had as many games in CAA play with seven or more rebounds (five) as two or fewer boards.

“There was a time where she felt like it was easy and it came really easy for her,” O’Regan said. “As a freshman, if it comes easy for you, there’s this resonating feeling of ‘I’ve got this and I don’t have to work.’ ... She’s realized she needs to work on her game a lot and she needs to expand it.”

Smalls admitted she came into the season thinking she could only drive and score layups and not be as versatile as she was in high school. However, that has changed as she tries to add a more consistent jump shot and floater into her repertoire — both of which she showcased against Virginia on Sunday when it took away the baseline driving lane from her.

“[It’s] just trying to get that shot off in the best way that you can,” Smalls said. “Knowing that if there is somebody in the lane, you don’t always have to shoot that layup, you always have the option to do that pull-up or that little floater.”

Smalls’ evolution has dovetailed almost perfectly with the growth of fellow freshman Lexie Barrier.

Barrier is JMU’s second-leading scorer in the WNIT with an average of 8.5 points per game. She averaged just 4.9 points per game in her first nine games with the Dukes, but has averaged 7.2 points since the start of CAA play in January.

A big part of the scoring increase is Barrier’s growing self-confidence, which has transformed her into a reliable shooter who can take defenders off the dribble. In the WNIT, the Ironton, Ohio, native is 7-of-12 from the field with four of those five misses coming from behind the arc.

“I’ve just tried to get a little more aggressive throughout the season and try to play more consistently,” Barrier said. “Whether that be scoring or rebounding, just doing something that helps the team every game.”

The only problem O’Regan said he has with Barrier’s performance at the moment is her knack for fouling shooters while they are attempting a 3-pointer — something she did again Sunday against Virginia. Otherwise, he said she has done almost everything correctly which has helped give her the belief that she can play against marquee opponents.

And that is a dangerous thing for opponents, O’Regan said.

“Her confidence is starting to really climb, and I hope it stays up there,” O’Regan said. “She’s started to realize who she is and who she can be. It’s the perfect time for her to spread her wings.”

The freshmen have been aided by the Dukes’ 12th consecutive trip to the postseason, which grants them extra practice time and more games against quality opponents. Although some of those runs have lasted longer than others, postseason games are still vital for the development of the younger players who litter the JMU roster.

O’Regan said closing out a tight game against an Atlantic Coast Conference school like Virginia is a memory his players can use to help them in the years to come when JMU inevitably battles another Power Five school.

“You put all those experiences into your bag and you can take from them,” O’Regan said. “The most important thing would be growing level of confidence; [the knowledge that] you can play against anybody in the country and you’re good enough.”

JMU (26-8) looks to extend its postseason a few more days when it hosts Villanova (18-14) today at 7 p.m. in the third round of the WNIT. The Dukes and Wildcats have never met previously, although the Wildcats defeated JMU’s CAA rival, Drexel, 56-51 in the previous round.